Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1910-04-14

you would do, shall punish you ter
ribly-you and her!''
You may punish me all you like,
but you shall not punish her!" I said
with her own emphasis.
Reginald promised me some papers
to-night-my father had asked me to
get them for him. She does not
know, this cousin Of mine, what they
are, what her father is! 1t is left for
you to bring the shame upon her.
at had better be than you, in your
present frame of mind!"-and the pity
welled in my heart. l must save her
from the heartache that lay in the
truth. If failed in this l should fail
indeed.
do you want her to know that her
father is a forger-a felon? That is
what you are telling her, il you trick
Reginald into giving her those papers
he was to give me for my father!" /
"She hasn't those papers. I have
them. They are in my pocket, quite safe
from all of you. You are altogether
too vindictive, you Holbrooks! have
no intention Of trusting you with such
high explosives"
Reginald shall take them away
from you. He is not a child to be
played with-duped in this fashion"
Reginald is good fellow. He will
always love me for this"
For cheating him? Don't you sup.
pose he will resent it? Don't you think
he knows me from every other girl in
the world?"
No, l do not. In fact, I have
proved that he doesn't. You see, Miss
Holbrook. he gave her the documents
in the case without a question"
And she dutifully passed them
on to you!"
Nothing of the kind, my dear Miss
Holbrook! 1 took them out of her
cloak pocket"
That is quite in keeping!"
I'm not done yet! Pardon me, but
l want you to exchange cloaks with
me. You shall have Reginald in a mo-
ment, and we will make sure that he
Is deceived by letting him take you
home. You are as like as two peas
in everything except temper, humor
and such trifies; but your cloaks are
quite different. Pleased"
Il will mott"
"Please!"
"You are despicable, despicable!"
Il am really the best friend you
have in the world. Again, will you
kindly exchange cloaks with me?
Yours is blue, isn't it? I think Reg.
inald knows blue from red. All, thank
you! Now, want you to promise to
say nothing as he takes you home
about papers, your father, your uncle
or your aunt. You will talk to him of
times when you were children at STAN.
| ford, and things like that, in a dreamy
reminiscential key. If he speaks of
things that you don't exactly under.
stand, refers to what he has said to
your cousin here tonight, you need
only fend him off; tell him the Incl.
dent is closed. When I bring him to
you in ten minutes it will be with the
understanding that he is to take you
back to st. Agatha's at once. He has
his launch at the casino pier; you
needn't say anything to him when you
land, only that you must get home
quietly, so Miss Pat shan't know you
have been out. Your exits and your
entrances are your own affair. Now
hope you see the wisdom of obeying
me, absolutely"
Il didn't know that I could hate you
so much!" she said, quietly. But
shall not forget this. I shall let you
see before l am day older that you
are not quite the master you think
you are; suppose I tell him how you
have played with him."
Then before you are three hours
older / shall precipitate a crisis that
you will not like, Miss Holbrook. l ad.
wise you, as your best friend, to do
what l ask"
She shrugged her shoulders, drew
the scarlet cloak more closely about
her, and l left her gazing off into the
strip of wood that lay close upon the
inland side of the clubhouse. l was
by no means sure of her, but there
was not time for further parley. I
dropped the blue cloak on chair in a
corner and hurried round to the door
of the ballroom, meeting Rosalind and
Gillespie coming out flushed with their
dance.
TO BE CoNTINUED)