The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-06-16
(Continued.)

ask uOL lOT human STuD, Sdlu
he, "but turn me loose to dig roots,
or mayhap snare toad or exhume
worm. l would not live always,
but how would you bury me up
here, old scout? Think"
II have been thinking" replied
Carson, land l must admit that
you are correct-look there!"
Hhe Hold had blossomed sudden
ly in fire. The lakes edged with
lights glimmered like mirrors; the
clustered arc lights delimited the
high mesa like map; the winding
labyrinth of incandescents netted
the peaks like glowing Lilliputian
threads about the recumbent Guilt
yer; and in the midst stood a great,
roomy, columned mansion, its
wings in shade, its central court
agleam, the radiant heart of an
elaborate splendor. Carson drew in
his breath sharply.
"My Cod" said he. "Who could
ever think of such thing?"
Craighead was silent, until Car
son unhesitatingly turned the PROV
of the Virginia directly toward the
Hold.
what would you do now" he
asked. play we're kids going af-
ter tigers-and finding them?"
Now that he had found the Hold,
Carson was too much at a loss to
reply. He would not ask admis-
sion-and he had no idea that he
would be admitted if he did. But
he must see Virginia Utterly es-
tranged as they were, this night
voyage had a reason-the hope of
seeing her, of asking her forgive
ness, of bringing her to see that
when she dropped from the sky to
his feet. he had loved her, that
when she had come to live with
that uncle Of whom she had heard
so little, and had found the last
Carson in him, the temptation was
SO masked in duty that it was too
strong for him. And had he ever
once in that delicious, perilous time
of acting Uncle Theodore" mex
cusably presumed on the relation
ship, or failed in goodness? True,
he had ct ehlr stay as his niece;
but had not his father always
thought himself of the same blood?
Virginia must allow some weight
to this tradition. She must see
that. while too remotely related to
be Objectionable in nearer, dearer
way, he was too probably of kin to
have turned her away. And, surely,
when once he could look in her
eyes, all the dear, disguised avow-
ais and acceptances in the mis-
taken past must make him some
thing better than a stranger. He
would land in Shayne's Hold, if it
were the last act of his life.
With the ancient instinct of the
surreptitious lover, he made for the
angle between two dark wings of
the great house. Glimmers of light
from two windows were their sole
sign of occupancy; the center of
human concourse being about that
core of light in the court. The
wings seemed like low adjuncts for
conservatives or billiard rooms;
and the angle between, with its
light mottlings, looked like flow
er-sprinkled lawn, on which Carson
felt confident of placing the Vir-
ginia gently, and with no disturb
ance. Beyond this he had been too
much engrossed in the manage
ment of the aeronef to make plans
With a slow soaring motion she
came into the angle like steamer
into her slip-and found, instead of
q lawn. a graveled roof cluttered
with tables and chairs as if for the
serving of refreshments. Among
these the Virginia nOsed in. dumped
some chairs, table and two potted
palms into the court, and settled
down amid cracking furniture and
crashing pottery-a beautiful land
ing, in a rather unsuitable spot.
Craighead leaped out on the
roof.
Lets rum" said he, in a stage
whisper. "They must have heard
that, and II they catch us, we're
in for it,"
Stay here" said Carson, in a
low tone. "If we must, we can fly
in the Virginia I'll see If anything's
hrnLAnfp