Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-26

the roadside was hidden by a tangle Of
raspberry bushes, and my foot turning o.
stone concealed in the wild grasses. 1
fell clumsily and rolled a dozen yards
into tangle of the berry bushes AS
picked myself up | heard voices in tie
road. but should have thought nothing OF
II. had 1 not seen through a break in the
vines, and almost within reach OF my
hand. Cecilia Hollister talking earnestly
to some one not yet disclosed She wa
hatless. but had flung a golf cape over
her shoulders The red-scarlet lining or
the hood turned up about her neck made
an effective setting for her noble head.
: 'Oh. / can't tell you, l can't help YOU!
mustn't even appear TO give you any AL
vantage. / went into it with my eyes
open. and / am in honor bound not to-
tell you anything. You have said moth
neutrality-suspicious. that. There 10
absolutely nothing between u.s."
But i must say everything, I refuse
to be blinded by these absurd restrictions.
whatever they are. It's not fair-it's in
.yiting me into game where the cards
are not all on the table. I've come Ia
make an end of it!'
My hands had suffered by contact with
the briars. and l had been ministering to
them with my handkerchief; but | fell
back upon the slope in my astonishment
at this colloquy. Cecilia HOLSTER J had
seen plainly enough though the man
back had been toward me: but anywhere
on earth / should have known Virgins
voice. / protest that ii is not my way to
become an eavesdropper voluntarily. bu
to disclose myself now was impossible. /
ii had not been Wigg.ns-but Wiggir.;
would never have understood or forgive:
nor could / have explained plausibly t.
Cecilia Hollister that I had not followed
her from the house to spy upon her. L
should have made the noise OF an invad-
ing army il | had attempted to effect al
exit by creeping out through the wfndrow
Of crisp leaves in which / lay: and to
turn back and ascend the slope the way
L had come would have been to advertise
my presence to the figures i'm the road
There seemed nothing for me but to keep
still and hope that this discussion be
tween Cecilia Hollister and Hartley Wig
gins would not be continued within ear
shot. To my relief they moved a trif"
farther on. but L still heard their voices
II cannot listen to you. Now that I'm
committed i cannot honorably count--
nance you at all, and can explain moth
ing. 1 came here IL meet you only t.
tell you this. You must go-piease. And
do not attempt to see me in this wa
again.
1 was grateful'that Virgins voice sank
so low In his reply that I did not hear IL:
but I knew that he was pleading hard.
Then a motor flashed by. and when the
whirr Of its passing had ceased the voices
were inaudible: but a moment later 1
heard light, quick step beyond the wall
and Cecilia passed hurriedly, her face
turned toward the house. The cape was
drawn tightly about her shoulders and
She walked with her head bowed.
L breathed a sigh of relief and when l
felt safe from detection climbed the slope
Pausing on the crest to survey the land
scape, saw a man, wearing a derby hat
and light topcoat. leaning against n
fence that inclosed a pasture As
glanced in his direction he moved away
hastily toward the road below. The feel
ing Of being watched is not agreeable.
and ! could not account for him. AS he
passed out of sight still another man ap-
peared. emerging from a strip OF wood
and farther on. Even through the even
Ing haze ] should have said that he was
gentleman. The two men apparently
bore no relation to each other. though
they were walking in the same direction,
bound, / judged for the highway below.
had an uncomfortable feeling that they
had both been observing me- though for
what purpose I could not imagine. Then
,nce more. just as / was about to enter
he Italian garden from a fallow field
hat hung slightly above 1t. third man
appeared as mysteriously as though he
lad sprung rom the ground and ran a
sharp dog-tro along the fence. headed
ike the others, for the road. In the third
Instance the stranger undoubtedly took
PAINS to hide his face, but he. too was
edora hat of current style.
/ did not know why these gentlemen
we're ranging the neighborhood or what
'bject they had in view; but their sew
raj appearances had interested me, and
went on into the house well satisfied
hat events OF an unusual character were
kelly to mark my visit TO the home OF
Hiss Octavia HoiIister
(ro be continued tomorrow