The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-09-27
CHAPTER XVII.
The Colleen to the Rescue.

Aco5 IldEtCdttE MDnuEONS Ildn mat
il could tighten the heaviest heart
An hour ago the girl could have drop
ped in her steps for WEAKNESS. within
the half hour just past she had faiute5,
despite the pressure which she put upon
her resolution, despite her determination
not 10 yield 10 any such feminine weak
ness.
But now she moved with a heart that
seemed TO sing for very joy and for The
time the terrOTs she had undergone be-
came as nothing 10 her she could not
would not think Of them A single
thought wrapped her mind and body in
laInoenJ, soft, revivins flames; the love
OF her life was rounded out by love
reCiprOcated- The circle of her happi-
ness was complete. She walked in q
rosy path Of dreams
Beside her thc surf broke in the cold
green glamourous beauty or phOsphor-
eScence- singing SIblIantlV as ITS driven
nipples lost their impetus and retreated
down the rafting single to become
again component part Of the mother
sea. Overhead the skies blazed in soft
and iridescent glory and the very stars
seemed 10 sing an anJiphony 10 her
heart song OF happiness Between the
TWO the waxing breeze lummed, now
faint, nov strong, striking in perfect
harmony its AeOlian chords upon the
trees and coarse sand grasses
She felt IL 10 be the overture 90 the
symphony OF life. which for the nrst
time, her ears were attuned 10 hear and
understand.
The long convex curve Of the south
beach was a roundabout way, bEt she
held 70 IL. chiefly because she had prom
ised CadOgau that she would u was
some time before she saw that her jour
ney was drawing to its close. with the
lighthouse looming high above her and
throwing its radiance aLhWarr the vast
ness of the shadowy night, an aureOle
broken by the wheeling spoke-iike shai-
Ovs Of the frames
She turned inland then. clamberins
over the gently rolling dunes until she
struck upon the path leading 20 the cot
tage dooryard- and hurried me IasteI,
since nov her JOY was tempered by
vazue, Enawine solicitude for her father
As she neared him the assurance that
naught vas i'll with him save that ne
slept a dTUESed sieep-an assurance
which had bUOyed her Cd ever since she
had left the cottage 10 20 10 Cadogan-
ebbed-
Tee gate was open and she seemed 20
remember closing t. The door was open
The IampIiCht from within striking out
in q broad band upon the darkness. and
she was sure that she remembered clos
ing that-
She turned. with a hand on the pal
inzs. and cast 2 sweeping glance 10 sea
ward She saw nothing out Of the ordl-
narv- Near AT hand the lighthouse slcoo
rocked al its UOoTiug- farther down to-
ward the western point Of the concaNe
beach the Colleen & shape doomed more
-1rIeIv- No other Grant was visible
ana althCugh the green ilgnt sun burned
IN tne r1pOIa-eveu aS she looked II was
remOEed-i- seemed 10 have served 10
PURPOSE. whatever VIKING GeSlsii-
s LITTLE less DISTURBED she turned ran
lightly uD the path between the ranked
flowers Of the garden beds crossed the
low dOOrstoop and stood WITHIN the
Ftnutv- For the moment her heart
was bowed low with burden OF fear,
and anxiety. and doubt But she was
quick 10 comprehend Nothing could
& have happened TO her father other than
that he had awakened and gone up to
the lamp rOoul-perhaps assuming that
she had retired TO her own bed cham
Der for the night
But that was hardly likely. plausible
as II might seem at the first blush. She
stood in perpleXlty- pondeT1nE, a slim
finger lndentlnE her rounded cneeks-
bT0Ws gathered. the warm blood glow
ing in her cheeks as sweet q figure as
ever lamplight shOne upon
To begin with she reasoned. her
father would have been pertUrbed when
ne awoke and found himself lying UIs
the couch AZ an hour when he should
have been in the tower. He would Ger
taluly have sought 20 find out why he
was there he would have looked in his
daughters room 20 find no one there
have knocked az vikings door 10 get
E no answer, and would finally have whis-
tied up the speaking tube and received
no response.
Then, in the natural course he
would have reasoned that something
UrrOWaTd had happened perhaps have
I guessed that he had been drUgged. that
Willing had gone 10 the house on the
/ hill, that she had followed the as
/ sistant keeper
But it was idle and thankIess work
to stand there thinking, when a mo
! menLs work would SuffiCe 10 satisfy
/ her.
She hurried through the few rooms
| OF the little cottage Her father was
{ there ~ he ri
I tube and blew a loud summons upon
{ its whistle. Her strdininE ears caught
Z the echo In the tower but nothing
I more. Then a fear struck her heart
/ that her father might have ascended
I the tower 10 make sure that she va
( not there and been overpowersd by
Z the drug again while on the stairs
3 possibly falling and Injuring himself
/ The girl JaTTied only long enough
Z 10 light lantern, then for all her
Z fatigue. fairly raced I'D the spiral
/ ErOUndlesS- The tower Itself from
/ service and lamp rooms 20 the bottom
! by the whistllnE w1nd-a wind that
I was blowing up with every minrre
1 and promised brisk weather for the
I morning
/ II seemed. then, that John TopeIfus
/ had been so little weakened by the ef-
Z feet OF the drug that he had been able
\ to search the tower, as hss daughter
1 had Just done. After which. as every
/ indication went 10 prove. he had left the
! cottage for the house on the hill, to as
I sure himself of the safety Of his child
! She reached this conclusion when he
/ had returned TO the kitchen Of the cot
Jage, and suddenly she was aware OF
an OVeTpOWeT1nE- 0Umhl1E WEAKNESS II
IL was her duty to 50 again to the house
on the hill she must have a moment 6
/ rest ere she did so Besides. If she won.
again she ran the risk Of uassiuE him on
the way, for he, finding Willing a Dris-
oner. CadOgan and Creagh triumphant
{ would learn from them Of her return
and himself come hack 10 the light
/ house It seemed by far the most sen
sibie thing to remain
/ While she waited she would brew 1er-
self a cup OF tea that never-faiinG
stimulus Of faded WOmanhOod-
! DOffng her TsinCOat. she pat the Kettle
on TO boil, poking up the fire, and sat
down by the table TO await the kettle
/ pleasure in the matter, pTODping her e.
I bows on the deal top and grading sier
chin in her palms. bending a level
thoughtful stare at the blank wall CD
posite-
The Continuation Of This story VIII
BE Found in TOmOTrOyv'S
Issue OF The Times.
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