Barbour County index., 1910-04-06

surprise she walked up the steps be-
side me. AS we passed the ballroom
| door the music climbed to it's climax
| and ended
Come. let us go to the farther end
of the veranda."
When we had reached a quiet cor
ner she broke out upon me again.
IF you have done what / think you
have done, what l might have known
you would do, shall punish you ter
ribly-you and her!"
You may punish me all you like,
but you shall not punish her!" 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
are, what her father is! 1t Is left for
you to bring the shame upon her
1T had better be 1 than you, in your
present frame of mind!"-and the pity
welled in my heart. / must save her
| from the heartache that lay in the
| truth. If / failed in this should fan
| indeed
do you want her to know that her
father is forger-a felon? That is
what you are telling her, if you trick
Reginald into giving her those papers
he was to give me for my father!"
"She hasn't those papers. 1 have
them. They are in my pocket, quite safe
from all of you. You are altogether
too vindictive, you Holbrooks! 1 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?"
mo, do not. In fact, 1 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! I took them out of her
| cloak pocket"
That is quite in keeping!"
I'm not done yet! Pardon me, but
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. Please!"
81 will not!"
"Please!"
you are despicable, despicable!"
Il am really the best friend you
| nave In the world. Again, will you
kindly exchange cloaks with me?
| Yours is blue, isn't it? 1 think Reg.
| inald knows blue from red. All, thank
you! Now, 1 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 Stam-
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
hope you see the wisdom of obeying
me, absolutely"
Il didn't know that 1 could hate you
so much!" she said, quietly. But ]
shall not forget this 1 shall let you
see before l am day older that you
are not quite the master you think
you are; suppose tell him how you
have played with him.
Then before you are three hours
older I shall precipitate a crisis that
you will not like, Miss Holbrook. ad-
wise you, as your best friend, to do
what 1 ask"
She shrugged her shoulders, drew
the scarlet cloak more closely about
her, and 1 left her gazing of into the
strip of wood that lay close upon the
inland side of the ciushouse. 1 was
by no means sure Of heE. but there
was not time for further ,pa1iey.
dropped the blue cloak on chair in q
corner and hurried round to the door
of the ballroom, meeting Rosalind and
Gillespie coming out flushed with their
dance.
CTO BE CoNTINUED)