Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-10
my kind of people. But I wanted to get

away. wanted il desperately"
.'Of course they were not your kind" i
cried The man was married, The girl
Jennie. a housemaid. WAS a spy in Mrs.
SullivanS employ. If he had pretended
to marry YOU | would have killed linn.
Not only that. but the man he murdered.
harrington. was his wife's father And
I'll see him hanged by the neck yet if it.
takes every energy and every penny i
possess.
l could have told her 50 much more
gently. have broken the shock for her:
have never been proud of that evening
Oh the sand. | was alternately a boor
and Il ruffian-like Il hurt youngster who
passes the blow that has hurt him Oh to
his playmate, that both may bawl to-
sether And now Alison sat, white and
cold, without speech.
MARRIED." she said, finally. in a small
Voice. Why, l don't think it is possible,
is it? II was on my way to Baltimore
to marry him myself when the wreck
came
But YOU said you didn't care for him.
/ protested. my heavy masculine mind I'M
able to jump the gaps i'm her story. And
then, without the slightest warning, 1
realized that she was crying. She shook
off my hand and fumbled for her hand
kerchief. and failing To find it, she ac-
cepted the one i thrust into her wet
fingers.
Then. little by little, she told me from
the handkerchief, sordid story of
Curtis. of lost road and a broken car.
and Il rainy night. when they-she and
Sullivan, tramped eternally and did not
get home. And of Mrs. Curtis when they
got home AT dawn, suddenly grown con-
ventional and deeply shocked. OF her
own proud, half-disdainful consent to
make possible the hackneyed compromis-
ing situation by marrying the rascal,
and then-of his disappearance from the
train. 1t was SO terrible to her. such Il
p.I Ven n q
rage against Sullivan. that laughed
aloud. At which she looked at me over
the handkerchief.
II know it's funny she said. with a
catch in her breath. w hen L think that
| nearly married "A murderer-and didn't
cry for sheer joy" Then she buried
her face and cried again.
Please DON'T | protested. unstcadily.
Il won't be responsible if YOU keep on
CRYING like that. / may forget that l
have a capital charge hanging over my
head, and that l may be arrested at any
moment.
That brought her ont of the handker-
chief at once. Il meant to be so help
ful,' size said, land I've thought of moth
ing but myself. There were some things
/ meant TO tell you. If Jennie was-what
You say. then / understand why she came
to me just before l left. She had been
packing my things and she must have
seen what condition l was in. for she
came over to me when / was getting my
wraps on to leave and said, Don't do it.
Miss West, / beg you won't do it; you'll
be sorry ever after And just then Mrs.
Curtis came in and Jennie slipped out
That was alb"
NO. AS we went through the station
the telegraph operator gave Har-Mr.
Sullivan d message He read it on the
platform and it excited him terribly. He
took his sister aside and they talked to-
gether. He white with either fear
or anSer-I don't know which. Then.
when we boarded the train. a woman in
black. with beautiful hair. who was
standing OF the car platform, touched
him on the arm and then drew back. He
looked at her and glanced away again.
but she reeled if he had struck her"
Then what" The situation was grow
ing clearer.
Mrs. Curtis and | had the drawing
room. | had dreadful night, just sleep
ing a little now and then. ! dreaded to
see dawn come. 1t was to be my we'd
ding day. When We found Harry had
disappeared in the night Mrs. Curtis WAS
in frenzy Them saw his cigarette
case in YOUR hand. / had given il To him.
You wore his clothes. The murder was
discovered and you We're accused of it,
What could l do? And then, afterward.
when / saw him asleep at the farmhouse
II was panic-stricken. / locked him in
and ran. l didn't know why he did it.
but-he had killed a man.
Some one was calling Alison through
megaphone from the veranda. 1t sounded
like Sam. ''All-ee,' he called. Alice.
toast. Alice" Neither of MS heard.
II wonder. l reflected. Iii YOU would
be willing to repeat part of that story
Just from the telegram onto couple
OF detectives. say on Monday. If You
would tell that and-how the end of your
necklace got into the sealskiu bag
My necklaces she repeated. But 1t
isn't mine. picked it up in the ear
..All-ee." Sam again. II see you down
there. I'm making juiep.
Alison turned and called through her
hands. Coming in "A moment. Sam. SHE
said. and rose. 1t must he very late;
Sam is home. we would better 50 back
TO the house
Don't" 1 begged her. ''Anchovies and
iuieps and Sam will go on for ever. and
| lave YOU such a little time. | suppose
ann only one of dozen or SO. but-you
are the only girl in the world. You know
love you. don't you, dsar?'
Sam was whistling. an irritating bird
call, over and over. She pursed her red
lips and answered him in kind. 1t was
more than | could endure.
sam or no SAM. | said. firmly. II
am going 10 kiss you.'
But Sans voice came strdent through
the megaphone. BE good, you two he
beloved, I've got the binoculars" And
the house. My pulses were throhbng-|
the little swish of her dress beside me
on the grass was pain and ecstasy /
had but to put out my hand to touch
her. and I dared not.
Sam. armed with a megaphone and field
glasses. bent over the rail and watched
us with gleefui malignity.
Home early. aren't you?" Alison
called. wien ". reached The steps.
Led Il club when my partner had duu-