Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-02-16
CHAPTER X.
Miss Vests Request.

Miss Vests Request.
The surprising change in her hello
me speechless. All the animation Of
the breakfast table was gone; there
was no hint of the response with
which, before, she had met my non
sensical sallies. She stood there
white-lipped. unsmiling, staring down
the dusty road. One hand was clench
ed tight over some small object. Hel
eyes dropped to it from the distant
road. and then closed. with a quick
indrawn breath.
Her color came back slowly. What
ever had caused the change, she said
nothing. She was anxious to leave al
once, almost impatient over my de
liberate masculine way of getting my
things together. Afterward I recalled
that had wanted to explore the barn
for horse and some sort of a We
hicle to take us to the trolley, and
that she had refused to allow me tc
look. I remembered many things
later that might have helped me, and
did not. At the time, I was only com
pletely bewildered. Save the wreck
the responsibility for which lay be
tween Providence and the engineer OF
the second section, all the events OF
that strange morning were logically
connected; they came from one cause
and tended unerringly to one end
But the cause was buried, the end
not yet in view.
Not until we had left the house
we'll behind did the girls face relax
its tense lines. was watching her
more closely than had realized, for
when we had gone little way along
the road she turned to me almost pet
ulantly. please don't stare so at
me-" she said, to my sudden confusion.
II know the hat is dreadful. Green al
ways makes me look CHASTITY"
Perhaps It was the green" was
unaccountably relieved. do you
know, a few minutes ago, you looked
almost pallid to met"
She glanced at me quickly, but I
was gazing ahead. We were out of
sight of the house, now, and with
every step away from it the girl was
obviously relieved. Whatever she held
In her hand, she never glanced at it..
out SA1O "do NSdSC1O0S VI IL every sec.
nd She seemed to come to & de-
cision about It while we were still in
sight OF the gate, for she murmured
something and turned back alone, go
ing swiftly. her feet stirring up small
puffs of dust at every step. She fas-
tened something to the gate post
/ could see the nervous haste with
which she worked. When she joined
me again IL was without explanation.
But the clenched fingers were free
now, and while she looked tired and
worn. the strain had visibly relaxed.
We walked along slowly in the gen
eral direction of the suburban trolley
line. Once man with an empty
wagon offered US a lift, but after a
glance at the springless vehicle de-
clined.
'The ends of the bone think they
are castanets as it Isl l explained.
'.But the lady"
The young lady, however, declined
and we went on together. Once, when
the trolley line was in sight, she got
q pebble in her low shoe, and we sat
down under a tree until she found the
cause of the trouble.
IL don't know what should have
done without you," blundered.
Moral support and-and all that. Do
you know. my first conscious thought
after the wreck was of relief that
you had not been hurt?"
She was sitting beside me where
big chestnut tree shaded the road, and
I surprised look of misery on her
face that certainly my words had not
been meant to produce.
"And my first thought" she said
slowly, was regret that THAT
hadn't been obliterated, blown out like
q candle. Please don't look like that!
!. am-only talking"
But her lips were trembling. and be.
cause the little shams of society are
forgotten at times like this, leaned
over and patted her hand lightly,
where it rested on the grass beside
me.
You must not say those things
expostulated. Perhaps, after all, your
friends"
II had no friends on the train."
'A40A vOAS0 was A0IO again, u0T IOuS
final. She drew her hand from under
mine. not quickly. but decisively. A
car was in sight, coming toward us.
The steel finger of civilization, of pro-
rriety. Of visiting cards and formal In
Productions was beckoning us in. Miss
West put on her shoe.
We said little on the car. The few
passengers stared at us frankly, and
discussed the wreck, emphasizing its
horrors. The girl did not seem to
hear. Once she turned to me with
the quick. unexpected movement that
was one of her charms.
II do not wish my mother to know
was in the accident" she said. 'Will
you please not tell Richey about hav-
ing met me?"
gave my promise, OF course. Again,
when we were almost into Baltimore,
she asked to examine the gun-metal
cigarette case, and sat silent with It
in her hands, while told of the early
mornings events on the Ontario.
$50 you see." finished, this grip,
everything have on, belongs to fell
low named Sullivan. He probably left
the train before the wreck-perhaps
Just after the murder"
"And so-you think he committed
the-th crime?" Her eyes were on