Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1911-01-11
CHAPTER xIx-continued.

We'll, for a fact, / know it is
stolen!" He leaned toward her; and
his arms, still flung out with the hands
open as argument had left them.
seemed to her frightened eyes all
ready for her, ready with his last ar
gument, his strength
Once before she had feared herself
face to face with the same threat in
the eyes and body of another man, but
here, her only fear was lest Harry
should get the sapphire away from
her His doing so would dash down
no ideal of him. 1t was mere phys
ical terror that made her tremble and
raise her hand TO her breast, Instant
ly she saw how she had betrayed the
sapphire again. He had taken hold
of her wrist, and, twist as she might,
he held it. horribly gentle.
She pressed back against the glass
until she felt it hard behind her.
Harry" she whispered, eff you care
anything, If you ever want me for
yours. you'll take your hands away"
She meant it; she was sincere in that
moment, for all she shrank from him.
Her body and mind would not have
been too great price to give him for
the sapphire.
But these he seemed to set aside as
trivial. These he expected as a mat
ter of course; he was going to have
that other thing, too-the thing she
had chung to as man clings to life;
and that now, parting FROM she would
give up not without a struggle as
Sharp as that with which the body
gives up breath. She wrestled. He
seemed all hands. He put aside her
struggles, her pleadings, as if they
were thistle-down.
Then all at once she felt his arm
around her neck. She couldn't move
her body. She could only turn her
head from his hot breath. For a mo-
ment he held her. and yet another
moment; and then, terrified at what
this strange immohility might mean,
she raised her eyes and saw he was
not looking at her. Though he held
her fast he was not conscious of her
Straight over her head he looked,
through the window and down into
the garden. Her eyes followed. It
lay beneath, the wonder of its morn
ing aspect all blanched and dim She
saw the silhouette of rose branches in
black on the sky. She saw the flowers
and bushes all one dull tone But in
the midst of them the oval of the path
shone white; and there, as in the aft
ernoon, standing. looking upward, was
the dark figure of a man.
Her heart gave a great leap. Just
so she'd been summoned once before
that day, but what internal freak had
fetched him back to repeat that dan
gerous sally, and brought him finally
into his enemy's grasp? She tried to
make a gesture to warn him, and just
there Harry released her. dropped her
so that she half fell upon the window
seat, and made a dash across the
room for the light. In moment they
were in darkness. In a moment, to
Flora pressed against the window, the
garden sprang clear. and on the form
less figure below the face appeared,
white in the starlight looking up. She
cried out in wonder It was not Kerr.
1t was the bIue-eyed Chinaman.
After her haunted drive, after her
escape, after Shima's search, he was
there. still inexorably there; small, di-
minished by the great facade OF the
house, but looking up at it with his
calm eye, surveying 1t, measuring It's
height, numbering its doors, trying It's
windows Harry was beside her
again. He was Juggling frantically az )
raufcfbd She saw
his hands trembling while he wrestled
with it, Then it went shrieking up
and he leaned out.
What do you want?" he called, |
and, though he used no name, Flora
saw he knew with whom he was
speaking The Chinaman stood i'm
mobile, lifting his round, white face,
whose mouth seemed to cape little. |
Harry leaned far out and lowered his
voice.
eco away, Joe, Don't come here
never come herei" There was a quiv-
er in his voice. Anger or apprehen- |
sion, or both. whatever his passion
was. for the moment it overwhelmed
him, and as the Chinaman stood I'M
moved, unmoving. at his commands, /
Harry turned sharp from the window
and dashed out of the room. Flora
heard him running. running down the
stairs. She hung there breathless, |
waiting to see him meet the motion |
less figure; but while she looked and /
waited that motionless figure sudden !
lv took life. 1t moved, it turned, it (
lifted. it mixed with shadows. became /
a shadow; and then there was moth
ing there.
Nothing was there when Harry /
burst out Of the garden door and stood I
staring in the empty oval How dis
tracted. how violent he looked, baked .