Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1911-01-24
CHAPTER XxIv.-Continued.

do you feel better?" Mrs. Herrick
asked her. Then she opened her eyes
wide and saw the walls and the nigh
arched ceiling of the hall directly
above her, knew herself lying on the
floor, saw above her the figure of
Clara standing with a bottle of salts,
and then remembered; and, with
moan, buried her face in Mrs. Her
rick's lap. ooh, no, no, no; don't
bring me back; / don't want to come
back"
Their voices sounding high above
her we're speaking Mrs. Herrick said:
what is that?" Then Clara MUIR
INJURED Then there was the light
rustllng of paper. Flora moved her
hand.
Give It to me; l want it" She felt
the stiff little square of cardboard be-
tween her fingers, and closed them
around it fast.
After a little she went upstairs hold
Ing tight to the baluster with one
hand and to Mrs. Herrick with the
other. After little of sitting on the
edge of her bed she lay down, still
holding to Mrs. Herrick. She felt as
though some cord within her had been
drawn tight, too tight to endure, and
every moment she hoped it would
snap and set her free.
"You don't think I'm mad, do your"
she asked Her friend earnestly dis
claimed It, Then things are Flora
said, everything. oh, OH" The
memory overwhelmed her. HE took
me there as if by chance! He gave
the sapphire to me for my engage
ment ring. Oh, dreadful! oh, poor
Harry"
All that afternoon and all night she
slept f1tfully, starting up at intervals,
trembling with nameless horrors-the
glittering goldsmith's shop, the China
man, the great eye of the sapphire,
and, worst of all. Harry's face, always
the same calm, ruddy, good-natured.
innocent-looking face that had led her
to the goldsmith's shop. that had
smiled at her, falling under the spell
of the sapphire, that had covered, all
those days, God knew what ravages
of stress and strain, until the man
had finally broken That face APP
peared and reappeared through the
flashing terrors of her dreams like
the presiding genius of them all. Fin
ally. drifting into complete repose,
she slept far into the morning.
She wakened languid and weak. She
lay looking about the room, and, like
person recovering after heavy
blow, wondered what had happened.
Then her hand as with her first
waking thought it had done for the
last week, went to the locket chain
around her neck. Oh, yes, yes; she
had forgotten. The sapphire was
gone. Gone by fraud, gone at a kiss
for ever with Harry-no. with Farrell
Wand.
For Harry was not Harry; and Kerr
was not Farrell Wand. He was in
deed an unknown quantity. Since she
had found Harry she had lost both
Kerrs name and his place in her
fairy-tale. She had seen his very de-
meanor change before her eyes. In
deed. her hour had cone without her
knowing 1t. The spell had been
snapped which had made him wear
the semhlance of evil. His sinister
form was dissolving; but what was to
be his identity when finally he stood
before her restored and perfect? If
he were not the thief whom she had
struggled so to shield, why, then he
was that very strength of law and
right which. for his sake, she had be-
trayed.
She sat up quickened with humilia-
ton. The thing was not tragedy, il
was a grotesQue Blushing more and
more crimson. struggling with strange
mingled crying and laughter, she
slipped out OF the bed, and, still in her
night-gown. ran down the hall, and
knocked on Mrs Herrick's door, un.
ill the dismayed lady opened it.
Il thought ii was he Flora gasped.
'T thought it was he who had taken
the ring! Why didnS he tell me?
Why did he keep 1t secret9 l would
done anything to have saved it for
him. and l let Harry get it, oh. isn't
il cruels Isn't it pitiful? Isn't it RI
diculous?"
Mrs Herrick, who. for the last Sc
hours, had so departed from her cur
riculum of safety. and coTrageousIy
met many strange appearances, now
was TO hear stranger facts. For Flora
had Jet go completely, and Mrs. Her
rick, without limiting al Mysteries, let
her laugh. let her cry, let her tel