Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1911-01-10

rick? How dye do, KERR"
How dye do?" said the English.
man, without rising.
Flora gripped the arms of her chair
to keep from springing up in sheer
nervous terror. A possible purpose In
Harry's coming. that even Mrs. Her
| rick's presence would not defer. shot
through her mind. Was he alone? Or
We're there others-men here for a
fearful purpose-waiting beyond in the
hall? But Harry had turned his back
upon the door behind him with
fnality that declared whatever dan
ger had come into the house was com
plete in his presence.
I've dined, thanks" he said. but.
stripping off his greatcoat, accepted
a chair and the glass of cordial Mrs.
Herrick offered him. The ruddy. hard
| quality of his face, were it Invested
OF its present smile, Flora thought
might well have frightened the maid;
but, for all that, it was not so i'm
placable as Kerr's face confronting it.
The look with which he met the in
trusion had quality more bitter than
the challenge of an antagonist, more
| Jealous than mere lovers; and that
bitterness. that jealousy which was
between them came out stingingly
| through their small pleasantness. 1t
could not be, Flora thought in terror,
| that Mrs. Herrick intended to leave
| these two enemies to each otherl Mrs
Herrick had risen; and Flora, follow
Ing, saw both men, also uprisen hang
| hesitatingly, as if unready to BIZ de-
serted; yet with well-flled glasses,
p. and newly smoking tocbaco, both were
| caught.
Then Kerr with quick dash of his
hand, pic ;ed up his glass Let us be
continental he begged, and followed
close at Flora's side. Without moving
his lips Kerr was speaking. What
does this mean?"
She sensed the anger in his smoth-
cred voice, but she dared not look at
him.
i have nc idea; but VIII see you"
'When?"
Her answer leaped to her mind and
her lips at the same moment
In the rotunda when the house is
quiet"
Harry had followed leisurely in
their wake. The flush of haste had
subsidized in his face, and when the
four regrouped themselves in the
high, darkly-paneled room among the
low lights, Flora remarked his ex-
traordinary composure. Bitter he
might be; but all the nervousness, sus-
picion, uneasiness, that he had shown
of late had vanished. There was
tremendous confidence about him, the
confidence of the player who holds
cards that must win the game, and
sits back waiting for his moment.
But she was ready to laugh at him
in his security. He had underesti-
mated his opponent. In spite of him
she was 20 have her meeting with
Kerr! Harry had waited too long to
prevent that, whatever he might do
afterward. In this inspired moment
she felt herself touching conquering
heights which before she had only
touched in Imagination. She felt
enough power in herself to move even
such a mountain of obstinacy as Kerr
She stole a look at him--a look of
glad intelligence. He understood as if
she had spoken. They were to meet,
while all the house slept fast, to meet
for his great remuneration. Then, in
the morning, when Harry was ready
NTH no Ao hol
back, Kerr would be gone. There
would be no Kerr-but she must not
think of that She glanced at him
again in the thick of the talk, and
caught his eye upon her, puzzled, and,
she thought, with glimmer of doubt.
She smiled and smiled again at the
ease with which she treasured him,
merely by looking at him. He should
see, in the end, how true she could be!
In the room where, some eight
hours before, she and Mrs. Herrick
had talked, Flora waited, fully dressed.
1t had been early when they had sepa-
rated The strain of the four togeth-
er had been terrific; and she was still
feeling it, though an hour had passed.
She was feeling that, now her situa-
ton was upon her, she was alone.
Mrs. Herrick could only be near her,
not with her, and Kerr was still an I'm
known quantity-except that he was
fire
And there was Harry, with his ter
rible certainty, and no apparent thing
to account for it. 1t could not be
there were men in the house without
the servants remarking it; but in the
garden? She peered out upon it. Only
tree shadows moved upon the lawn.
Nothing glimmered in the walks or
drives. The solitude held her like an
enchantment. She listened for the
small sounds in the house to cease,
for the lights in the lower story to go
out, proclaiming all the servants were
in bed. Even after the stiffness she
waited-waited to be sure it was the
long stiffness.
Finally she crept to TIE door and
opened it boldly wide.
She stood where she was upon the
threshold trembling in cruel fright
A gas-jet bTning Tar up at the end
of the hall, threw dim light down
the pale, pipkish, naked vista, void of
furniture, window or curtain; and,
leaning against the blank wall almost
opposite - door, and directly facing
her, was harry.
Without speaking they looked at
each other. He was fully dressed, but
lacking his shoes, as she noted in the
acuteness of her startled senses. The
furtive suggestion of those shoeless
feet struck her with horror-forIaless
unreasoning. II was like an evil
dream to find him there. stolen to her
door in the night, waiting outside il
without a sound, looking her steadilZ,
hardly in the eye -Ithout ~vId.
Che triad m neak hut with terror