Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-04-14
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| Social Bucaneer
By Frederic s. Ishom
by the Merrill
CHAPTER XII-Continued.
Copyright 1910, by the sobbs-MsrriII Company

With Marjorie Wood The two hac
moved as if oblivious to the rest OF
the world! Did she, Flossie Burke
not know; could she not divine? II
was not hard to read the swift new
interest in his glance, something
stronger more sedulous, than she hao
ever beheld there before, that seemed
as he held the girls slender form to
him, to sweep down from the crown Of
dark hair dreamily. tenderly, over the
beautiful, young face.
For Miss Wood was beautiful-Miss
Flossie reluctantly conceded 1t; but
men had also acknowledged her own
charms. She had had but short
time before a circle around her; he
however had not been Of them. He
had forgotten even to ask her to
dance: he had preferred to stand of
there, near the park, with Miss Wood
He had hardly known the young cir
before that night. yet they had walked
away, as If accustomed to starlight
talk and condolences.
1t was different from the conversa-
tion that evening between him and
herself. Once more she seemed to hear
the mocking laughter Of his words
when first the storm had swept down
on them; that such a night as this, he
who had designs on the pearls would
find to his liking for his nefarious pur-
pose. The sentence or what 1t implied
required to her again and again, and
brought more sharply to mind the pre-
cious ornaments. She, Flossie, had
been one of the last that night to look
on them, just before Miss Goldberg
about to retire, had reluctantly taken
the pearls from her neck, to give them
to her father. Who had put them
away-where?
Miss Burke looked suddenly over her
shoulder; a sound had caused her to
turn. Was it in the great hall or the
anteroom adjoining? A door, she fan
cied, had opened, then closed softly
as IL some one had come into the ante
room from the hall The host? He
had but a short time before called out
to her and retired. OF course 1t could
not be Mr.. Goldberg; yet it must be-
She remembered that the door from
the anteroom to the hall was always
kept locked: she had inadvertently
tried it once or twice. Then, how
could any one have come in, that
way, unless
She felt a sudden nervous excite
ment; her mood had been tense; she
was in a highly imaginative state
Those last words of Chatfield Bruce
continued to move trippingly through
her brain; they would not leave her
They seemed to say, locked doors
would open readily to some people
deeply skilled, able to move silently
stealthily!
She was positive she heard a sound
now of some one stirring softly. Her
heart beat faster. Was it-could ne
have come back? Impossible! And
vet there was a glamour about him
who had taken the Morrow emeraids
the Page bonds, and many other val
uables! Had he not achieved the
seemingly impossible before that
night: a number of times? To return
thus strangely, madly, to the Goldberg
house, would be in keeping with one
as temerarious and devilmay- y-care as
he was clever and ingenious. She en-
deavored to dismiss the fancy, wher
an indubitable faint clicking in the
next room held her.
She trembled but not altogether
with fear, then moved, still as ghost
from her window toward the door tc
the anteroom: stood near 1t, motion
less, her hand to her breast. Beneath
her fingers came a wilder throoolne
now; her fancy conveyed the picture
to her mind That faint clicking sh'
had dimly caught before. when Mr.
Goldberg had been in the anteroom-
she OWNED now what it meant. O
course, Mr.. Goldberg would have pre-
pared a secure place for the pearls
and, where else, naturally, than neal
his own bedroom?
In a safe, presumably: not visible
to the eye! When she had inspected
that little room with the rest OF the Dlt
house. no steel strong-boX was Flsl
bile: but Flossie knew that people, wh'
had in their residences these awkward
receptacles, took the pains to haV'
them set in somewhere, out of sight, 1
not. as a matter of precaution' thei
because bulky steel safes are not or
namental and can not be made to mar
monte with Louis-QunZe or SelZ'
furniture.
Click. In the stiffness, straining u
listen, she still was aware of the per
sistent little sound, no louder thaI
heads dropped, one by one, to the floor
Al the same time, a tiny streak o
light held her. 1t came from the key
hole. Dropping to her knees, she look
ed through the small aperture. A
first. she saw nothing; then-yes!
q hand moving on shiny knob. Sh
hreathed quickly. That hand!
It was distinct. Enthusiastically re
vealed to her. And it was not MI
Goldberg's hand, covered with olaci
hair; he had not returned to the room
then-nOr was it Chatfield Bruces
the knowledge came to her with start
ling force. She had been so certain
the identity of the intruder, had almos
welcomed her own perspicacity whicl
had led her thus to place him. AM
now to learn-was she disappointed a
this perversion of what she had eN
pected?
She continued to look. Bruce's l"ht
shapely fingers were most unlike thes
well-kept. but short ones, that swuh
now. apparently. safe door open
held. an instant later, something WHIT
dangling from them? She trleu 10 Hi
her voice, and was surprised she coul
not at first She endeavored to rise
but her knees seemed unaccountabl
weak She was not exactly frighten
ed. What then?
rho hand uaSSe1 from her gaze; Sh