Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-07-02
CHAPTER xx-rontinued.

SOh 10 heft a. SOY, now One
looked up 1T me pitifuly, but I continued.
I've seen you in the cabin in Lost Hol-
low talking as a friend with a woman I
know to be very fiend. why do you gal
Top about the country at all hours Of the
hiEht-as know you do? What sort of
girl IL II who'll write proclamations for
the Pine owls7"
Obj she said. Her eyes brimmed with
tears. "Ah. but ] deserve H." she strug-
sled to control herself 'I'll tell you every
ihing-by and by--but the Pine Owls are
Coming here tonight. This morning l went
Tor ride. I'd been worried by--by think
ing too much" Her eyes fell before mine.
I rode as far as couid-in the afternoon
came 70 Mary Pedersen's cabin. Mary"
She shuddered
II warned you against her"
oh. yes. But I didn't believe you.
didn't wish to believe you"
What happened In the cabin?" urged
Mr. stockton. The old woman lost some
or her sweetness. What Dropped the
mask, did she?"
Not at first She talked 10 me a.
gently sever. for a long time. After a
while she made tea. She insisted so hard
1 should drink some that remembered
what you had written me. cousin7 and I
refused to take It. I caught her scowling
~ thc Deulnu my DtCk-@l was ITtKntSne0s
Before could make up my mind to go,
Mr.. Arnold came In"
"Ah." remarked Hubbard. ''Mr. Law
renee Arnold Of Fairuew. Very good"
Yes. He had been drinking. / started
to go then, but they insisted should stay.
I began to be very much afraid, but
didn't know what TO do"
Poor child" / said.
She smiled wistfully. Mary and Mr..
Arnold were determined to have me sit
with them while they drank"
"rhe woman drank. too. did she7" asked
the bailiff.
"oh, yes. After Mr.. Arnold came in she
began drinking steadily. BY and by,
man they call Brownie came in. and then
more and more men, until the place was
full"
And you aione with them" said.
She hung her head II wasn't so much
afraid Of the piners hurting me- had
seen the man Brownie and two or three
of the others before. But knew All those
men must have come together for some vio-
lence I soon found out from their talk
they were coming TO attack Morvan--and
.ryou."
They'll be made welcome"
when 1 understood, / said wouldn't
allow t. They only laughed at me. Then
told them that when I'd agreed to help
Mr.. Arnold Brighten you away he had said
there would never be anyone hurt-he'd
promised me that IL you wouldn't 60, we
would give up the plan" She faced me
suddenly. Cousin. that day at Pole Tav-
ern. I couldn't play my part-I couldn't
warn you in desperate earnest--because
didn't really believe you would be in des-
perate danger. And I didn't write those
notices from Pine Owl. 1 suppose Mr.. Arm
old did. The one you saw In my belt that
same day at Pole Tavern he had given me
TO post where you would be sure to see
It. But / didn't post II at all--the paper
was too dirty"
What" exclaimed the lawyer. THAT
proves It never pays to take a woman into
q conspiracy wouldn't post the notice
%because the paper was too dirtyl"
NvGo ahead, ma'am. II you please" said
Hubbard. What happened after you'd told
'em you were deeper in the mire than
you'd bargained for7"
II said they all knew they had beaten
that poor Buekaloo without my knowl-
edge-I would never have consented to II.
j told them they mustn't attack Morvan"
"'Wellf' urged Mr.. Stockton what
theng'
''They laughed at me. The man Brownie
said the bargain between Mr.. Arnold and
me was nothing to them-what they were
after was the plumber The bargain they
had made was for the money and plate in
Morvan. and they would have Il II they had
10 kill you TO get It. Then said ia come
and warn you"
Good heavensr' I cried They might
have murdered you"
II thought they would. at first. But Mr.
Arnold made them be quiet. He said I
was q fool. but they'd simply leave me
there with Mary TO watch me, until II was
all over. Then the others went out to
make ready, but Mr., Arnold and Mary
made me sit down by the fire-and made
that awful snake coil down near me. too.
Obi" She buried her face in her hands.
The hell catl" / said.
'But was almost as much afraid of Mr..
Arnold As 1 was of the snake. He kept
looking At me so strangely, and he'd taken
.fer too much liquor. Then Brownie called
to him TO come out-they were ready to go.
He said they wouldn't wait any longer for
Bran Morvan. They cursed Bran, too
because he wanst time. suppose"
We three men exchanged glances
II saw the piners file past the door. with
Mr.. Arnold leading them--they were horri-
BILE. Each one had q black cloth over his
face and head"
After they were gone Mary haunted me.
She said she had waited Tor years to get
revenge upon me-and until that afternoon
had always thought she loved me-"
what can she have against you?'
Ferriss biunhed hotly. Shed been my
fathers housskeeper so long that--that at
last she wanted TO be his wife. I never
heard OF u until she Saunted me tonight.
She asked father to marry her-years ago.
He was outraged, and had discharged her
at once She had taken It into her head
that II had not been in the way. father
might have consented-so she has hated me
ever since"
How did you get away, ma'am?" asked
the bailiff.
Mary drank until she began to fall
into a stupor. As she grew sleepy she
talked TO the snake as n It were a human
being"
by heaven" I said. TITS a pity We
can't burn witches nowadays"
lust So" agreed the lawyer. The
woman deserves death at the stake"
''rhen she fell asleep. she'd stuck the
candle on the table. and the melting tAliow
ran into her white hair-she'd fallen asleep
with her head on the table" Ferriss' eyes
widened. "And l knew I must come to
warn you But n barely breathed. the
snake would hiss MISUNDERSTANDING
and its eyes were so cold. Then put my