The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1911-08-03
CHAPTER vII-(continued.)

Sii3A1 LIN
"or. at least" / persisted, pressing
my advantage. 'if you know why your
daughter fed. you might yourself tell
Mr..
Again she stopped me.
hoarsely.
tell?"
mo one!"
And you will let it wreck two lives?"
/ saw the spasm of pain which
moment more. and 1 should know the
secret!
"Tomorrow-give me till tomorrow"
she cried. Perhaps you're right
must think-I cannot decide now-in-
stantly. There are so many things to
considerable dead as well as the liv-
Ing"
Very we'll" I agreed. 81 Will call
tomorrow morning"
A 11-not before"
Tomorrow at II, then. And / hope
you'll decide, Mrs. Lawrence, to help
me all you can. The living come be-
fore the dead"
She bowed without replying, and see
ing how deadly white she was, l
checked the words which rose to my
lips and let myself out into the hall.
The maid was standing just outside
the door. I wondered how much she
a heard Of what had passed with
in.
lone moment" I said, as she start
ed for the stairway, and 1 stepped
again into Miss Lawrence's room.
It had grown too dark there to see
anything distinctly, for this room was
not flooded, as her mothers had been,
by the last rays of the sun, but in a
moment l switched on the light. The
maid stared from the threshold, her
face dark with anger, but not daring
to interfere.
This is the dressing table, isn't it?"
I asked, walking toward 1t.
Yes, SIR she answered sullenly.
ut was here you found the letter."
Yes, sir"
You persist in that farce?" l de-
manded, wheeling round upon her.
She did not answer, only stared Jack
without %finching. 1 realized that here
was a will not easily overcome.
Very Well" l said quietly at last,
81 shall get along then in spite Of you"
and I returned to my inspection of the
room.
There was a writing desk in one COR
ner, with pens, ink and paper. l picked
up a sheet of paper and looked at it;
l dipped a pen in the ink and wrote
a few words upon it; then I blotted it,
folded it n placed it in my pocket.
! - ~ W. Ntih 81, L ooid civ
switched off the light.
She led the way down the stairs with
! out replying.
MY hat is in the library" I said,
as we reached the foot, and l turned
down the lower hall.
#, The library was even darker than the
room upstairs had been, for the trees
around the house seemed to shadow
/ especially the windows of this wing. I
noted how the windows extended to the
floor and opened upon a little balcony.
One of the windows was open, and l
went to it and looked out. A fight of
steps connected one end of the bal
cony with h ground, and I fancied
from the steps 1 could discern a faint
pathway running away among the
trees.
A convulsive sob at the door brought
me around. 1t was the maid, who had
entered and was glaring at me with q
face to which the growing darkness
gave an added responsiveness. The sob,
which a more of anger than OF Sor-
row in it, had burst from her involun-
tarily, called forth, no doubt, by her
inability to hinder me in my investiga-
lions, to show me the door, to kick me
out. l could see her growing hatred
Of me in her eyes, in the grip of the
hands she pressed against her bosom;
and a certain reciprocal anger arose
within me
Here is a handkerchief of your mis-
tress," | said. plunging my hand into
my pocket and drawing forth the
square of lace. please return it to
her wardrobe. It's valuable" L added.
with a sudden burst of inspiration; "es-
pecially so, since it's her bridal hand
kerchief."
The shot told. She took the hand
kerchief with a hand that shook on
vulslvely, and / determined to risk a
second guess.
"She left it here I said "She left
it here when she went out by yonder
window and ran through the grove.
Shall tell you where she went? But
you know"
Il do not" burst from her. ITS a
lie!'
You know" I repeated remorseless
ly. You followed her there. 1t was
there she wrote that note which you
brought back with you and which you
found on her dresser"
mo, no." The words were two sobs
rather than two articulate sounds.
Don't lie to me! If the note was
written here, why did she used a writ
ing paper different from her own?
You're playing with fire! Take care
that it doesn't burn you!"
But I had touched the wrong note.
Burn MEL she cried. You thinl,
you can brighten me! Well, you can't
I'm not that kind
And indeed as I looked at her, I saw
that she spoke the truth.
Very we'll" l said; do as you think
best. I've warned you" and without
waiting for her to answer, I passed
before her down the hall, not without
the thought h a she might plunge a
knife into my back-she was Certainly
that kind! I opened the door myselI
and closed it behind me, then started
down the walk. But in a moment
lodged aside among the trees and hast.
ened around the house. / was determ.
ined to follow that path which started
from the library ~balcony-I must see
whittier it led.
CHAPTER VIII.