Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-08-30
The Gates of Silence" e
By Meta Smmn5, Aufhoy at "HH5hed Up"
TO-DAY S INSTALLMENT.


PART u.
"Confound the brute, He looked down
at his hand. The scratch hurt and was
beginning to swell and an ugly little
yellow ridge was rising ominously. No
ooupt the beasts claws We're poisoned
the wound would tester perhaps he might
lose his hand He sucked the scratch
and cursed the cat again.
What the deuce was keeping Jex-was
there anywhere in this place where he
could wash his hand? He glanced toward
the door leading 70 the staircase com
municating with the upper part-he felt
a dstaste that was more than reluc-
lance TO go upstairs He had not been
there since the day Of his wifes death
the dav that had given him back his
freedom
Much good his freedom had done him,
His thoughts ran in a bitter vein this
afternoon. Betty Lumsden--all his plans
seemed, II not 10 he actually miscarrying,
70 be hating inexplicably Rimington in
prison, safe barred and silenced for
twenty years. seemed for the present at
least, as effective a barrier as Rimirgton
young and rich and free Betty was
II was true, but there was woeful lack
Of flavor in a marriage Of barter.
Hang the brute
Really, his hand was beginning to pain
him sbcminably 1t was detestable, but
there was no help for it, He must go
upstairs With his lips pressed against
his hand he went up the stairs, mount
ing them slowly
Ghosuy memories came out to meet
him as he pushed open the door at the
top Of the stairs and looked in. The in
dehnable odor that had chung about
JENNY fragrance that had never left
her even in her illness. that even now
had power 10 conjure up the past, that
rose leaf past of the first days Of their
marriage-still hung family in the air.
The he'd was made as though ready for
occupation Her hair brushes and little
toilet trinkets dainty trifles of tortoise
shell and gold he had given her, trcked
out the dressing table SAKE drew back
with something like a SILVER. What "a
sentimental old idiot lex was He opened
another door-that OF the old mans own
bed room this time, apparently There
were signs Of his occupation -huddled
clothes, a medley Of queer things, pros
pective stock, apparently, and in the cor
ner what SAKE sought-a hand wash
stand
He poured out water into the old blue
basin and bathed his injured hand The
water cooled and soothed IT, As he wiped
It gently he saw that some Of It's angry
redness had abated
Caught!
He stood looking about the room with
half amused curiosity as he dried his
i .
His thoughts snapped suddenly. His
wandering eyes had encountered some
thing that stood on table 10y the iron
bed-a box Of dark wood curiously bound
with brass, an oddly familiar looking box
his own, he would swear to that that
he had thought secure beyond all ques.
ton in the locked safe at the safe de-
post in Chancery Lane. where SO many
other precious and dangerous things were
buried under name that no one but him.
self knew, under a combination Of let.
ters 70 which no one but himself had the
clew.
Paul Saxe's face was not good to see
as he crossed the room and examined the
box by the bed Yes. II was the same
there in the midst OF one OF the brass
arabesQues were his wife's initials-he
remembered how he had got the shopmen
in the queer old Paris shop to scratch
them there when he had bought IL dur
ing the heyday Of his infatuation for her
And she-how was II she had retained
possession Of II all this time? He could
have sworn he had sent It with the other
things. Could Il he possible that he had
been guilty Of an act Of such gross care
lessness?
Beads Of sweat started to his brown.