Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-04-12

him to comply with the request thus
harshly and peremptorily uttered. On
screwing the lid. he made way for the
intruder, who. drawing near, pushed
aside the roses which had fallen on
the upturned face. and. laying his
hand on the brow, muttered few low
words to himself Then he withdrew
his hand, and, without glancing to
right or left. staggered back to the
door amid hush as unbroken as that
which reigned behind him in that open
casket. Another moment and his
white, haggard face and disordered
figure would be blotted from sight by
the door jamb.
The minister recovered his poise and
the bearers their breath. The men
stirred in their seats and the women
began to cast frightened looks ut each
other and then at the children. some
Of whom had begun to whimper. when
In an instant all were struck again
into stone. The young man had turn
ed and was facing them all. with his
itself was horrible.
III they let the man co." he called
out In loud and threatening tones, II
will strangle him with these two
hands!
The word and not the shrek which
burst irrepressibly from more than one
woman before him brought him to
himself. With a CHASTITY look on his
bloated features he scanned for one
moment the row Of deeply shocked
faces before him, then tottered back
out Of sight and fed toward the stair
case. All thought that an end had
come to the narrowing scene. and
minister and people faced each other
once more. when. loud and sharp from
above. there rang down the shrill cry
Of delirium. this time in articulate
words which even the children could
understand.
Break it open. I say: Break it open
and see If her heart Is there!'
It was too awful. Men and women
and children leaped to their feet and
dashed away into the streets, uttering
smothered cries and wild CALCULATIONS.
In vain the clergyman raised his voice
ana babe them respect the dead. for
the rooms were well nigh empty be.
fore he had finished his appeal. Only
the least of the children remained.
Soon these. too. were gone. and the
casket was refastened and carried out
by the shrinking bearers. leaving in
those darkened rooms a trail Of desc.
lation which was only broken from
time to time by the now faint and
barely heard reiteration of the name
Of her who had Just been borne away.
LILA. Lila"
Sweetwater. however affected by this
scene In the funeral chamber. had NOT
lost control Of himself nor forgotten the
claims Of duty. He noted at a glance
that while the candid looking stranger
whose lead he had been following was
as much surprised as the rest at the
nature Of the interruption-which he
had possibly anticipated and for which
he was In some measure prepared-he
was Of all present the most deeply and
peculiarly impressed by 1t.
Sweetwater took occasion likewise
while the excitement was at Its height
to mark what effect had been made on
the servants by the action and conduct
Of young Cumberland.
It was not so easy to determine as
the anxious detective might wish
Only one Of them showed a simple
emotion. and that one was, without
any possibility of doubt. the cook. She
was a Roman Catholic and was sim
ply Mortified by the sacrilege Of which
she had been witness. There was nc
mistaking her feelings. But those Of
the other two women were more com.
plex.
So were those of the men. Zadok
specially watched each movement of
his young master with open distrust
and very nearly started upright In bis
repugnance and dismay when that In
truding hand fell on the peaceful brow
Of her over whose fate to his own sur
prise he had been able to shed tears.
And the women! Might not the
same explanation account for that Gu
rious droop Of the eye with which the
two younger clutched at each others
hands to keep from screaming and
interchanged whispered words which
Sweetwater would have given consid-
cradle out Of his carefully cherished
hoard to have heard.
1t was impossible to tell at present,
but he was confident that it would
not be long before he understood
these latter at least. He had great
confidence in his success with women,
homely as he was. He was not so
sure Of himself with men. and he felt
that some difficulties and not q few
pitfalls lay between him and, for in
stance, the uncommunicative Zadok.
"But I've the whole long evening be-
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