Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1912-08-29

mo, Of course mt.
NO. know 'you WON'T w, ,vorY
tell on me and I won't tell on you.
That's trade, hey?"
The minister stopped in the middle
of his step.
"What?" he said, turning.
Mr.. Pepper merely smiled, winked,
and shut the door. John Ellery reflect
ed much during his homeward walk.
The summer in Trumet drowsed on,
as Trumet summers did in those days,
when there were no boarders from the
city, no automobiles or telephones or
antique" collectors. The Sunday din
ners with the Daniels family were al
most regular weekly functions now.
He lodged them when he could, but
he could not do SO often without tell
ing an absolute lie. and this he would
not do. And, regularly, when the sol
emn meal was eaten, Captain Elkanah
went upstairs for his nap and the Rev
erend John was left alone with Anna
bel Miss Daniels did her best to be
entertaining, was. in fact, embarrass-
ingly confidential and cordial. 1t was
hard work to get away, and yet. some
how or other, at the stroke of four,
the minister always said good-by and
took his departure.
What is your hurry, Mr.. Ellery?"
begged Annabel on one occasion when
the reading Of Moores poems had
been interrupted in the middle by the
guests sudden rising and reaching for
his hat. II don't see why you always
go SO early. It's SO every time you're
here. Do you call at any other house
on Sunday afternoons?"
NO." was the prompt reply. "oh,
no."
MRS. Rogers said she saw you 60
ing across the fields after you left
here last Sunday. Did you go for
| waikiki"
"Er-er-yes, did"
81 wish you had mentioned it. love
to walk, and there are SO few people
that find congenial company. Are
you going for walk now"
why, uO-6T-uOC 64aClly.
I'm sorry. Good-by. Will you come
again next Sunday? or course you
will. You know how dreadfully disap-
pointed I-we-shall be If you don't"
THANK you. Miss Daniels. enjoyed
the dinner very much. Good after
noon"
He hurried down the path. Annabel
watched him go. Then she did an odd
thing. She passed through the sit
ting room, entered the front hall, went
up the stairs, tiptoed by the door of
her fathers room, and then up anoth-
err flight to the attic. From here a
steep set Of steps led to the cupola
on the roof In that cupola was a
spyglass.
Annabel opened a window a few
inches, took the sypglass from its
rack, adjusted it, laid it on the sill
of the open window and knelt, the
glass at her eye. The floor Of the
cupola was very dusty and she was
wearing her newest and best gown,
but she did not seem to mind.
Through the glass she saw the long
slope of Cannon Hill, with the beacon
| at the top and Captain Mayo's house
near 1t. The main road was deserted
| save for one figure, that Of her late
caller. He was mounting the hill in
long strides.
She watched him gain the crest and
pass over it out of sight. Then she
| shifted the glass 80 that it pointed
toward the spot beyond the curve of
the hill, where the top of a thick
group Of silver-leafs hid the parsonage.
Above the tree tops glistened the
white steeple Of the Regular church.
If the minister went straight home she
could see him. But under those silver
leafs was the beginning Of the short
cut across the fields where Didama
had seen Mr. Ellery walking on the
previous Sunday.
Slowly she moved the big end Of the
spyglass back along the arc it had
travelled. She found speck and
watched it. 1t was man, striding
across the meadow land, half mile
beyond the parsonage, and hurrying
in the direction Of the beach. She
saw him climb high dune, jump a
fence, cross another field and finally
vanish in the grove of pines on the
edge Of the bluff by the shore.
The man was John Ellery, the min
lister. Evidently, he had not gone
home, nor had he taken the short
cut. Instead he had walked down
town long way and then turned in to
cross the fields and work his way
| back.
Annabel put down the glass and,
| needless of her fathers cali. sat think
ing. The minister had deliberately de-
ceived her. More than that, he had
| gone to considerable trouble to avoid
| observation. Why had he done it?
Had he done the same thing on other
Sunday afternoons? Was there any
real reason why he insisted on leav-
ing the house regularly at four o'clock !?