Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-08-23
"The Gates of Silence"
By Meta SmmIn5, AHfh0r of "HHshed Up"

heard, and yet before she could almost
have sworn she had heard the peculiar
crush of the ciuder path about the house
as under cautious housekeeping foot.
'lf ! had coat" he said. anything
that would hide this ' And as he spoke
quietly and unexpectedly the door Of the
inner room opened and Mrs Rimngton
came in.
She gave no cutlery at the sight of Jack.
Only her white face flushed family a
flush that died, leaving il deathy pale.
On the Scent.
TITS YOU" she said. under her breath
at came to me as ! slept that You would
come tonight
70 Rimington in the old days she had
always seemed strange and unearthly;
! this woman. Tonight there was that in
her look and manner that seemed TO lift
| her altogether above the plane Of ordi-
nary things Her eyes regarded Rimiug-
ton with a fanatical giht. He did not
wonder now that Betty had called her
strange
I'm just going he said. Betty will
eNplain--they are probably only waiting
20 run me to earth here / can't wait"
Nor can You go in those clothes. Mrs
Remington said quietly GO into my
room. there are clothes there-your uu.
cles clothes"
"Oh, quck Jack quick" Betty said.
seeing that he hesitatcd. I'm frightened
Fear lies in wait behind every boulder
on the moor tonight"
She pushed him into the inner room,
and almost Immediately Mrs. Rimington
came out and closed the door
The women looked at each other in ST.
lence. Then Mrs. Bimington withdrew
her gave 10 the fire
The wind was rislng-or was It the
wind? It seemed to the waiting girl
! that the air was fun Of whispering voices.
Outside tendril of the creeper. loosened
by the wind tapped at the pane the in
termittent noise came sulenlv to them
through the intervening shutter.
Betty" The door of the inner room
had opened and Rimington came out,
The women turning, saw that he was
stlll in his convict garb. He silenced
| their surprise by a lifted hand Betty,
IT'S too late. hear them. They must
have tracked me here. They're sur
rounding the house
lie could say no more He caught
her in his arms and drew her toward him,
holding her close in a long, silent en-
brace
Jack YOU mustn't GO there's a hiding
place here. They dare not"
He sienced her by a passionate kiss on
the lips
ON the bolted door came the sound Of
a heavy knock
"Jack-Jack,'
Betty Lumsdens face was white and
her lips trembled only her eyes were
bright and steadfast, the eyes Of one
whose courage knows no surrender
| After that moment OF passionate strain
| ing Of her to himself Rimington strove
/ 70 put the girl from him, but she chung
! 20 him with a desperation that gave her
/ strange strength, her body "A dead weight
against his own.
Dear. YOU must let me go. Betty.
/ We We got to face this, and resistance
viii make things worse. Let me GO" he
/ whispered, almost roughly Her clinging
arms about him seemed to intensity hor-
rihy the trapped sensation that enveloped
/ him. They were like the clingng lga-
ments of the weeds that drag the fool
hardy swimmer dwon and down into the
! treacherous pool
"No. no. You mustn't let yourself be
seen, There is a hiding place in my
room"
| Now he hardly heard her whispered
words. His ears were strained to catch
/
! silence Then the knocking continued
! lie could hear the tramping Of feet and
angry hands at work on the easement
window. The door shook stoutly- built
and barred as it was, going back to the
! days when Bimouth Jail and its iuhabi-
| tauts were a menace to the moor dwell
| crs-yet it was not to be thought that
| II could offer many minutes opposition to
| the determined men without. Rimiugton
| experienced shrinking cowardicc bred
of those long months In prison from the
| thought of those men who. when the door
gave, would rush in, their blood heated
! by resistance
| The knocking at the door continued.
! "Open In the name of the lawl We are
In search Of John Rmington, a convict
escaped from 8iImouth Jail, and have
reason TO know that he is here!"
Against his viii, Huntington felt him
! self driven back against the door of the
! inner room. 1t was all the matter OF a
| breathing space, before the loud voice Of
the besiegiug officer had died ON the wait
ing silence Of the room he found himself
in the bare little cell-like room that was
| Bettys bed chamber and heard her
frenzied whisper telling him of the hid
ing place her wit had remembered
Then he was alone. and he heard her
clear voice in the kitchen answering the
! inquiries without, speaking reasoningly to
! Mrs Rimingtou, who all this time had
uttered no sound, made no movement
! but TODD like a figure carved out of
black stone. looking down into the heart
of the FIRE with bright, euigmauc eyes,
To Be Continued in Next Issue.