The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-04-20

| a sham. If Grace Noir STAYS, the
worst is going to happen. She may
not know how far she's going. He
may not suspect he's doing wrong. Peo-
! pie can make anything they want seem
! right in their own eyes. But I've found
out that wickedness isn't stationary It's
got a sort of perpetual motion. If we
don't drive Grace away, the crash will
| come"
"Franmhow you must love Mrs.
Gregory
| She breaks my heart.'
Dear faithful Fran! What can we
do?-I say we, Fran, observe"
oh, you Abbott Ashton = lust
what l thought you'll No, no you mustn't
interrupt. I'll manage Grace Noir, IL
you'll manage Bob Clinton"
] Where does Bob Clinton come in ."
| Grace is trying to open a door so
he can come in. I mean a secret in
Mr.. Gregory's past. She suspects that
there's secret in his past. and she
intends to send Bob to Springfield
where MrJGregory left that secret Bob
will bring it to Littleburg. He'll hand
it over to Grace. and then she'll have
| Mr. Gregory in her power-there'll be
no getting her hands off him, after
that"
Surely you don't mean that Mr..
Gregory did wrong when he was young
and that Miss Noir suspects it?"
Bib will bring home the secret
and it will kill Mrs. Gregory, Abbott
and Grace will go off with him-I know
| how it'll end"
What is this secret? ?"
! You are never to know. Abbott"
| Very well-so be it. But | don't
| believe MIR. Gregory ever did very
wrong-he is too good a man."
| Isn't he daily breaking his wife's
heart" retorted Fran with a curl of
the lip. Il call that murder"
But stilEBut | can't think he real
ICES it."
Then" said Fran satirically. well
! just call it manslaughter. When | think
of his wife's meek patient face-don't
| you recall that look in her eyes of
| the wounded deer-and the thousands
of times you've seen those two to-
gether, at church, on the street, in the
| library-everywhere seeing only
each other, leaning closer, smiling deep
er-as if doing good meant getting
| close-Oh, Abbott, you know what |
mean-don't you, don't you?"
"Yesp cried Abbott sharply. Fran,
you are right. | have been-all of us
have been-clinging to appearances.
Yes, | know what you mean"
You'll keep Bob Clinton from telling
| that secret, won't you? He's to go to-
| night, on the long journey-tonight,
after the board meeting. It'll take him
three or four days. Then he'll come
; back ~
But he'll never tell the secret" Alb
bott declared. His mouth closed as by
spring.
Fran snatched up the whip. and lean
ed over as if to lash the empty shafts.
She had suddenly become the child
again. 1--WE must drive out of Sure
Enough Country, now. Time to get
back to the Make-Believe World. You
know it isn't best to stay long in high
attitudes. I've been pretty high-I feel
like I've been breathing pretty close
to-heaven." She stood up, and the
laprobe fell about her like green waves
from which springs laughing nymph.
Abbott still felt stunned. The crash
of an ideal arouses the echo-'1s there
no truth in the world?" But yes-Fran
was here, Fran the adorable.
Fran" he pleaded, don't drive out
of Sure-Enough Country. Wait long
enough for me to tell you what you are
to me"
81 know what I am to you," Fran
retorted-"Git app
'But what am l to you, Don't drive
so fast-the trees are racing past like
mad. l won't leave Sure-Enough
Country until I've told you all"
you shall No, III not let you take
this whip"
q will take it-let go-Fran!
Blessed darling Fran"
She gripped the whip tightly. He
could not loosen her hold, but he
could keep her hand in his, which was
Just as we'll Still. a semblance of
struggling was called for, and that is
why the sound of approaching wheels
was drowned in laughter.
Here we arep Fran cried wickedly
-"Make-Believe World of Every.
Day. and some of its inhabitants. ."
A surrey had come down the seldom
used road-had Miss Sapphire followed
Abbott in order to discover him with
Fran? The 5fspicion was not just. but
his conscience seemed to turn color
or was it fate? In fact, Fran and ABB \
bott were both rather red-caused, pos
sibly BY their. struggle over the whip.
On the front seat of the surrey were
Miss Sapphira and Bob Clinton. On
the back seat was Simon Jefferson,
whose hairy hand gripped halter fas-
tened to a riderless horse; the very
horse which should have been between
the shafts of the Gregory buggy.
Miss Sapphire stared at Abbott,
speechless. So this is what he had
meant by wanting the air unstrained
bv window screens. Studying. indeed
Abbott, in his turn, stared speechlessly
at the led horse.