The Washington times., 1913-04-26

to go very lar away TO get IL
Wen stay within call all the time
| said Jeffrey.
F1rewood wasn't especially easy to
| find at that time Of the year, and after
| last nights rain. But We kicked open
a couple Of rotted stumps and got a
quantity of dry punk out Of the inside:
Once alight, that sort Of stuff would
burn almost anything.
We collected our fagots on the crest
OF little hill just above the cave, and
we kept some sort of talk going all the
while for the girl to hear. 1t WASH I
wonderful that she should not want to
be left alone after what she must have
been through that night.
Presently We heard her call. I'm
ready now. Have you found anything
at all in this sogsy place that VIII
burn?"
Her voice was entirely unlike the
dead colorless monotone she had
spoken in before. Her recovery spoke
wonders for her spirit and resiliency;
Jeffrey has many accomplishments
and perfections, but / have one in which
/ excel him. l can build a fire. Per-
haps his possession Of so many advan-
tages makes II all the more remarkable
that he should recognize mine. ne oid;
have begun calling her that already.
and watched in silence until my TASK
was completed and a bright, weil-fed
blaze was making US all more comfort
able.
the fire that / found leisure to look at
her. When / did / could have exclaim-
ed aloud over the difference. The pal
Ior was gone from her cheeks, rant
flush Of delicate color was coming @ ln.o
possible that those could be the same
ewes that had stared at US in terror SO
short a while ago. As for her mar
her great, wonderful masses OF hair
well, 1t was evidence that JenreS "as
Rut Jeffrey, with all his temperament
and his intuitions and the rest OF ms
artistic equipment. has a disconceIiinSf
way Of being exceedingly pracucal
You ought to take that down." he
said. "and give 1t a chance TO dry Wnlie
we're here in front of the hre. Don
braid it or anything. Just shake II OUT
loose around your shoulders: ,u .,,, {.
she said. when I'm sitting down. There
'' And that, when she tried to follow his
suggestion, proved true. IL reache9
nearly to her knees when she $1,000
Nov" she said, when she had spread
n out an well as she could. now may
7 ask a question again? how aio you
know that / was at Beech Hill ana
that / needed saving? u.
Thought that what he saw was the ghost
of a woman we knew to be dead. a
woman he thought he had murdered.
she looked very like you In some ways
almost miraculously like"
Was ii Irene Fournier? she asked.
yes he said. Irene Fournier. Do
-ou know who she was? Had you ever
seen herr
II only saw her once she said. but
I've heard Of her. ! think: she ADDED
after a little silence, L think tnat she
Jeffrey's ewes widened at that.
Il don't know very much about ~,
she said. My father must have been
a painter Was he?" She turned TO
jeffrey. DO you know?'
He nodded.
He fell In love. I think. with peas
ant girl down in Normandy"
Jeffrey nodded again.
"I don't mean my mother" Claire
said with a little hesitation; Il mean
her sister ! think he meant to marry
her: but he was called away. and when
he came back she was dead. So then
he married my mother. But / think
Irene was his daughter. too. I'm not
sure whether he knew about her when
he married my mother. But ! think
know that afterward he settled some
money on her.
She spoke in a strange, guarded sort
of way, almost hostile, the time
talked with her. II was strange to see
her She looked SO like me-so almost
exactly like me.
but my-guardIan took me away
presently and asked her to come and
see him. / wasn't there then. and she
wouldn't tell him anything-anything
that We wanted to know-except for a
great deal of money. He didn't be-
lieve that she was telling the truth, SO
he wouldn't pay her. and she went
away"
Did you tell her who you were?'
Jeffrey asked.
II didn't know" the girl said quietly
That's what We were trying TO find
out. We spent years trying"
Suddenly Jeffrey caught his breath,
and his eyes lighted up. Was your
guardian an English doctor named Will
iiamson?" he asked.
And at that she stared at him half
frightened. How did you know she
whispered. How did you know that"
Two winters ago." said Jeffrey. Il
had a studio over in Paris in the same
court with DR.. Williamson and his wife
and daughter. Some things that hap
penod there. with what you just said.
helped me TO guess
Il wish you might have helped me
TO CUES then" said the girl. I'VE were
badly in need of help of that sort
II wish / might. If only I'd had a
little more of the courage of my con-
victions that winter might have
solved some of my own mysteries. and
yours. too. But let's go back to the
beginning The story was that you had
died Of smallpox in Paris. Did you
have smallpox, really.
He might well ask, for her skin had
the velvety bloom that rarely lasts after
childhood.
Yes" she answered; "or at least so
they told me. But not in Paris. My
aunt and / had been spending the win