Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1913-10-17

"Good Evening, Professor Ashton"
Grace cast a dfsdainful look at Fran.
Then she turned to her employer and
her deliciously curved face changed
most charmingly. 81 think" she re-
sponded with a. faint shake of rebuke
for his leniency, that you should not
need my advice in this matter" Why
should he stand apparently helpless
before this small bundle of arrogant
impudence?
Gregory turned upon Fran with af-
fected harshness. "You must CO." He
was annoyed that Grace should imag-
inc him weak.
Fran's face hardened. 1t became an
ak of stone, sharpened at each end,
with eyes, nose and mouth in a mar
row line of cold defiance. To Grace
the acute wedge of white forehead,
cleaning its way to the roots of the
black hair, and the sharp chin cut
ting its way down from the tightly
drawn mouth, spoke only of cunning.
She regarded Fran as a fox, brought
to bay.
Fran spoke with calm elaboration:
Il am not going away"
"I would advise you," said Grace.
looking down at her from under droop-
ing lids, ito go at once, for a storm is
rising. Do you want to be caught in
the rain?"
Fran looked up at Grace, undaunt-
ed. II want to speak to Mr.. Greg
ory. If you are the manager of this
house. he and I can go outdoors. I
don't mind getting wet. I've been In
all kinds of weather"
Grace looked at Gregory. Her 81
lences were effective weapons.
Il have no secrets from this lady,"
he said, looking into Grace's eyes, an.
swering her silence. What do you
want to say to me, child?"
Fran shrugged her shoulders, always
looking at Grace, while neither of the
others looked at her. Every well,
then, of our it doesn't matter to
me, but l thought it might to Mr..
Gregory. Since he hasn't any secrets
from you, of curse he has told you
that one of nearly twenty years ago"
1t was not the rumble of distant
thunder, but a strange exclamation
from the man that interrupted her; it
was some such cry as human crea-
lures may have uttered before the
crystallizing of recurring experiences
into the terms of speech.
Fran gave quick, Reckless blows:
"Of course he has told you all about
his Springfield life
"Silence!" shouted Gregory, culver
ing from head to foot. The word was
like an ~imprecation, and for a time it
kept kissing between his locked teeth.
"And of course" Fran continued,
fitting up her chin as If to drive in
the words, "since you know all Of his
secrets-all of them-you have natu.
rally been told the most important
one. And so you know that when he
was boarding with his cousin in
Springfield and attending the college
there, something like twenty years
ago"
Leave usi" Gregory cried, waving
a violent arm at his secretary, as II
to sweep her beyond the possibility
of overhearing another word.
Leave you-with herr" Grace STAN.
mered, too amazed by his attitude to
feel offended.
Eyes, yes. yesl Go at once!" He
seemed the victim of some mysterious
terror.
Grace compressed her full lips till
they were thinned to a white line
do you mean fo~rever?"
"Oh, Grace-I beg your pardon
Miss Grace-I don't mean that, of
course. What could | do without you?
Nothing, nothing, Grace-you are the
soul of my work. Don't look at me SO
cruelty"
Then you just mean" Grace said
steadily, for me to go away for a
little while"
"0nly half an hour; that's all. Only
half an hour, and then come back to
me, and I will explain"
you needn't go at all, on my ac-
count" observed Fran, with a twist
of her mouth. "It's nothing to me
whether you go or stay"
"She has learned a secret" Gregory
stammered, "that vitality aifects-af
fects some people-some friends of
mine. / must talk to her about
about that secret, just for a little
while. Half an hour, Miss Grace, that
is all. That is really all-then come
back to me. You understand that it's
on account OF the secret that | ask
Won IN Ioava nc vo,. undaw.tor1 +h~+