The Donaldsonville chief., 1913-05-10
HER MIDNIGHT APPEAL
BY C. NJ. JONAS.

sprang up, dOnned dreSs1ng-goWn ana
slippers and hurried out at once with
a lighted candle AS he threw open
the door, the Pickering glare quayered
grotesquely across a woman's tense,
pallid features.
''Kathleen!" The name broke from
him involuntarily; his tone was sharp
almost to harshness
"Dick-Mr. Stanhope-forgive my
intrusion at such an hour, but the
telephone will not work, and I'm
afraid my husband is dying. He has
had three attacks with his heart be-
fore, but never so bad as this.
thought if | could get doctor right
away there might still be some hope"
Stanhope steeled himself as he
looked at her and replied reassur-
ingly:
"Ill 60 for the doctor Immediately.
Don't worry SO much. Perhaps things
aren't as bad as you fear.'
Thank you. Dick" she breathed
earnestly.
Then she drew her hood close, and
turning abruptly, disappeared into the
darkness
Stanhope went back to his s0om
and exchanged his night clothes for a
riding-suit as quickly as possible.
Then he went out to the stables and
saddled his fastest horse.
In less than five minutes he had
covered over "a mile of the six that
must be trav@sed. lid
Could it be possible that barely
three years had elapsed since Claver-
| ing had come and robbed him Of
everything that made existence worth
while? his love, his happiness-his
all?
And Kathleen? She had unhesitat-
| ingly made her choice, and only God
and Clavering and herself could have
| told the rest.
But something in her face, in the
very atmosphere OF her tonight had
stirred his blood strangely.
A So wild thought flashed
through Stahhope's mind. What if
Clavering should die! What if the
girl he had worshipped with the one
great passion of his life were to be
free once more? All at once, he was
conscious that his breath ceased; this
blood pounded and surged in his tenn
pies; his heart leaped guiltily. What
if! But he dash9a away the thought
and dug his heels into the horses
sides almost viciously. If anything
happened, it must be by the will Of
God, and not through his volition.
| The ride was over at last His horse
was drenched and shaking as he dis
mounted and ran quickly up the steps
! to the front door to the big, dark
ened house where the great doctor
| lived.
! You must come at once-yes, at
once,' he called excitedly through the
speaking-tube. This is no hysterical
nonsense, but case of life and death.
| Charles Clavering, at the Heights, you
know Has those attacks with his
heart Mans dying, I'm afraid.
| When he had ELECTED the doctors
promise to follow Immediately, he
/ went back to his horse and flung him
self wearily into the saddle, almost
staggering under the whirl of emo
tions that held him in grip. He dared
not thipksssf to think meant to hope,
and hoping might mean almost any
thing.
The return journey was made me-
chanically. To Stanhope's dazed brain
| it might have been six miles or 1t
might have been sixty-or only one.
He rode through the darkness with
bowed head and deliberately vacant
senses. The draught upon his self
control left him physically weak, SO
that when, by some inexplicable
chance, he found himself in front Of
the Claverings', he half reeled in his
saddle. T.
After all, itewas only natural that
he should stop here to learn the re-
suit Kathleen would expect it, since
he it had been to whom she had ap-
| pealed.
Soon the doctor came out and stood
| for a moment in the doorway talking
to Mrs. Clavering, His face was grav-
er than its won't and he shook his
head from time to time as he talked.
Stanhope could distinctly see the
look on Kathleen's face as the bright
light from the hail chandelier fell full
across it, and it told him better than
any words could have done what the
outcome might be. In her eyes, there
were alarm, terror-a curious shrink
ing. But the heartbroken look of pas
sionate grief-no!
He backed cautiously into a shadow
and waited till the doctor came out.
entered his runabout and drove away.
A minute later, stanhope touched
his horse and was gone. galloping on
and on and on, terrified by the ter
rible passion that swept through him.
When he had controlled himself, he
reversed his horse and settled down
! to a steady, determined gait. In his
eyes was a light that had never illum-
| mated them before.
Overhead, the sky with its prodigal