The Washington times., 1913-09-25
TIMES DAILY SERIAL STORY
THE FLYING COURTSHIP E. KxrH
TimesG New Pot in land
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copyright. lsls. Frank A. Munsey Company
lit! / don't care what comes-what
and deceiving and playing the slave
to you. Why should 1 keep 1t up:
Just for you? Because 1 have been
weak. do you think I shall always be
SO? For your sake? For the sake OF
an unspeakable-
with swift movement. The sentence
died on the girls lips. or rather ended
In gasp Of terror.
Stopf she cried.
/ whirled around the curve in the BAN
listers and started down the staircase
needless Of any noise that might make
Ny blood was leaping, my brain afire
with rage. My own affairs had vanished
completely from my mind. 1 was intent
only upon averting murder-yes. murder
Tor believed that Vinton was easily
equal to it.
Halfway down the stairs I paused.
catching sight of his tall, almost gaunt
figure. His back was toward me and he
| was standing quietly, his hands at his
sides, his head bent forward. looking
down at her. :
Less than half dozen feet separated
them as she faced him. She was meet
ing his eyes steadily enough, but there
was an uncertain twitching at the cor
l hcis VI ueT IuOutn. ttnIOn saw IL, Oh
course. He was again at the business
Of conquering her with one of his looks.
! More merciful would 1t have been IL he
had taken her by the throat and choked
her life out there and then! But that
| was not the way Of the tail man.
| stood fascinated, watching them.
! Presently her eyelids fluttered and her
erect figure began to droop. The tense
/ hands slowly relaxed. At last her
glance left him: Vinton took step for
ri hint u&f h
lopsely at his sides. AS he moved she
sHrank involuntarily
] descended another step. ready to
| make dash for him il he moved so
much as foot closer to her. remem-
Der. also, that even in the excitement
of the moment, resolved to shout as
/ closed Id on him, in order to halt him
before he reached her
And then she saw me on the stair
! case. Our eyes met for only an instant
She glanced back at vinton. who was
still standing .notionless and watching
her. She was irresolute for a few Sec
onds. like some baffled and tortured
| creature. Then slowly bowed her head; !;
With dry laugh Vinton turned
away from her and walked toward the
rear of the library, passing cut Of my
view. She looked up in a fash as he
frantic gesture for me to go back.
waited long enough to see her resume
her dropping pose Of defeat. and then
carefully retracted my steps to the
head of the staircase.
The last thing she wanted. evidently.
was an encounter between Vinton and
myself. or even a meeting. Rather
than that, she was willing to yield to
anything. or pretend to yield. at least.
Yet l think-even though she appeared
to submit once more to the mans will
that she took some courage from the
fact that 1 stood ready in her defense.
For a couple of minutes there was
nothing said in the library below, and
then it was his voice that broke the
silence. speaking very calmly:
thing which will make It necessary for
You to marry me is the will. Did ycr
forget that"
She did not answer, and he went on:
Unless you mary me, that will can
never be probated. And you are quite
anxious to have 1t probated. II mis-
take not. You Will not stand very long
in the way of that. So, taking the de-
velopments in the case up to this point
and the fact of the will. and the fur
ther fact that you will do exactly as
say, l think we have a fairly good ar
gument in behalf of a matrimonial alli-
ance. Would 1t not seem so to you?"
Again there was no reply from her.
SO, to get to the main point again."
he said with sudden briskness, you
iiCVt dGdiii lOIilOTTO", ana VIII
lose no further time in finding out what
Purvis and / and LaZare want to know.
No further excuses will be accented. Do
you understand your orders? Repeat
themr'
L could hear her voice murmurins
peating his words.
Very good" he added quietly. Now.
where is that small satchel left here?''
"fn get IT for you" she said quickly.
Il asked where it was"
Upstairs. I think"
'.I'll get it,
An instant later his figure appeared
in the lower hall and he started up the
staircase. She was close behind him
and halted him by laying a hand upon
his arm.
II can find it easier than you," she
said. Let me go up
She was not looking at him. however.
Her gaze was directed upward, trying
to pierce the darkness which hid me.
All the fear had come back into her
face again.
Il could not think of troubling you"
be replied with ironical courtesy.
Having already mounted two steps,
he resumed his journey upward on the
third. She fell back a pace and clutch
ed at the curtains for support.
Two courses were open to me.
must either meet this man In the dark
Tess or find place. Of concealment-l
and the latter quickly. MY rage
against him was sufficient to spur me |
into a meeting, although by the build |
Of him ] judged he would make short |
work of me in hand to hand fight |
But ! thought Of her and her agoniZed |
fear that he might find me in the !
house, and chose the second course.
He was nearly half way up the stairs |
v hen ] shrank back from the head Of |
the steps and began to grope my way |
rapidly along the wall of the upper |
hall, which was in total darkness My |
hand fell upon door frame, and then |
upon the knob of the door itself / |
turned 1t softly. and the door yielded.
Thanks to the thick carpets which |
seemed to have been laid all over the
house, could move without any per-
reptible noise. Pushing the door open
to make a space for my
body, I squeezed through and closed il |
3 fter me as far as / dared. I did not
risk latching II again, for vinton was
TOO close now.