Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1914-07-09


! Don't speak, Think first-think well,
Brandon Booth. 1t is what you have
been seeking for months-the truth.
/ You share the secret with US now.
Again | ask, is it safe with your
My God!" he muttered again, and
passed his hand over his eyes. His
brow was wet He looked at his fin
gers dumbly as If expecting to find
them covered with blood
is it safe with your" for the third
time.
| Safe? Safer" be whispered, follow
ing her example without knowing that
! he did SO. Il can't believe you,
Sara. 1t can't be true"
1T is true"
You have known-all this ttme?'
From that night when stood where
we are standing now"
"And-and-she?"
I had never seen her until that
night. l saved her."
He dropped suddenly upon the trunk
that stood behind him. and buried his
face in his hands. For long time
she stood over him, her interest dfvid-
ed between him and the hall, wherein
lay their present peril.
Come" she said at last Pull your
self together. We must leave this
place. If you are not careful they
will suspect something downstairs
He looked up with haggard eyes.
studying her face with curious intent
ness
What manner of woman are you,
Sara?" he questioned slowly, won
deringly.
Il have just discovered that j am
very much like other women, after
ALL she said For awhile | thought
| was different, that I was stronger
than my sex. But / am just as weak,
just as much to be pitied, just as
much to be scorned as any one of my
sisters. | have spoiled a great act
by STOPPING to do mean one God
will bear witness that my thoughts
were noble at the outset; my heart
was soft But come! There is much
more to tell that cannot be told here
You shall know everything"
They went downstairs and out into
the crisp autumn air She gave direc-
tons to her chauffeur They were
to traverse for some distance the same
road she had taken on that ill-fated
night a year and half before. In
course of time the motor approached
a well-remembered railway crossing
Slow down, Cole" she said "This
is mean place-a very mean place"
Turning to Booth, who had heen sit
ting grim and silent beside Ter for
miles, she said, lowering her voice Il
remember that crossing yonder There
is sharp curve beyond. This is the
place. Midway between the two
crossings, | should say. Please re-
member this part of the road, Bran .
don, when | come to the telling of
that nights ride to town. Try to pie-
ture this spot-this smooth, straight
road as it might be on a dark, freezing
night in the very thick of screaming
blizzard, with all the world abed save
two women"
In his mind he began to draw the
picture, and to place the two women
AL tAS CCAbCl vi itt WltuOuL KNOWING
the circumstances. There was some
thing fascinating in the study he was
making, something gruesome and fun
of sinister possibilities for the hand
of a virile painter. He wondered how
near his imagination was to placing
the central figures in the picture as
they actually appeared on that secret
night
At sunset they went together to the
little pavilion at the end of the pier
which extended far out into the sound.
Here they were safe from the ears
of eavesdroppers The boats had been
slowed away for the winter. The
wind that blew through the open pa-
yilion, now shorn of all its comforts
and Injuries, was cold, raw and repel-
ling. No one would disturb them here.
With her face set toward the sinkins
east, she leaned against one of thu
thick posts, and in dull, emotionless
voice, laid bare the whole story of that
dreadful night and the days that fol-
bowed. She spared no details. she
spared not herself in the narration.
CTO BE CONTINUED