The Holly chieftain., 1914-07-31
CHAPTER v.


Beginning with the awful moment
when she first realized her danger and
the necessity for immediate flight she
lived over every perilous instant. her
nerves straining, her breath bated as
If she were experiencing 1t all-once
more. The horror of it! Her own
hopeless, helpless condition! But final
ly, because her trouble was new and
her body and mind. though worn with
excitement, were healthy and young,
she sank into a deep sleep. without
having decided at all what she should
do.
AT last she woke from terrible
dream in which the hand of her pur-
suer was upon her. and her preserver
was in the dark distance. With that
strange insistence which torments the
victim of such dreams, she was obliged
to lie still and imagine 1t out. again
and again. until the face and voice of
the young man grew very real In the
darkness, and she longed inexpressibly
for the comfort of his presence once
more.
At length she shook off the pursuing
thoughts and deliberately reused her
self to plan her future.
The first necessity, she decided. was
to change her appearance so far as
possible. so that If news of her escape,
with full description. had been tele-
graphed she might evade notice. To
that end. she arose in the early dawn
ing Of gray and misty morning. and
worn 1t before. in two braids and
wound closely about her head. She
pinned up her gown until it did not
show below the long black coat and
folded white linen handkerchief
about her throat over the delicate lace
and garniture of the modish waist
Then she looked obviously at the hat
With girls instinct, her first
thought was for her borrowed lumage.
A fine mist was slanting down and
had fretted the window pane until
there was nothing visible but dull gray
shadows of the world that flew mo-
no,onously by. With sudden remem.
hrance, she opened the suitcase and
took out the folded black hat, shook
It into shape. and put 1t on. 1t was
mannsh. of course, but girls often
wore such hats.
AS she surveyed herself in the long
mirror of her door. the slow color stole
into her cheeks. Yet the costume was
not unbecoming. nor unusual She
looked like simple school girl, or a
young business woman going to her
days work.
But she looked at the fashionable
proportions of the other hat with some
thing like alarm. How could she pro-
.ect 1t? She did not for moment
think of abandoning it. for it was her
earnest desire to return it at once,
unharmed, to its kind purloiner.
She summoned the newsboy and pur.
chased three thick newspapers. From
these, with the aid of few pins, she
made a large package of the hat. She
decided to go bareheaded, and put the
white kid gloves in the suitcase, but
she took off her beautiful rings, and
hid them safely inside her dress.
She sacrificed one of her precious
quarters to get rid Of the attentive por.
ter, and started off with brisk step
down the long platform to the station.
She followed group of people into a
car, which presently brought her into
the neighborhood of the large stores
al she had hoped 1t would. 1t was
with relief that she recognized the
name on one of the stores as being OF
worldwide reputation.
Well for her that she was an expert
enced shopper. She went straight tc
the millinery department and arranged
to have the hat boxed and sent to the
address Durham had given her.
1t had cost less to express the hal
than she had feared. yet her stock oI
money was woefully small. Some kline
of a dress she must have, and a wrap
that she might be disguised, but what
could she buy and yet have something
left for food? Lifting her eyes. she
saw sign over a table-"Linent
Skirts. rs cents and $1.00."
Hare was q ray Of hope. She turned