The Washington herald., 1914-10-11

fallen on the hedges. the ciumps OF ever
greens, the rows of close-ciipped box.
A full moon was Just showing itseH
above the treetops, turning the lake into
moving silver. Fred rose from his
wicker chair and, crossing to his young
bride. touched her hair fearfully with
the tips of his fingers.
9 what if we don't know anybody,
VIM" he said, "and nobody knows usi
It's been perfectly good honeymoon,
hasn't it? If you just look at it that
way. it works out all right We came
here really for our honeymoon, to be
together, to be alone"
As though mocking his words, there
burst upon the sleeping countryside the
shrek Of a. giant siren. 1t was rau-t
cous, yirulent, insulting. II came as
sharply as a scream of terror, it contin-
ued in below of rage. Then, as sud-
denly as it had cried aloud, it sank to
silence; only after pause of an in
slant, as though giving signal, to
shrek again in two sharp blasts. And
then again it broke into the hideous
long-drawn scream of rage, insistent,
breathless, commanding; filing the soul
of him who heard it, even of the inno-
cent. with alarm.
TN the name of heavenl" gasped
Keep, whats that%
Down the terrace the butler was
fastening toward them When he
stopped, he spoke as though he were
announcing dinner. "A convict, sir,"
he said, has escaped from Sing Sing.
l thought you might not understand
the whistle. l thought perhaps you
would wish Mrs. Keep to come IN
doors"
'Why?" asked Winnie Keep.
"The house is near the road, madam"
said the butler. "And there are so many
trees and bushes. Last summer two of
them hid here, and the keepers-theret
was a fight"
The man glanced at Keep. Fred
touched. his wife on the arm.
ITS time to dress for dinner, Win"
he said.
"And what are you going to dor" de-
manded Winnie
Pm going to finish this cigar first. II
doesn't take me long to change" He
turned to the butler. "And I'll have
cocktail, too. I'll have it out here"
The servant left them, but in the
French window that opened from the
terrace to the library Mrs. Keep lin
gered irresolutely. Fred" she begged,
4you-you're not going to poke around
in the bushes, are you?-just because
you think I'm frightened?"
Her husband laughed at her. 81 Ger
tainly. am notp he said. "And you're
not frightened, either. Go in. I'll be
with you in a minute"
But the girl hesitated. Still shatter-
ing the silence of the night the siren
shrieked relentiessly; it seemed to be at
their very door, to beat and buffet the
window panes. The bride shivered and
held her fingers to her ears.
why don't they stop III" she whis-
pered. why don't they give him a
chanceP
When she had gone, Fred pulled one
of the wicker chairs to the edge of the
terrace, and, leaning forward with his
chin in his hands, sat staring down at
the lake. The moon had cleared the
tops of the trees, had btotted the lawns
with black, rigid squares, had disguised
the hedges with wavering shadows.
Somewhere near at hand criminal
murderer, burglar, thug-was at large,
and the voice of the prison he had
tricked still beloved in rage, in amaze
ment, still clamored not only for his
person, but perhaps for his life.
Find himP shrieked the siren. Find
himl He's there, behind your hedge!
He's kneeIing by the stone wall That's
he running in the moonlight. That's he
crawling through the dead leavesl Stop
him! Drag him downl He's mine
Minel"
AS a rule, when Winnie Keep was
dressing for dinner, Fred, in the room
adjoining, could hear her unconscious
ly and lightheartedly singing to her
self. It was a habit of hers that he
loved. But on this night, although her
room was directly above where he sat
upon the terrace, he heard no singing.
He had been' on the terrace for a quar-
ter of an hour. Gridley, the aged but
Ter who was rented with the house, and
who for twenty years had been an in
mate of it, had brought the-cocktail and
taken away the empty glass. And Keep
had been alone with. his thoughts. They
were entirely of the convict. If the
man suddenly confronted him and
begged his aid, what would he do? He
knew quite well what he wouldNd do. He
considered even the means by which he
would assist the fugitive to successful
getaway.
The ethics of the question did not con-