El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-08-18

n o1,,ta At the corner Of the street on
~ --ticb the Hale home was situated
r. her left the New York road
stretched through the blue gloom Of the
stsrlit night Below, at the foot Of the
/ hin 10 the right the lights Of the vii
! lace rlowed. The tall elms, arched
overhead. cast deep shadows over and
! above her. With a woman's impulsive
! accentance Of an improved idea as
! fact she had rushed from the house to
| meet and warn Tom Morton Feminine
( intuition had brought her out here and
! - 1ovv as abruptly deserted her
/ She stood hesitating IN an agony OF
I i,Jecfsiou How was she TO find Tom2
/ What would she tell MN II sne alo
I find bim2 What real cause had she for
[ susDectfne Ralph2 These questions as
/ sailed her and she could answer none
] Of them. She began TO have child
! ishly guilty feeling Wnat wound ner
/ uncle and aunt say II they knew she
/ had gone out alone INTO the street2
| Perhaps they had already discovered
! her flight and were even now search
/ ing for her.
I hensively and congratulated herself
I that her dark cloak and veil made her
/ seem one with the tree shadows She
shivered and drew her wrap more
/ closely around her. The night was
I cool and she seemed to have been stand
I ing here for long time What FOOLS
I erTand she had come on With move
! ment OF determination she started a
| few steps toward the house she had
Just left. then drew back as quickly
| into the shadows and stood still on the
/ alert
ment across the street A man was
strolling slowly up the street As he
passed under a street lamp, she rec
| Ognized him as the village policeman.
!
] heard the regular beat OF a horses
I hoofs. The man across the street had
/ heard the sound too, and. stopping on
| the corner opposite Constance, stood
A buggy turned into Homeward
I avenue, and as the lantern swinging
/ from the dashboard shone upon the
/ policeman the driver refined in his
I horse.
smash Up to POIieeman's Attention.
Hello. HEM he called. facetiously.
| ''Whatyer doin'? Huntin' burglarsz'
Hello, Ed," the other returned,
| sedateIy. Fine night, amt ito
It's all Of that" the man in the
buggy agreed. Had a smash up down
| the road. I see"
Hadn't heard OF it." replied the
I policeman "OttermobileT'
Yeah Must OF skidded, I guess.
| Bust clean through the rail Of the
/ Stony Brook bridge and lit in the
] stream bed Amt nobody there now.
/ I guess they've walked back TO the
/ ferry They left their tail light burn
| in, so there amt no danger"
/ More than most Of them do" re-
] good night. Ed Be good"
/ so long, Hem"
The buggy ratified down the street.
| The policeman yaWned widely and
] strOlled back down the hill Had he
1 turned his head he might have been
I amazed by the sight Of slight figure,
I wrapped in a dark cloak. running
J swiftly down the road toward New
4 York.
The terror that Constance had felt
I earlier in the evening had gripped her
( again as she overheard the CONVERSE
/ lion between the two men The unrea-
| soning instinct that had driven her
! from the house sent her. panic stricken.
Z down the New York road toward the
/ stony Brook bridge She ran until
every breath was a pain. then walked
until she could once more breathe deem
I y. when she broke again into a run.
Unused TO being abroad at night IN
ATTENDED, she forgot the nameless
I dangers which women and children
rear when alone in the darkness and
! silence Of out OF doors Once a car
| sped toward her and she shrank back
II! IN tne oeep shade OF the roadside until
I the runabout had passed With her
subconscious mind she thought the
1lgure IN the car was familiar, but. pos
sessed as she was by one idea. she for
got 1t as soon as it had passed.
BY a strange psychosis which some
masculine minds cannot understand. Z
constance Medford was convinced that
II was Tom Morton's automobile which Z
lay, overturned beneath the shattered
bridge rail- moreover that Tom Morton
lay beside II. senseless perhaps dead
aer mead swan and her feet stumbled, Z
yet she kept right on, her breSth com
ing In heavy sob like gasps.
Uncertain just What TO Do.
uncle and his family might think or
40, OF what Tom might think could he 4
know all she was suffering for him. She E
only knew that she loved this man: 3
maj she was not ashamed to admit this /.
10 harself and that he was in danger, 4
peri APPS beyond all help Her feet be- .
gan 10 drag and catch on the stones OF f.
the road From the village behind her +
a clock struck 10. Once more she rail-
run.
Mr.. Hale was a man who did not /
oIten waver in a decision. yet he 4
wavered tonight And as he was a /
man he was not supposed to Weld 10
the proverbial feminine weakness OF !
changing his mind Yet tonight he did i
even THIS. As his man drove. at his 4
bidding, toward the ferry. John Hale i
abruptly cOuntermanded his orders OF 4
moment before What a fool he had \
been, he unused. not to have questioned !
the station agent about Constance in l
stead OF driving along the public road /
IN this way in search Of her Moreover
while this was the main carriage and /
automobile thOroughfare to the ferry.
the girl might have chosen a short cut i
II she had decided 10 take a boat to 1
the city. Yet why should she do this
when she could have gone so much ]
more quickly by train2 II she had be-
haved in such an ungrateful and wrong
Way, she deserved TO be talked about
Anxiety was telling on John Hale's tenn
per. and he spoke harshly.
Turn around" he ordered. Drive
back to the station. I will question
ing for"
No" the agent told him five min
utes later, Il haven't seen ANYBODY
from your home come in here this
evening"
"A pretty messT John Hale grumbled