Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1914-07-16


And yet there was something in Sara
that could crowd this adored one, this
perfect one out Of his thoughts for the
| time being. He found it difficult to
concentrate his thoughts on Hetty
Castleton.
How white and i'll Sara had looked
when she said good night to him at
the door! The memory of her dark,
mysterious eyes haunted him; he
could see them in the night about him.
| They had been full of pain; there were
| torrents of tears behind them. They
had glistened as If FURNISHED by the
fires of fever.
| Even as he wrote his long, trium-
plant letter to Hetty Castleton, the
| picture of Sara Wrandall encroached
| upon his mental vision He could not
drive it out. He thought of her as
she had appeared to him early in the
| spring; through all the varying stages
of their growing intimacy; through the
interesting days when he vainly tried
to translate her matchless beauty by
means of wretched pigments; up to
this present hour in which she was
revealed, and yet not revealed, to him.
Her vivid face was always before him.
between his eyes and the thin, white
paper on which he scrubbed so eager
ly. Her feverish eyes were looking
into his; she was reading what he
! wrote before it appeared on the sur
face Of the sheet!
His letter to Hetty was a triumph
of skill and diplomacy, achieved after
many attempts. He found it hard not
to say too much, and quite as difficult
not to say too little. He spent hours
over this all-important missivc. At
last 1t was finished He read and re-
read it, searching for the slightest
flaw: a fatal word or suggestion that
might create in her mind the slightest
doubt as to his sincerity. She was
sure to read this letter a great many
times, and always with the view to
finding something between the lines:
such as pity, resignation, an enforced
conception of loyalty, or even faith!
He meant that she should find moth
ing there but love. 1t was full of ten
derness, full of hope, full of promise.
He was coming to her with a stead
fast, enduring love in his heart, he
wanted her now more than ever before.
There was no mention of Challis
Wrandall and but once was Sara's
name used. There was nothing in
( the letter that could have betrayed
their joint secret to the most acute
outsider, and yet she would under
> stand that he had wrung everything
from Saras lips. Her secret was his.
He decided that it would not be safe
to anticipate the letter by a cable
gram. 1t was not likely that any mes
sage he could send would have the
desired effect Ingtead of reassuring
her, in all probability it would create
fresh alarm
Sleep did not come to him until after
three o'clock. Az two he got up and
deliberately added o postscript to the
letter he had written. 1t was in the
nature of poignant plea for Sara
Wrandall. Even as he penned these
lines, he shuddered at the thought of
ghat she had planned to do to Hetty
Castleton. Staring hard at the black
window before him, the pen still in
his hand, he allowed his thoughts to
dwell SO intimately on the subject of
bis well-meant postscript that her
ashen face with it's burning eyes
seemed to take shape In the night
beyond. 1t was long time before
he could get rid of the illusion. After
wards he tried to conjure up Hetty's
face and to drive out the likeness Of
the other woman, and found that he
could not recall single feature in the
| face of the girl he loved!
When he reached Southlook in the
morning, he found that nearly all of
the doors and windows were boarded
up. Wagons were standing in the
stable yard. laden with trunks and
! crates. Servants without livery we're
scurrying about the halls. There was
an air of finality about their move
| ments.
Yes, sir" said Watson, in reply
to his question. I'VE are in a rush.
| Mrs. Wrandall expects to close the
'ouse this evening, sir We all go UP
this afternoon. suppose you know,
sir, we ave taken new apartment
in town"
mol" exclaimed Booth.
Yes, sir, we ave, sir. They've
been decorating it for the pawst two
weeks. Seems like she didn't care for
| the old one we 'ad AS matter of
fact, l didn't care much for 1t, either.
She's taken one Of them Inexpensive
ones looking out over the park, sir.
You know we used to look out over
Madison avenue, sir, and God knows
It wasn't hinspirin'. Yes, sir, we go
UP this afternoon. Mrs. Wrandall
will be down in a second, thank you.
SIR"
Booth actually was startled by her
appearance when she entered the
room few minutes later. She looked
positively Ill.
My dear Sara" he cried anxiously,
0fhia Ia t00 had VIZ, oro ..~olxs.x.