Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-06-13
CHAPTER XXXIII.
At the Wishing Well.

I OW, rambling houses of Spanish architecture
dotted the great area which the curiousy fan
tastlc, wholly artistic fence enclosed The
grounds were laid out in orderly fashion, bloom
ing like the Garden of Eden with rIotous pro-
fusion of flowers that rested their heavy per-
fumes lazily upon the ether, blending and har-
monizing yet never coying and never oppressive,
Monstrous cact, tiny hedgerows, minute sword
palms. bayonet trees, everything seemed to have
sought this soil. Never a suggestion of the lack
of originality which the landscape gardner gives
an estate, but showing decided character that
would have told the most undscernng something
of the owners character
This Loubeque Always had she asso-
cated him with the manner of her knowing him.
Times he had been tender, other times he had
been cruel always was he crafty, cunning cour-
ageous, one-ideal man. But now he seemed all
poet, painter. She could hear the softened tones
of his voice as, with some of his companions, he
wandered about the grounds, tenderly explain
ing to them the history, the beauty of the flow
ers, the rare species he had imported for the
place Always would he show tender regard
for the beauty of Nature which struck Lucille
as almost feminine. She feared this man more
than she did the one of the diary feared him
because she was learning that the warm climate
was sapping her of her purpose, forcing lethargy
upon her more powerful than bands of iron.
1t was after one of these rambles that she
noticed signs of some impending change about
the menage. 1t was while she watched the spy
wandering about the gardens of morning, won
dering at the tenderness with which he would
bend to the fowers inhaling the fragrance,
amnlng their buds and blossoms, that he sud-
denly walked toward her. entering the house to
shortly enter her room.
81 am leaving today" he began abruptly, all
the nature-lover gone from his cold stern man
per Again ask you to tell me where you put
the papers" 49,.
stopped abruptly, realizing that her delight had
revealed quite much as his demand
Loubeque shook his head, studying her face
keenly evidently recognizing the steel of an un-
breakable nature. He held out his hand and
sclasped her own, his eyes steadily fastened upon
her face
Il am sorry, Lucille, that you cannot see the
folly of this. 1t is your last chance to tell me-
1t is your last chance to count friend. I
waiting"
She did not answer. Their eyes met and
held, both filled with unaltered purpose Then
Loubeque, without word left the room.
Nor did she see him again. That he had
gone she knew from the laxness about the
household among his servants. 1t gave her food
for hope She must escape, She must. She must
escape before the iron grip of dreamy languor
about the place became unbreakable.
She had to fight against losing thought of
everything in this bower of content. Human
emotions seemed far away from the spiritual
ones which reached out and grasped at her with
greedy fingers. She could close her eyes and
iulled by the intoxicating perfumes wander off
into day dreams of fancy rarer even than those
which had come to her maiden soul in the hours
when her sweetheart by her side and per-
rect happiness dwelt in her heart and shadows
dared not intrude
But always when she wandered thus, always
when her feet moved with her spirit, she would
encounter one of Loubeque's aides alwavs
masked, always casually surprised at coming
upon her, always urbane and polite yet insistent
upon turning her in opposite direction. The
surveillance was Of such a nature as never to be
obTus1ve and never to be out of her mind It
seemed SO incongruous in this place. Just as the
appearance of a horde of wild beasts might have
appeared incongruous.
1t got upon her to such an extent
that she finally took to the house and remained
there. She felt the prison atmosphere here and
there was no such startling contrast between the
dream and the reality to bring her from out the
clouds of her dream spirit. Every room was
grated and, though she knew they were not here
dor the purpose, they served it admirably.