The Dickson County herald. (Dickson, Tenn.) 1907-1979, 1915-06-18

vita 3adge 0strMn0@f, AIRS fafplcy-~
keep house Cor ksK. myself and aarsh-
Ter. Hla man IL dead and he fseis
very nelplssA hope that shall be
ahiN 10 mako him comfortable
Mrs Yardieys sace was study. In
~ be- !s. ..ss BE aaG asxss hAAsa nawA
that surprised her more In another
memsn, she had accepted tAa sitdar
ton. Hike tbs very sensible womAn she
was. aud Mrs. Scoyiils had the salts.
faction Of seeing the promise Of real
friendly support In the smile with
which Mrs. Yardley remarked:
Its c good thing for you and =
ver- good thing for the iudge. II may
shake him out OF bis habit Of seclA
sion. II IL does, yea will be the cttys
benefactof Good luck 10 you. madam
And you have q daughter. you sayf
After Mira. Yardley's departure
Mrs. scovills. as she now expected
hersalf TO be called. sat for o long
time brooding. There Was cue thing
more 20 be accomplished. She ses
about II that evening.
Yelled. but IN black nov. she went
into town. Getting down At the cor
ner Of colhurn avenue and Perry
street. she wsiked q. snort distance -
Perry, then rang the bell Of an At
tractive-looking house OF moderate d.
mensions Being admitted. she asked
to see Mr. Black. and for an honr sat
in close conversation with him. Then
she took trolley car which carried
her into the suburbs. When she
ahghted, II was unusually hate for a
woman to be out alone. but she had
very little physical fear. and walked
on steadily enough for block or two
till she came to corner. where high
fence doomed forbiddingly between her
and a house so dark that II WAS I'M.
possible to distinguish between Its
ohimneys and the encompassing trees.
Was she quite alone In the seem.
iugiy quiet street! She could hear no
one, see no one. A lamp burned In
front Of Miss Weeks small house, but
the road II illumined, the one running
down to the ravtne, showed only dark.
ened houses.
She had left the corner and was
passing the gate OF the ostrander
homestead. when she heard, coming
from some distant point within. a low
and peculiar sound which held her inn
movable for a moment, then sent 10:
on shuddering.
II was the sound of hammering.
Hearing this sound and locating II
where she did. she remembered, with
a quick inner disturbance, that the
judges house held secret: n secret
of such import to Its owner that the
dying Bella had sought TO preserve II
Mt the cost of his life.
oh. she had heard all about that!
The gossip at Ciaymore inn had been
great, and nothing had been spared
her curiosity There was something
In this house which II behooyed the
Judge TO secrete from sight yet more
completely before her own and Reu-
Tiers entrance, and he was At work
upon !. now. hammering with his own
hand while other persons slept No
wonder she edged her way along the
fence with a shrinking, yet persistent,
step. She was cire1ing her future
home and that house held a mystery.
As she CROPPED her way along. sac
had ample opportunity TO hear again
the intermittent sounds at the ham
mer. and TO note that they reached
their maximum at q point where tho
ell Of the judges study approached tho
fences,
Rat-tat.tat: rattattat. She hated
the sound even while she whispered to
herself:
1T IN just some household meiter
he Is at work rehanging pic-
lures or putting up shelves. II can DO
nothing else"
Yet on laying her ear1to the fepcs
she felt her sinister fears return:
and, with shrinking slances into
darkness which told her nothing. She
added In fearful murmur TO herself
What am | taking Reuther into'
VISA ! knew. wish | knew"
ITO RE I,,f<TINTEDJ