The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1915-03-31

/
| sat In the deeply recessed window OF
bedchamber on the second floor OF
hotel situated In the heart Of Cali
fornia's orange-growing lands.
Behind her Seneca Urine sat, ap-
parently asleep, in wheeled invalid
chair.
There was no occupant of the room.
Though he had lain nearly two
days in coma, her fathers subsequent
progress toward recovery of his nor
NAL state had been rapid. Now, &C
cording to council of surgeons and
physicians who had been summoned
to deliberate on his case, he was in
fair way to round out the average
span of sound mans lifetime. He
had apparently suffered nothing in
consequence of his accident more
serious than prolonged unconscious
ness. For the last twenty-four hours
he had been in full possession of his
faculties and (for some reason impos-
sible to Judith to fathom) uncom-
monty cheerful.
From this circumstance she drew
a certain sense of mystified anxiety.
Twice in the course of the morning
she had caught his eye following her
with a CLEAN Of sardonic exultancy,
as though he nursed some secret of
extraordinary potentialities.
And yet (she argued) it was quite
impossible that he should have some
fresh scheme brewing for the assassin
alton of Alan. Not a soul had had any
sort Of communication with him since
his recovery but the attending sur
geon, a man of unimpeachable char
acter, meek-mannered trained nurse,
and herself, Judith. Under such cir
cumstances he simply could not have
set new conspiracy afoot.
And yet She was oppressed
by a great uneasiness.
Perhaps (she reasoned) the wealth.
er was responsible for this feeling, in
some measure at least. The day had
been unconscionably hot, day with
out a breath of air. Now, as it drew
toward its close, its heat seemed to be-
come more and more oppressive even
as it's light was darkened by a por-
tentous phenom enon-a vast pail OF
inky cloud shouldering up over the
mountains to the ausic of distant rum.
blings.
Nor was this all; considerable de.
gree of restlessness was surely par.
donable in one who, from her window
watched a carriage-drive populous
with vehicles (for the most part mo-
tor cars) bringing to the hotel gayly
dressed men and women, the guests
invited to the wedding of Rose Trine
and Alan Law.
Within anC ther ten minutes the
man Judith loved with all her body
and soul would be the husband of her
sister.
She had told herself she was re-
signed but she was not, and she
would never be. Her heart was break
ing in her bosom as she sat there,
watching, waiting, listening to the
ever heavier detonations of the ap-
preaching thunderstorm and to the
jubilant pealing of a great organ down
The had told herself that, though
resigned, she could not bear to wit
ness the ceremony Now as the mo-
ment drew near when the marriage
would be a thing finished, fixed,
irretrievable, she found herself un.
able to endure the strain alone.
Slowly, against her will, she rose
and stole across the floor to her ia,
| theirs chair.
His breathing was slow and regu'
! lar; beyond doubt he slept; unques-
| tionably there was no reason why she
| should not leave him for ten minutes;
even though he walked it could not
| harm him to await her return at the
end of that scant period.
| Like a guilty thing, on feet as noise
less as any sneak thief's, she crept
| from the room, closed the door 81
lently, ran down the hall and de-
scended by back way, little-usec
staircase, to the lower hall, approach
ing the scene of the marriage.
Constructed in imitation of an ole
Spanish mission chapel, it contained
one of the finest organs in the world;
at this close range it's deep-throate6
tones We'd with the warnings of the
storm. Judith lurking in passage
way whose open door revealed the
altar steps and chancel, was shaker
to the very marrow of her being by
the majestic reverberations Of thu
music.
Since they had regafned contac
with civilization in section of TIT
country where the Law estate hat
vast holdings of land, the chapel wa'
thronged with men and women wht
had known Alans father and wished
to honor his son.
Above stairs, in the room judith
had quilted Seneca Urine openet
both eyes wide and laughed silen
laugh of savage triumph when thu
door closed behind his daughter.
At last he was left to his own de
vices-and at time the most fitting
imaginable for what he had in mind
| With a Urin Copona Trina raise