The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-08-14
By ROY" L.. Me CARDELL
/, l.. McCordeU

II will make no bargain with this
woman even to save Blair from the
gallows," was her grim thought Mel
Their she nor the strange girl who was
Or. Lees ward and whom she now
mothers at Stanley hall shall have so.
cial countenance from me-"
But as she assembled the stairs Ia
make known her resolve she heard the
slam of a door and the sound Of hur'
rying feet from the living room to the
chambers at the back of the house.
She opened the door from the stair
landing to the living room. The cen.
ter table was overturned. and there
were other signs of struggle, but the
room was empty.
Then mufiled groan. a low moan of
pain. fell upon the ears OF Blnir's moth
or. ,r1c sounu cuIne from near the
floor, behind the fireplace.
Mrs. Stanley pressed the spring, and
the wall with the fireplace turned out,
and there In the semidarkness of the
'Tory's hiding place" lay the uncon-
scious figure of Hagar. 1t was man
Vivian Marston lSsI brought to the
house after the tournament In mockery
Of Blair.
The form of Hagar lay half reclining
against the rlfled family strong box.
Mrs. Stanley picked up the key of the
handouts, lying near, and unfasteneI
the manacles on the wrists of the
dazed and unresi;ilng Hdgar.
Then the judges widow realized that
here was the elimination of the wick
ed deeds of the son she had incucated
with a lawless desire for things that
were not his.
She raised Hagar, dragged her out
Into the room aud closed the hiding
place. She was not surprised TO note
that the photographs of the thumb
prints were gone. She revived Hagar
and regarded her stricken visitor, pre-
pared for a harsh defiance with no
thought Of compromise.
But the whole expression of Hagar
had softened to pathetic, cowed wist-
fulness. Her face seemed younger, her
eyes moist and pleading.
She turned to Mrs. Stanley with out
stretched arms and murmured, Give
me my child!' And then Blair's moth
er saw that the blow her son had dealt
the strange visitor had deprived her Of
all realization of the present
The stricken brain of Hagar Hard
Ing was cognizant of no recent hap.
tai L., OF
But the judges widow was not aware
that the disordered intellect of the wo
man before her dwelt only on the great
tragedy of Hagar Harding's life, the
| sale of her son to be foisted as the
male heir to the earldom and the dia.
years ago.
Mrs. Stanley had no suspicion of the
import of Hagar's words, but she real.
lied the crazed woman was no menace
| to either herself or her son, and she
| led her downstairs and to the door,
where she set her on her way to Stan
ley hall.
| At Stanley hall In the gathering twi-
light Esther waited for Hagar. 1t was
sad homecoming. The duh eyes of
Hagar cleaned with recognition Of the
portals of Stanley hall. But the face
Of Esther, the gentle, loving Esther,
was the face Of a stranger to her.
Alarmed and weeping, Esther led the
moaning woman she deemed to be her
mother up the broad steps and into
the wide hallway of Stanley han.
Here fierce, wild change came over
Hagar. She sprang TO the door OF the
library and threw 1t open.
"See, he is in here" she cried. "They
have him in there, the child they stole
and sold from me. See the diamond
that blazes on his little breastl Take
off the diamond! There is n curse on
II for all our racel Take Off the fine
raiment! Give him back his rags! He
Is my sonp'
AS II had been with Blair Stanley's
austere mother, the wistful Esther
sensed no importance IN the wild
pleadings OF Hagar
Now, too, even the craZed mind OF
Hagar seemed to realize the library
was empty and unoccupied, for she
gave wild cry and fell sobbing OF
the breast Of Esther,
Summoning the servants, Esther had
Hagar carried 20 her chamber, The
blow Blair Stanley had dealt Hagal
With the heavy poker had made no cut
or external wound She was soon IL
fevered sleep and Esther was forced
to leave her bedside at urgent sum
mons from below
There she found Luke Lowell, head
man for H0gar here rs we'll as at tn,
gypsy camp, hidden IN the mountains
Z twenty miles away,
SuspiclouinS that Hagar was III botl
of mind and body, Lowell had already
usurpcd authority, Even now he wal
ordering the wandering hunchback or
d gan grinder from the place.
But II Quabba was frail he was cour