The Idaho Springs siftings-news. (Idaho Springs, Colo.) 1905-19??, 1915-08-21

with Judge Ostrander, Mrs Yardley-
Keep house for him, myself and daugh-
ter His man is dead and he feels
very helpless. l hope that l shall be
able to make him comfortable"
Mrs. fardleys face was a study. In
all her life she had never heard news
that surprised her more. In another
moment she had accepted the situa-
ton, like the very sensible woman she
was. and Mrs. Scoville had the satis-
faction of seeing the promise of real
friendly support in the smile with
which Mrs. Yardley remarked
It's a good thing for you and a
very good thing for the Judge 1t may
shake him out of his habit OF seclu,
sion. If it does, you will be the city's
benefactor Good luck to you. madam.
And you have daughter. you say?'
After Mrs. Yardley's departure
Mrs. Scoville. as she now expected
herself to be called, sat for a long
time brooding. There was one thing
more to be accomplished. She set
about it that evening.
Yelled but in black now. she went
into town. Getting down at the cor
| ner of Colburn avenue and Perry
street, she walked a short distance on
| Perry. then rang the bell of an at
| notwithstanding house of moderate dl'
mansions. Being admitted, she asked
| to see Mr.. Black, and for an hour sat
in close conversation with him. Then
| she took trolley car which carried
| her into the suburbs. When she
alighted, it was unusually late 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 house so dark that it was i'm
possible to distinguish between Its
chimneys and the encompassing trees
| Was she quite alone in the seem.
ingly quiet street? She could hear nc
one. see no one. A lamp burned In
front of Miss Weeks small house, but
the road 1t illumined, the one running
down to the ravine. showed only dark
ened houses.
She had left the corner and was
| passing the gate Of the Ostrandei
homestead, when she heard. coming
from some distant point within. low
and peculiar sound which held her i'm
movable for a moment, then sent hel
on shuddering.
| 1t was the sound Of hammering.
| Hearing this sound and locating i
where she did. she remembered. will
a quick inner disturbance, that thu
| judges house held a secret; secre
Of such import to its owner that the
dying Bella had sought to preserve il
at the cost of his life.
Oh, she had heard all about that!
The gossip at Claymore inn had beer
great, and nothing had been spared
her curiosity. There was something
| in this house which it behooved the
Judge to secrete from sight yet more
completely before her own and Reu
| Tiers entrance, and he was at worl
| upon it now, hammering with his owl
hand while other persons slept! NJ
wonder she edged her way along the
fence with a shrinking, yet persistent
step She was circling her future
home and that house held a mystery
As she CROPPED her way along, she
had ample opportunity to hear agatr
| the intermittent sounds of the ham
| mer, and to note that they reached
/ their maximum at point where the
| ell of the judges study approached the
fences.
Rat-tat-tat; rat-tat-tat She hated
the sound even while she whispered t.
herself:
ut is just some household matter
he is at work upon-rehanging pic
lures or putting up shelves. 1t can he
| nothing else"
Yet on laying her ear to the fence
sine felt her sinister fears return;
and, with shrinking glances into 8
darkness which told her nothing, she
added in fearful murmur to herself:
what am | taking Reuther into:
l wish | knew l wish l knew"
ITO az CONTINJJED1