Middletown transcript., 1915-02-20

over this letter Deborah ScoVille sat
for two hours, then she rang for Mrs.
Yardley.
The maid who answered her sum-
mons surveyed her in amazement. 1t
was the first time that she had seen
her uncovered face.
Mrs. Yardley was not long in COM
ing up.
MRS. Averill-" she began, in q
kind of fluster. as she met her strange
guests quiet eye.
But she got no further. That guest
had a correction to make.
my name is not Averill," she pro-
tested. "You must excuse the tenn
porary deception. 1t is Scoville. l
once Occupied your present position in
this house."
Mrs. Yardley had heard all about the
Scovilles; and, while flush rose to
her cheeks, her eyes snapped with
sudden interest.
"Ah!" came in quick exclamation.
followed, however. by an apologetic
cough and the somewhat forced and
conventional remark: You find the
place changed, no doubt?"
VERY much so, and for the better.
Mrs. Yardley." Then, with straight
forward meeting Of the others eye.
she quietly added, "I am going to live
with Judge Ostrander, Mrs. Yardley-
keep house for him, myself and daugh-
ter. His man is dead and he feels
very helpless. hope that shall be
able to make him comfortable"
Mrs. Yardley's face was 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:
ITS 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'a
benefactor. Good luck to you, madam.
And you have a daughter, you say?"
After Mrs. Yardley's departure
Mrs. Scoville, as she now expected
herself to be called, sat for long
time hrooding. There was one thing
mora to be accomplished. She set
about It that evening.
Yelled, but in black now, she went
into town. Getting down at the cor
ner CT Colburn avenue and Perry
street, she walked short distance on
Perry, then rang the bell of an at
tractive-looking house of moderate di
mensions. Being admitted, she asked
to see Mr.. Black, and for an hour sal
in close conversation with him. Then
she took a trolley car which carried
her into the suburbs. When she
alighted, it was unusually late for 8
woman to be out alone; but she hac
very little physical fear, and walked
on steadily enough for a block or two
till she came to a corner, where high
fence loomed forbiddingly between hel
and q house so dark that 1t was i'm
possible to distinguish between iti
chimneys and the encompassing trees
Was she quite alone in the seem
ingly quiet street? She could hear M
one, see no one. A lamp buIued IL
front Of Miss Weeks small house, bu
the road it illumined, the one ruhnini
down to the ravine, showed only dark
ened houses.
She had left the corner and wal
passing the gate of the Ostrandel
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.
It was the sound of hammering.
Hearing this sound and locating 4
where she did, she remembered. will
quick inner disturbance, that the
judges house held a secret; a secre
of such import to its owner that thu
dying Bella had sought to preserve i
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 thu
Judge to secrete from sight yet mor'
completely before her own and Reu
theirs entrance, and he was at worl
upon it now, hammering with his owl
hand while other persons slept! M
wonder she edged her way along thu
fence with a shrinking, yet persistent
step. She was circling her futur'
home and that house held a mystery
AS she groped her way along, sh,
had ample opportunity to hear agail
the intermittent sounds of the ham
mer, and to note that they reached
their maximum at a point where tn,
ell of the judges study approached tn,
fences.
Rat-tat-tat; rat-tat-tat She hate
the sound even while she whispered t,
herself:
1T is just some household matte
he is at work upon-rehanging pic
lures or putting up shelves. 1t can b.
nothing else"
Yet on laying her ear to the fenc
she felt her sinister fears return
and, with shrinking glances into
darkness which told her nothing, sh
added in fearful murmur to herself:
What am l taking Reuther into
l wish knew. wish l knew"
CTO BE CONTINUED.)