The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1915-01-14

". ne was DeS1Oe nef, feenlnS OV01
her, his hand cropping at her throat
! a. little exclamation Of triumph as his
finger pads touched the necklace. II
was in his hands. and then the steel
spring uncoiled with tremendous sud
denness
Taken by surprise before the vicious
fury of the girls attack the butler
staggered back. Before he could re
cover she was upon him, driving him
toward the door. He lifted his hands
to fend his face, then stopped abruptly
as he staggered into his master, Just
entering the room.
Hugo Loubeque waited, watching the
furious girl and the ruffled butler curl
Ously. A smile curved bis lips as he
turned toward her.
You object to the draft. l presume.
l assure you it has no i'll effects and
will make the Journey one Of pleasure
instead Of weariness.' Then he whirl-
ed upon the butler, his face hard as
granite, his teeth clipping of each
word like steel particles.
"What are you doing here?"
II came to see If the draft had taken
|
"By what authority"
Asking your pardon, sir, but sug-
gested it and was afraid it might have
bad effect l grew to take an inter
est in Miss Lucille In Manila, sir, and
did not wish
LoubeQue frowned heavily, but cut
him short with an impatient wave of
his hand. Lucille felt sudden i'm
pulse to tell him the truth, but con-
quered it swiftly. She could fight
Thompson much easier than this man.
She must keep her own counsel. The
spy turned to her again
"You did not take the draft7'
| "Nov'
| Il assure you on my word as a gen.
tlenlan that It will cause you no incon-
venience. Further. hoped not to be
obliged to tell you that If you do not
take it willingly you will be compelled
to get it down."
She bent her head docilely Resist
ance was out Of the question, and, aft
er all, she must save her strength to
| fight the big things. After a moments
hesitation, shudder at the enticing
colors shed from the stun, she drained
! the glass.
Languor, comfort, peace. She gave
herself up to the drug with a prayer.
a prayer she felt so certain would be
| needed, that In her slumber a smile
parted her lips. played about her coun-
tenance. And when she ewoke she
was at Loubeque's Mexican ranch.
Low, rambling houses of spanis,,
architecture dotted the great area
| which the curiously fantastic, wholly
| artistic fence inclosed. The grounds
were laid out in orderly fashion. bloom
Ing like the garden of Eden with q
r1etous profusion Of flowers and plants
! This was a new Loubeque she met
| there. Always had she associated hir:,
with the manner of her knowing him
Times he had been tender. other time
he had been cruel. always was he Graf
ty, cunning, courageous, one idea.
man. But now he seemed all poet
painter. She could hear the softened
tones Of his voice as, with some of hi
companions, he wandered about the
grounds. tenderly explaining to them
the history, the beauty Of the flowers
the rare species he had imported TO.
the place.
It was after one Of these rambles
that she noticed signs OF some impend
ing change about the menage. One
morning he suddenly walked toward
her. entering the house to shortly en-
ter her ROOM
Il am leaving today" he began alb
ruptly. all the nature lover gone from
his cold, stern manner. again l ask
you to tell me where you put the pa
pers.''
"Then they haven't been found
She stopped abruptly, realizing tina,
her delight had revealed quite as much
as his demand
Il am sorry. Lucille, that you canno,
see the folly Of this. It is your las,
chance to tell me. 1t is your last
chance to count me a friend. am
waiting"
She did not answer. Their eyes met
and held, both filed with an unaltered
purpose. Then Loubeque, without a
word, left the room.
Nor did she see him again. That he
had gone she knew from the laxnass
about the household among his sery
ants. 1t gave her food for hope. She
must escape-she must. She must es-
cape before the iron grip of dreamy
languor about the place became un.
breakable
But always when she wandered
about she would encounter one Of Lon
oeque's aids, always masked. ALWAYS
casually surprised at coming upon her.
always urbane and polite, vet insistent
upon turning her in an opposite direc-
ton. It got upon her nerves to such
an extent that she finally took to the
mouse and remained there. Every room
was grated, and, though she knew they
were not here for the purpose, they
served It admirably.
Thompson seemed upon his master's
departure to have lost pofsa as
thoughts OF the ruby necklace his f1n-
gers had touched scared itself anon
his brain.
She recalled how he had served in
ner fathers house SO long with never
suspicion from any one that he was
other than the perfect butler with
thought outside Of his work. And then
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