, 1915-10-14

and softly turning the KNOB, pueneu
the door noiselessly open and entered.
A moment she stood listening to the
low regular breathing Of the sleeper.
The reading-lamp shed a shaded glow
on the pillow with its s~pread-out sill
yer hair, and On the delicate hands
clasped loosely on the coverlet- Shfr-
Iey cafe close and looked DOWN on
the placid face. 1t was smooth as a
ch,ld's and a smile touched 1t lightly
as IL some pleasant sleep-thought had
lust laid rosy fingers on the dreaming
lips. The light caught and sparkled
from something bright that lay be-
tween her mothers hands. 1t was the
enamel brooch that held her own baby
curl, and she saw suddenly h a what
she had all her life thought was a
solid pendant, was now open locket-
wise and that the two halves clasped
a miniature. It came to her at once
that the picture must be S~assoon's,
and a quick thrill of pity and yearn-
ing weIled up through her WI dejec-
ton. STOPPING, she looked at It close
ly. She started az she did SO, for the
face on the little disk Of ivory was
that of John Valiant.
An instant she stared unbelievingiy.
Then recollection of the resemblance
of which Valiant had told her rushed
to her, and she realized that 1t must
be the picture of his father. The fact
shocked and confounded her. Why
should her mother carry in secret the
miniature of the man who had
killed
Shirleye breath stopped. She felt
her face tingling and a curious weak
ness came on her limbs. Why, indeed.
unless-and the thought was like a
wild prayer in her mind-she had
been mistaken in her surmisef
Thoughts came thronging in panic
haste: the fourteenth of May and the
cape observation-disclosures might point
no less to Valiant than to Saseoon.
But her mothers fainting at the sight
of the son-the eager interest she had
displayed in Shirley's accounts Of him,
from the episode OF the rose and the
bulldog to the tournament ball
seemed now to stand out In a new
light, throbbing and roseate- Could
it be? Had she been stumbling along
a blind trail, misled by the cunning
d%ovetailing Of circumstance Her
heart was beating s%tifiingly. II she
should be mistaken now! She dashed
her hand across her eyes as though to
compel their clearness, and looked
again.
1t was Beauty valiant's lace that
lay in the locket, and that could mean
blu one thing: 1t was he, not Sassoon.
whom her mother loved!
The lamplight seemed to grow and
spread to an unbearable radiance.
Shirley thought she cried out with a
sudden sweet wtldness, but she had
not moved or uttered a sound. The
Illumination was all about her, like
a splendid cloud. The impossible had
happened. The miracle for which she
Historically prayed had been wrought
When she blew u the light, the
shining still remained. That glowing
knowledge, like a vitalizing and phys
ical presence, passed with her through
the hall to her room. AS she stood in
the elfsh light of her one candle, the
poignancy of her joy was as sharp az
her past pain. Later was to come the
wonder how that tragedy had bent
Beauty Valiant's life to exile and her
mothers to unfulfllment. and in time
she was to know these things. too.
But now the n great knowledge blot
ted out all else. She need etarve her
fancy no longer! The hours with her
lover might again sweep across her
memory undenied. She felt his arms,
his kisses, heard his whispers against
her cheek and s,nelleS the perfume of
Madonna lilies.
She drew the curtain and opened
the window noiselessly to the light.
only a few hours g she had been
singing to her harp in what wretched-
ness! She laughed softly t. herself.
The quiet night was full of his voice: J
Il love you! ! want nothing but you'll"
How her pitiful error had tortured
and wrung them both! But tomorrow
he too, would know that all was well.
A clear sound chimed across the
distance-the bell Of the courthouse
clock, striking midnight. onel i
W How often lately It had
run discordantly across her mood;
now 1t seemed a CLAIMANT watcher,
tolling Joy. Threel -Four!
Fivei Perhaps he was
eleepless, listening, too. Was he in
the old library, thinking of her?
Six! Seveni . Eight
$50. Ninel II she could only
send her message to him on the bellsl
Ten! . It swelled more loudly
now, more deliberate. ElevenI
Another day was almost o
Twelve! . Joy cometh in the
morning"-ran the whisper across her
thought. 1t was morning now.
Thirteenl
She caught a sharp breath. Her
ear had not deceived her-the vibra-