Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1915-02-17
CHAPTER XIV.
The Anniversary.

The story was not a long one>
though it omitted nothing: the morn
ing fox-hunt and the Identification OF
the new arrival at Damory Court as
the owner of yesterdays stalled mo-
tor; the afternoon raid on the jessa-
mine, the conversation with John Va
liant in the woods.
Mrs. cambridge, gazing into the fire,
listened without comment, but more
than once Shirley saw her hands clasp
themselves together and thought, too.
that she seemed strangely pale. The
swift and tragic sequel to that meet
ing was the hardest to tell, and as she
ended she put Up her hand to her
shoulder, holding it hard. 1T was
aolri6le!" she said. Yet now she did
Rot sIldder. Strangely enough, the
sense q IOathing which had been
s4rging over her at recurrent inter
walls ever since that hour In the wood,
had vanished utterly
She read the newspaper article
aloud ana her mother listened with an
expression that puzzled her. When
she finished, beth were silent for a
moment. th9n she asked, You must
have known his father, dearest; didn't
you?"
Yes said Mrs. cambridge after a
pause. 'I-knew his father"
Shirley said no more, and facing
each other in the candle-glow, across
the spotless damask, they talked, as
with common consent, of other things.
She thought she had never seen her
mother more brilliant. An odd excite
ment was flooding her cheek with red
and she chatted and laughed as she
had not done for years.
But after dinner the gaiety and eff
fervescence faded quickly and Mrs.
cambridge went early to her room.
She mounted the stair with her arm
thrown about Shirley's plant waist.
At her door she kissed her, looking at
her with a strange smile. How GU
rious," she said, as if to herself, that
it should have happened today!"
The reading-lamp had been Lighted
on her table. She drew a slim gold
chain from the bosom of her dress
and held to the light little Iocket-
brooch it carried. 1t was of black en-
amel, with a tiny laurel-wreath Of
pearls on one side encircling a single
diamond. The other side was of crys-
tai and covered a baby's russet-coI-
ored curl. In her fingers it opened
and disclosed a miniature at which
she looked closely for a moment.
Her eyes turned restlessly about the
hoH irI TO-
Rosewood had been the old Garland
homestead. 1t seemed now all at once
to be full of calling memories of her
you'll.
How strange that it should have
been today!" 1t had been on Shirley'ss
lips to question, but the door had
closed, and she went slowly down.
stairs. She sat a while thinking, but.
at length grew restless and began to-
walk to and fro across the floor, her
hands clasped behind her head so that
the cool air filed her flowing sleeves.
In the hall she could hear the leisure,
ly kon-kon-kon-kon of the tall clock,
The evening outside was exquisitely
still and the metallic monotone was
threaded with the airy f1ddle-fNdle of
crickets in the grass and punctuated
with the rain-glad cloap Of a frog.
Shirley stepped lightly down to the.
wet grass. Looking back, she could
see her mothers lighted blind. All
around the ground was splotched with
rose-petals, looking in the squares Of
light like bloody rain. She skinned
the lawn and ran a little way down.
the lane. A shuffling sound presently
fell on her ear.
us that you, Unc' Jefferson?" She
called softly.
"Yas'm!" The footsteps came near,
or. "Et's me. Miss Shirley" He tit-r
tered noiselessly, and she could see
his bent form vibrating in the gloom.
"Yo' reck'n All done fergit?'
mo, indeed. l knew you wouldn't
do that How is he?"
He right much bettah,' he replied
in the same guarded tone. "Doctahz
he say he be all right in er few days.
on'y he gotter lay up er while. Dat
was er ugly nip he got fom dat 'spis~
able reptile"
DO you think there can be any
others about the grounds?"
CTO BE CONTINUED)