The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1915-02-26

with Judge Ostrander. Mrs. Yardley-
keep house for him, myself and daugh-
ter. His man is dead and ne leeis
very helpless. hope that ! shall DO
able to make him comfortable
Mrs. Yardleys face was study III
all her life she had never heard news
that surprised her more. In announcer
moment she had accepted the situa'
ton. like the very sensible woman sue
was. and Mrs. Scoville had the satls'
faction of seeing the promise OF reai
friendly support in the smile WIN
which Mrs. Yardley remarked:
ats a good thing for you ana
very good thing for the judge. 1t may
shake him out of his habit oil seciu'
sion. If il does. you will be the city
benefactor. Good luck to you, madam'
And you have a daughter, you say
After Mrs. Yardley's departure
Mrs. Scoyille, as she now expected
herself to be called, sat for long
time broodlng. There was one thing
more to be accomplished. she SCI
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 Oh
Perry, then rang the bell OF an at
tractiye-looking house of moderate di
mensions. Being admitted, she asked
to see Mr.. Black. and for an hour sat
| 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 q
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 a corner where high
fence loomed forbiddingly between hei
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 it 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, a 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
quick inner disturbance, that tn,
judges house held secret; secre
of such import to it's 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 the
judge to secrete from sight yet more
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 the
fence with shrinking yet persistent
step. She was circling her futur,
home and that house held mystery
AS she CROPPED her way along, sht
had ample opportunity to hear again
the intermittent sounds of the ham
mer, and to note that they reached
their maximum at point where tn,
ell of the judges study approached til,
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 | taking Reuther into
| wish knew. l wish l knew"
(TO BE CONTINIJED1