The state herald., 1915-10-22

with Judge Ostrander. Mrs. Yardley-
keep house for him, myself and daugh
ter. His man is dead and he feels
very helpless. | hope that l 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-
tion. like the very sensible woman she
was, and Mrs. Scoville had the salts
faction of seeing the promise of real
| friendly support in the smile with
which Mrs. Yardley remarked:
It's good thing for you and
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
And you have daughter. you sayY
After Mrs. Yardley's departure
Mrs. Scoville, as she now expected
herself to be called, sat for long
time brooding. There was one thing
more to be accomplished. She set
about 1t that evening.
Yelled, but in black now, she went
into town. Getting down at the cor
ner of Colburn avenue and PER-,
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 sat
in close conversation with him. Then
she took n trolley car which carried
her into the suburbs. When she
alighted, II was unusually late for q
woman to be out alone; but she had
very little physical fear, and walked
on steadily enough for n block or two
till she came to corner. where nigh
fence loomed forbiddingly between hei
and a 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 ne
one, see no one. A lamp burned In
front OF Miss Weeks small house. but
the road II illumined, the one running
down to the ravine, showed only dark
ened houses.
She had left the corner and wa:
passing the gate OF the ostrandel
homestead, when she heard, cominl
from some distant point within, u low
and peculiar sound which held her i'm
royable for a moment, then sent he
on shuddering
Il was the sound OF hammering
Hearing this sound and locating I
where she did, she remembered. viii
quick inner disturbance. that tn,
judges house held secret; secre
OF such import TO its owner that thu
dying Bella had sought to preserve 1
at the cost OF his life.
oh. she had heard all about that
The gossip at Claymore inn had beei
great, and nothing had been spare,
her curiosity. There was something
IT this house which Il behooved th,
Judge TO secrete from sight yet mor'
completely before her own and Reu
TIERS entrance. and he was at worl
upon II now. hammerlng with his Owl
hand while other persons slept! NJ
wonder she edged her way along th'
fence with shrinking. yet persisten,
step She was circling her futur
home and that house held mystery
As she groped her way along. sh
had ample opportunity TO hear agaii
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.
Rattattat: rattattat She hate,
the sound even while she whispered Il
herself:
1t is Just some household matte
he is at work upon-rehanging pic
lures or putting up shelves. 1t can b,
nothing else"
I Yet on laying her ear to the fcnc,
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 Rcuther into
I wish I knew. ! wish knew"
tTo BE CONTiSUED)