The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1915-05-21

any nearer right than we hal been
many times before: but for somtrea-
sou found II harder to pardon hin.
For the first time In our long ac-
quaintance. let Algernon Etheridge
leave me, without any attempt at con-
ciliation
II only ! had halted there, II, at
sight Of my empty study. | had not
conceived the mad notion of waylaying
him at the bridge for the hand-shake
! missed. might have been happy
man now. and Oliyer-But why dwell
upon these northumberland What
happened was this:
Disturbed in mind. and finding my
self alone in the house, Oliver having
evidently gone out while we two were
disputfng. | decided to follow out the
impulse ! have mentioned. Leaving
by the rear. went down the lane to
the path which serves as short cut
TO the bridge.
That ! did this unseen by anybody
10 not so strange when you consider
the hour. and how the only person
then living in the lane was, In all
probability, In her kitchen II would
have been better for me. little as
might have recognized 1t at the time,
had she been where she could have
witnessed both my going and coming
and faced me with the fact
John Scoyille, in his statement, says
that after giving up his search for his
little girl he wandered up the rayine
before taking the path back which led
him through Dark Hollow. This was
false. as we'll as the story he told Of
leaving his stick by the chestnut tree
in the gully at foot Of Ostrander lane
For | was on the spot, and | know
the route by which he reached Dark
Hollow and also through whose agency
the stick came to be there.
Read and learn with what tricks the
devil beguiles us men
! was descending this path, heavily
Swallowed, as you know, by skirting
of closely growing trees and bushes,
when Just rhere 1t dips into the Hol-
low, heard the sound of hasty foot
CONS crashing up through the under
brush from the .yavine and cross the
path AHEAD of me. A turn in the path
preventea me froE1 seeing the man
himself Bat as you will perceive and
as | perceived later when circum-
stances recalled 1t to nay mind. had
no need to see him to know who it .
was or with what intent he took this 1
method of escape from the ravfne into 4
the fields leading to the highway. SEQ
ville's stick spoke for him, the stick
which | presently tripped over and
picked up, without a
thought Of the desperate use to which
was destined to put it.
Etheridge was coming. could hear
his whistle on Factory road. There
was no mistaking il. II was unusually
shrill one and had always been a
cause OF Irritation to me, but at this
moment it was more; 1t reused every
impulse within me. He
whistling like a galliard. after a part Z
ing which had dissatisfied me to such
an extent that had come all this dis
lance to ask his pardon and see his
Did smile again! Afterward, long aft
srward. | was able to give another
to his show of apparent
dissatisfaction, but then | saw moth
ng but the contrast 1t offered to my
own tender regrets. and my blood be-
gan to boil and my temper rise to such
l point that recrimination took the
place OF apology when in another mo-
nent we came together in the open
space between the end OF the bridge
md Dark Hollow
CTo BE CoNTINUED.)