Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-11-10

angel would have spoken with the voice
OF conscience. An angel would have
been hardly more surprising than the
look of Gloria ION the stairway of the
barge.
Trask had no idea of GIoria's identity.
He could not imagine who she was,
whence she had come. or why she ac-
cused him. He stood transfixed a mo-
ment. then moved toward her with men
ace. Gloria retreated up the steps. out
he leaped at her and dragged her down
and seized her by the throat. as he had
seized Frenau
Gloria tried scream. but she
could not make sound. Nell
attempted 20 restrain her father.
tut he turned on her with terror and
wrath: IF she gets away. 1 go to the
chair
He might have throttled her then and
there. but there was a jolt. the barge
shook as the towline dragged il away,
and down the hatchway came the voice
of Trasks helper. jed.
Trask hurled Gloria against the way
and warned her that if she made a sound
il would be her last. He would wiring
her neck and throw her into the river.
Gloria covered I'm utter dread of him
and remembered the fate of her poor
lover. whose body the same stream had
received and kept for days.
When Trask stamped up the cabin
stairs and banged the hatchway down
Gloria studied the girl. She had been
beautiful. and still was pretty, but too
sad. Just now she was too angry. Nell
had been fighting against her father till
this unknown woman appeared from no
where. Now Nell was all for her father
against the world.
Gloria spoke to her, questioned her
Nal1 a
all. only In grumbling monosyllables.
Gloria tried to bride Nell to let her es-
cape. Gloria offered larger and larger
sums till Nell would have been dazzled
if She had been convinced. At last she
spoke:
say. who do YOU think you are? The
Dime Savings bank? And who do you
think I am l amt on auction. If your
father had all the money you're maxim
up he has. do you think you could buy
my father with it, No.
Gloria liked her better for that, but
she was none the less determined to
escape If she could. She talked no
more. But she thought harder than ever
before.
Nell went on getting her fathers sup
per at the little stove, Gathering the
pans and jabbing the fire with the poker
angrily.
Gloria had often steamed up the Hud-
son on her fathers yacht. The place
was extremely unlike her fathers
yacht, but the SAVIOR of the frying pan
made Gloria dramatically hungry. When
Trask came back, however, his cold eyes
took her appetite away. But not his
own. She watched him wolf his food;
she felt that he was half insane, a re-
lentless fanatic on a wild crusade.
Trasks eyes kept rolling in her
direction He found her so mys.
FERROUS that he was half afraid Of
her. He remembered the loneliness of
that winter night by the Soldiers and
Sailors monument. He remembered the
appearance of Freneau alone and no
other human being in view. His very
hands remembered the death grasp they
took on Freneau's throat. He smiled.
That was one good deed, at least, he told
himself
But ne could not imagine how this
girl could have seen him. How could
he guess that she had sat at her win
dow with binoculars to her eyes and
watched the whole tragedy. He began
to grow superstitious. Gloria was APP
parently able to perform miracles. She
wore the invisible cloak. Perhaps she
would leave as mystically as she had
come.
Finally he grew brave enough to shout
out at her: uho are you? What was
Freneau to your"
Gloria knew that any one who busters
IS likely to be weak. so she answered
coldIy: Never mind who 1 am. The
main thing is, who are you and what
was Freneau to your
The very name Freneau seemed to
madden Trask. He emitted a loud yelp
OF hate and derisiOn and left the table.
He moved toward Gloria, but changed his
mind or deferred his purpose and went
up the stairs, closing the match ana
fastening il above. There was nothing
-eassuring in his last look at Gloria.
Nell was clearing up the table when
sSe saw that Gloria was faint with
r-s. or terror. She offered Gloria the
-r Of the supper. Gloria was glad
She ate like another pauper.
cIi that she would need what
.tr.ngth she would acquire. Her wits
were dancing as she tried TO think out
means of escape. She could not fight
Nell and her father and the big man,
too. She could not overcome them with
force. and she had no weapon but her
five wits. and they had never been train
ed to such problems.
She was as helpless before them as
she had been when she was a little five
year-old flly at Palm Beach and her
governess mad given her a problem in
Algebra ,a-S,xCa-b)-? She had stared
at that riddle as she stared at this
che
Dr. Royce had happened along then,
and smiled at the easy task. He could
probably solve this problem, too, but he
was not here. She was alone and the So
luton depended solely on her.
She thought and thought while Nell
cleared the table. She offered to help
Nell and was permitted to aid in the
work. When the last dish was removed
TO the wash basin Gloria and Nell took
opposite ends of the coarse tablecloth.
When II was folded twice the two girls
began to bring the two ends together.
as people do who are folding table
cloths
Nell stopped short at the proper mo-
ment: Gloria went toward her. The So
sutiOn came to her in a flash. Instead
of putting the Two ends of the table
cloth in Nelrs fingers. she suddenly
whipped the cloth over her head. brought
II down around her elbows and. after a
furious struggle, forced Nell back into
a chair and knOtted the tablecloth cor
ners under the arms. She snatched a
pair OF dish towels from the wall and
lied Nelrs feet TO the legs Of the chair.
Nell fought like a mad woman in a
straightjacket. but the knots held.
Gloria was out Of breath, but she was
proud as Punch over her victory. She
stood up painting and exclaimed: "Well!'
So far so good. But there was still
Trask TO settle with, and Joe, also. She