The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-02-03

remorse, to the rear platform of the
car.
You'll hide in the woods at first
said Celestia. DO you see that star?
Follow II, for an hour-then you'll
wake up. But you will remember that
you have murdered an innocent peri
son. There will be blood on your
hand to remind you. If there was
another, or others who set you on To
do this thing, you can report to them
that the thing has been done" i
Then Mrs. Gunsdorf hurried down
the steps of the platform, round the
main line of rails, glancing furtively
about her, and disappeared into the
night and the forest
Celestia dined all alone that night,
and went to bed soon after, utterly ex1
hausted, after locking the door of the
observation car and of her own state7
room for the first time in her life.
At midnight a locomotive was at
tached to the snow-whte train and IL
was drawn slowly on its way deeper
into the heart of the north woods.
Soon after the train had started
Professor Stilliter entered Celestia's
car from his own, and after plying a
well-oiled pass-key, stood looking
down at the darkness where she lay.
Presently he touched the button of
an electric torch and her face shone
hrinhtlty In thn nirala nf raIianpn /
Then with his free hand Professor
Stilliter began to make caressing
passes over the smooth white fore
head, up and down, and across and
across, never touching it, but always
so close that his hand had sensation
of warmth
After a while Celestia passed from
natural to hypnotic sleep; her eyes
opened partially and had no express
sion in them.
Tomorrow, Celestia, dear" whis-
pered Professor Stilliter, when your
work is done, when you have spoken
to the people, you are to go back to
that heaven from which you came.
You will say that you wish to go
for an automobile ride in the forest.
At five o'clock there will be a motor
ready and waiting You will enter
this. refusing to be accompanied by
anyone, and you will do exactly what
the driver tells you. I had planned
our elopement for tonight, but there
was a difficulty about the license"
He bent over her as if to kiss her,
but something at the very last mo-
ment seemed to restrain him.
sleep, now darling" he said; "the
other sleep, the sleep of nature that
makes us all over again between
days"
He tiptocd out, closed the door of
her stateroOm behind him, locked it,
turned and received a smashing blow
in the face He gave a grunt of fear
and pain and heard his eyeglasses
smash to pieces as they hit the floor
of the car.
/ For n long time he had been in the
habit of carrying two spare pairs in
1 leather cases, one in each of his waist
| coat pockets he now reached for one
of these, and it was knocked from his
4 hand, as he strovo to ward another
blow from his face-after the blow had
landed.
Guarding his face and head with
one upturned arm and elbow, and
breathing fast with fear and excite
ment. Professor Stilliter sought and
found the door of the passage that led
to the other end of the car, and sue
ceeded in placing it between himself
and his assailant. Then, cropping
with both hands, and in his blindness
humping from side to side of the
brightly-lighted passage he turned and
fled.
/ Meanwhile Freddie the Ferret
picked up the broken pieces of Pro
fessOr Stilliter's glasses and threw
them into a cuspidor. Perceiving the
| leather case containing the second
/ pair lying where it had fallen, he
picked ii up, and after a moments
hesitation. opened il, slipping the
. glasses into his pocket The thought
| there might be reward offered for
them), snapped the heavy case shut,
and laid it in a prominent position on
the center table.
Then ne began to wonder what
everything was all about anyway. He
himself had no business in the OBJ
seryation car without invitation; but
he had an excellent excuse. He had
almost missed the train, had just man.
aged to swing on the rear car, and
since he was one to whom no simple
lock offered any difficulty. had let him
self in. He had been on the point of
passing through the train to his own
quarters forward when it had seemed
to him that il would be glorious
thing to stand guard all night be
fore Celcstias $ door like one of those
knights Of old of whom he had just
been reading in a book which, accord
ing to Freddies Judgment was MALI
glory and half animosity