The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1916-12-21
eleventh EPISODE
The Fugitive Witness.

L
Aroused from Its winter sleep, Da
vid'e country house was aglow with
good cheer. Gloria, her father, Doctor
Royce, and David and Lois had come
mp to play for little, to throw Off the
family tragedy and the formal duties
Df their city life, and to forget them
selves boisterously in the open.
For men and women resting in the
shadow of crime they behaved
strangely like children turned out in
the yard to play after rainy days
Imprisonment. They ran through the
house shouting hilariously to one an
other as they found their skates and
wraps for trip to the frozen SWIM
ming pool. The dogs added greatly to
the excitement by loud barkings Of
Come on out" and by remarkable
gift for getting in the way.
No one played harder than Gloria.
She was trying to convince the others
that shP had put the mourning off her
mind as well as her body. She want
ID to find out what her people were
concealing from her, and why.
The Stafford family lark was soon
invaded by neighbors. A toboganning
party from another country house ap-
oeared. There were no invitations or
only mumbled words, for ceremony
lad no place among flying snowballs,
and dignity could not be kept up after
bump on the ice.
Gloria found herself the victim of
the attentions of large, joviaI man
whose playfulness was a little too
heavy for her liking. She was about
10 snub him when someone casually
alluded to him as Frank Mulry.
Gloria staggered in the snow at
meeting thus by chance the man she
had tried in vain to overtake in town.
Mulry, never imagining who she was
thought that she had slipped on the
Icy snow; he put out his hand to catch
her. Mulry was always ready for
filtration. Preparedness was Mulry's
motto.
Gloria studied him a moment. This
was the partner of her murdered
lover. He wasftoo amiable of mien
to be accusable of such a crime She
acquitted him of wishing to do away
with Freneau. In fact, the papers
said that Frepeau's death had nearly
wrecked the firm. Mulry did not look
bankrupt. GLORIA did not know that
her father had given a large sum Of
money to Freneau few days before
hi nd <hn+
on that
There was a shifty flippancy in
Mulry's eyes and manner that made
Gloria distrust him. She felt little
added distrust of her dead lover for
having such man as partner. The
hateful prOverb about birds of a i
feather" ran through her mind like q
tune In any case, here at last was
the man she sought, and she was i'm
patient to question him. There were
too many people on the crest of the |
hill to permit Of conversation there.
SO she dared him to toboggan ride.
He accepted. She got aboard and |
ne steered. They swooped like a de- |
scending airship. But at the foot Of |
the hill the toboggan careened and
slid them deep into the drift before it
capsized.
Mulry, for all his bulk, was agile
and he was soon helping Gloria to her
feet.
"Thank you a million times. Mr..
Mulry," she said "You saved me from
drnwninp in thp snow"
He beamed and Congratulated him
self on making such success with this
pretty creature. He had not recog-
nized her. He had seen photographs
Of hep I'm Freneau's possession and he
had Seen her at the opera. But she
was disguised to him now by her
,lose-ftting cap, her rough sports suit
md, most Of all, by her coquettish
miles. Suddenly he had to leap for
his life to escape another scooting to-
,oggan. On it were David and Lois
md young man from the same house
party of which Mulry was member.
Hurt yourself, Gloria?" David
ang out.
did you get hurt, Miss StaffOrd?"
he other young man cried.
Gloria shook her head and called
fter them, not noticing that Mulry's
yes were popping and his jaw droop-
az. He had pieced the name to-
ether. "Gloria Stafford! !" He had
ONE up here to escape her and he
ad just coasted down the hill with
err, and she knew his name! He re-
rendered Doctor Royce's warning of |
he danger of meeting Gloria face to
ace.s
He pretended to be suddenly Ill. He
legged Gloria's pardon and said that
2 must go home. He was too big for
loria to hold and she could not run :
ter him without attracting atten-
on. She stood bewildered while he y
It away.
Later she telephoned to his host 3
Id asked to speak to him. She