Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1916-02-18

her burden in Sandry's lap. showering
him with the blood of the bleeding.
hearts She did not look at him. Then
they trotted away around the corner
to the shed and Sandry's lips tight
ened pitifully as he gathered up each
smallest spray of the woods-treasures
Where she stood back against the
wall, one hand at her pulsing throat,
Miss Ordway saw that Tightening of
the lips, the droop that came into the
mans whole face, and her eyes mar
rowed and hardened like a cats.
That night she came to him in the
eating room.
Walter" she said, I'm stuck in
the middle of chapter. Will you go
over few pages with me and give me
the benefit of mans ideas?"
He smiled.
I'm afraid mine will not be of much
| account, but such as they are you are
welcome to them"
They will answer" said Miss Ord
way, "a woman cannot write from her
self for men-she must write from
man to man. I'll bring my manuscript
out here"
And turning, she went from him to
the sanctuary of the little south room.
| When she returned she carried hand
full Of closely typewriter pages.
They drew up one of the pine
benches, spread out the manuscript be-
| twnnn fhn hnf i
| together.
Instantly with the touch of the shift
ing sheets in her fingers Miss Ordway
seemed to drift away from the per-
sonal. She became detached absorbed,
swallowed up in the thrall of work
and Sandry had feeling of what such
a work must mean to one.
Nov see," she said, half eXcitedIy.
here is the point about which | am
a trifle in doubt. But | will have to
sketch the situation for you so you
can get grip on it,"
She turned toward him, spreading
out fiat on the paper one exquisite
hand. Among her other hidden vani.
ties, Poppy Ordway cherished an inor-
dinate pride in these hands of hers
and she knew their value and their po-
tenCy to the last atom
With an unconscious appreciation
Sandry now looked down at it where
it spread across the page. Uncon.
sciously, too, his mind caught a shad.
owy cOmparison-the memory of the
olivecolored, slim hands of the girl
Siletz But she was speaking and he
looked again.
Now suppose my hero is confront
ed with a man-his friend. it hap
pens-who, in the plausible and I'm.
impeachable methods of modern bust
ness, has calmly become possessed of
my heros wealth There is no pos
sibIe way of touching the swindler, for
it has been done in a manner that
gives it the seeming of legality. Yet
the victim knows in his heart that the
other is a thief. Now here is my
point"
Miss Ordway was talking slowly as
if thinking carefully and no one listen.
ing would have suspected that the
words she uttered were purely me-
chanical, having been written out and
memoriZed that afternoon. and that
her mind was busy with a different set
of ideas. In fact this was what she
was thinking, tabulating rapidly sci
of items.
Widening eyes-aroused interest
abnormal. Fingers tapping the table
startled nerves. No suspicion, but as
constituent at so unique a coinci
dence."
Aloud she was going on: Suppose
my hero to be a modern man of aver
age good principles, could he bring
himself to steal back deliberately al
amount equal to, or compensating for
the amount stolen from him, and moi
consider himself a criminal? Could ht
go out among men with his head up
not deeming himself a thief? AnC
would the modern man of average
honor do such a thing?"
Miss Ordway was leaning forward
seemingly absorbed in her problem
her eyes on Sandry's face, where con
ficting expressions were struggling
for the mastery.
I'm a moment" she was saying t
herself, eager as a hound; 'in a mo
! ment he will commit himself" for th'
bright, blue glance of the young owner
| wavered a bit, he opened his lips, shu
his hand upon the oilcloth and his jaw
hardened with tautened muscles.
mo! He wouldn't be a thief-tha
would be the right law"
Every nerve in Miss Ordways bod!
! jumped, though there was no outward
sign, as the tension that had beer
growing between them snapped will
the voice of Siletz.
' The girl had stopped on the far sid
of the room, unnoticed by either, ant
now she stood leaning forward will
her hands upon the table, her braid
hanging beside them. The shadow O
her parted hair was over her eyes.
. Miss Ordway's fingers crawled int
her palm, rigid with desire to infic
bodily pain upon this unlimited blum
v derer. But Siletz was of the wilder