The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1917-10-25
"Are. YOU: coming?" the. owner.

at is not necessary to, 60 inside
Madden said Unexpectedly. u can
form a pretty good opinion out
here"
Then the girl flashed at him a
smile of gratitude. 81 thank you"
she murmured softly. 'My patient
dislikes to be disturbed"
Miriam, as; in thought he called
her, was quite friendly after that
and would often linger at the gate
to talk when he passed the house
upon one pretense or another,
though the tangled branches SEEM
ed to bar him out as. completely as
an iron doer might have done. But
he had been sent upon an important
commission and still deliberated
long how best TO- accomplish has
purpose. So when upon q moon
Light night he had been irresistibly
drawn toward the house upon the
hill he passed noisefessly through
the gateway, then on through the
deserted gardens to where light
shone from beneath a half drawn
curtain. STOPPING, he peeTed un-
der the blind.
Perhaps" said Tow mocking
voice, "you will be kind enough to
tell me what you expect to find in
my house"
Madden Strengthened suddenly
and looked in the direction Of .
shadowy corner where girls white
clad figure was dimly outlined. q
Il beg your pardon for having
frightened yon," he said in confu-
sion. 1T is time I should be frank
with you. The man whom ! hoped
to find in that room is Robert Reyn-
olds, Of whom you have heard
The girl arose. Her face shone
very white in the moonlight, and
her eyes were wide with hurt sur
prise. 'He is not in that house"
she said slowly. Have I not told
you so?"
"You have" he answered logged
ly, "and you will think me worse
than ilnpertinent now when I con-
fess that 1 thought You might be
concealing this mans identity out OF
mistaken idea of benefit to him"
She interrupted him angrily. Il
will listen to you no longer" she
said. "There is no reason why l
should trouble to prove my truth
fulness. Nevertheless"-she waved
her hand toward the great, silent
house-"you are at liberty to con-
vince yourself. I will remain here"
Madden ignored the offer. "Wil
! you at least allow me the privilege
of explaining" he asked desperate
|ly, Tomorrow, if you would be 50
kind ?"
The girl turned from him and
slowly ascended the steps. At the
doorway she paused. "You may e1-
plain tomor .ow,' 'Ishe said brokenly,
"while I shall confess"
She came to meet him upon tha
following morning, such q pathetic,
dropping little figure that Madden
in his anxiety to hasten through the
ordeal would have spoken at once,
but she put out protesting hand.
'1f you please" she asked, "may l
tell my story first?"
He silently nodded assent, then
stood looking gravely down upon her
as she sat before him.
at is needless to tell you," she
began in low, hopeless tone, Chat
Robert Reynolds is my father. You
are also acquainted with the facts
which made it necessary for us to
hide away in this isolated village.
They were too ready to judge him,
I think, those boasted friends of his,
and to emblazon his guilt in all the
papers" She covered her face with
trembling hands. 81 seem to see al
ways the glaring headlines, Robert
Reynolds, Treasurer of the Elite
Club, Absconded.' But there are
some things you do not know. How
this disgrace, following as it did SO
closely upon the failure of the bust
ness which left US penniless, chang
ed my father from a strong, reliant
man into a child startled at every
sound! And l, who had never been
taught to decide for myself, had now
to act for us both. So, wisely or un-
wisely, I brought him here, where |
have been doing my best to allsy
his fears-trying to coax him back
to courage"
"1 did not come to persecute your
father, child" said Madden. II have
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