The hummer. (Houston, Miss.) 1914-19??, 1917-09-21

was Il ball nj the FliIH va: i'.l.f. III:
last Of the waning g. I,t"y f}IA, ~,3ts"n.
The entrance 10 the grounds vaS a
mile from the ctGniwu.'-t'En ifnA
gates standing open tN'.'ren pillars,
and dense shrubhery air about, 1ul'.nt
would wreck his ear lhcYr, driving into
one of the gates, That would require
each departing car 70 SLOW down, prob
ably to stop,
The a%rrangcmeri was that Talbot
walk up to the c)utj and establish an
alihi and his innuc.ticc 10y t%clephoning
to II ciiy guraee TOR help. The rest
waS LETT 10 Han end Lethbridge. A
quarter at II mile away across the golf
links, they wn9td have a car In which
to make their getaway.
I.etlit'ri'i2c was only lukewarm.
"WeH get II lot of jewelry," he OBJ
jectcd. Whit we need Is money"
But I'ulh0i wAs sure the loot would
include money.
1t was rather cleverly planned.
From the vault Huff brought up a fine
chain studded with spikes. Stretched
across the road outside the entrance, 1t
meant that every car passing over it
would limp al0ng on fiat tires. It
meant time to the bandits.
Hut and Lethbridge, who had left
their car in a thicket over the hill,
weift first. Talbot followed soon, In
his gray cur.
Good luck, boys" said ElinOr in
echo OF her father, from her garden,
and went back into the house to watch
the clcck. At one, or a little sooner
the summer dances were early ones
she was TO be in her garden again. The
loot would be thrown over the wall.
She was there much earlier, hands
cold, Hips shaking with ervOusness
Always old Hilary had done these
things. She was profoundly frightened.
Ward. walking rapidly home from
the club. saw her there, a little after
midnight. There vas a young moon,
md at first he thought he must be mis-
taken. Then, when he was sure of her,
lie ran up the shallow steps. The glad
ness tbnt was over him rang out in his
deep }eiee.
"S5 now l have your :t,"'oq Mid
gaily. Like all the other fairies, you
are only to be seen in the moonlight y
I'm the daylight" said EllnOr, trying
to smile, u frequent the woodlands
and miss my most agreeable visitor
my only visitor" She corrected her
self.
Her hand was ice In his.
"You are cold"
"Really, no."
There vas a minutes pause. They
had no common ground between them
Ward, who dreamed Of her eyes, anC
took long WATTS up the hill In the mert
hope Of seeing her in her garden
found himself dumb, now that he stoOt
before her. lie had meant to be NOS
i%mpersonal, to run in, say a cheer,
good night" TO her, and be off. Blu
face TO face, with the dark house loom
ing over them, he plunged into tn
thing nearest his heart.
"Are you sin sO-alOne7"
"Thare are the servants"
IL think of you often. One of m
windows faces this way, and l car Sc
a light burning very late"
at raoa az ufuhf do mot SLAM mol
But you-yOu are mp late, also"
"Ah!" He bent u little toward her /
his eagerness. you know that? 70
know my Window"
Eyes. l watch it very often"
1t was well for Walter Huff, crouche
in the ~shrubbery at the country clul
eyes glitterlng, automatic revolver /
hand, that he did not hear the thri
in Wards voice that night In Elinor
garden, or her soft reply.
Many things cried for utterance |
Ward; his pltiful sense of the girl
; loneliness, a yearning desire to con
fort her, to be near her-even MOI
that magic night, a mad longing to hOl
out his arms and coax her into then
as one might cOax some shy creatul
Of the woods.
. But Elinor was suddenly aloof an
distant again. At any time now a CT
would come wildly down the hill, an
toss at her feet its defiance of law al
ownership. What had she and tn
man before her In common The thri
was in his voice now, but how quick
1t would turn to lOathlng when |
knew! She put out her cold hand, al
he took 1t.
: II am going in now. Good night, al
: thank you for stopping.
Ward found himself dismissed, an
rather dazed, went down the steps
u the road. But one thing he CARR,
with him down the hill that night:
g II watch your window very often"
The reverend Mr.. Ward left his lig
:, on all of that night, 80 fearful was
I. that she might look for 1t, and not fl
u 1t.
o And while 1t burned, under the We
=, shadow of Saint Jude's once more t
vault In the basement room at the h;
. swung open to Elinor's practiced f
. gers.
u The village rang with the news
the outrage the next day. No one hi
\ been hurt, but jewels of large val
= had been taken.
= To Huff and the others, the raid h,
n been practically 4 failure. There hi
been iczs than n tf~asand dollars
Il Nnnngh negOtl
= tiog @'