The Elbert County tribune., 1917-05-11

mnnd. transported the three to Pier
points country place.
Royce smiled. Pierpont grew more
furious.
"Oh. I'm not afraid of her just be-
cnuse she is only child. She's got to
obey me and get rid of them"
"Tell her so. sir" said Royce.
amused at the old mans helpless blus-
ter.
"oh, I'll tell herr Pierpont swag-
gered. where is she?"
No one knew. Royce suggested that
she had probably gone to the country
place to see her new playmntes. So
Pierpont motored out with Royce. He
told Royce that he would really have
to get rid of the unwelcome guests, If
only to prove to Gloria that she was
not yet the absolute boss of the family.
''That victory will be worth going
miles to see," said Royce.
They reached the country place, only
to find that Gloria had not been seen
nor heard of. Her three guests were
there, however, installed for long
stay. The butler was SO Mortified at
having n walters family to wait on
that he offered his notice.
Pierpont decided to evlct the walt
er's family and save the butler. He
would do it at once, before Gloria got
home. He stalked forth like con-
stable with u writ of eviction.
The boy Stas caught sight of him
and ran and flung his arms about his
neck and began to tell him of the won
ders of his own country place, of trees
and flowers and birds and animals
commonplace things to Pierpont. but
miracles to the boy from the sums.
Casimir had gathered an armload of
flowers for his sick wife, and he was
aglow with the feeling that she was
better already.
Picrpont had great deal of Gloria's
impulsiveness and a great deal of her
abounding tenderness. He lost his
temper in flashes, but his charity
burned steadily and deeply, and now
Stas had won his heart. He could not
unclasp that child's arms. In fact, he
lifted Stas to his arm ana held him
there while he told the butler he could
leave without notice IL he did not like
the guests of the house. Also Pier
pont told Royce that he must take par
ticular care of Casimir's wife. Royce
laughed ut the old mans complete col
lapse and said:
TITS pity Gloria isn't here to see
you. wonder where on earth she is.r
"Shes somewhere she oughtn't to
be, that's sure.' Pierpont growled, as
he stared at his section of the Hudson
where, fighting against the current.
little tug was visible, towing an old
canal barge loaded to the water line
Then he added: "She's probably on
that barge now. adopting the barge
mans family"
He could imagine nothing more ex-
travagantly impossible to say than
that. And yet. the truth kept pace
with his extravaganza. For Gloria was
indeed even then on board just such
n barge being towed upstream by just
such tug. Only Gloria was not
adopting the bargeman's family. She
was being adopted by 1t. She was
prisoner and her life was in pawn.
Gloria's curiosity as to one problem
was solved. She had found out that
her vision of Freneau's murder was
not delirium. She had seen the as
sassin and heard him accused by his
own daughter. One trouble with salts
flying curiosity is that every curiosity
satisfied opens up new curiosities.
Gloria now was frantic to know why
Gideon Trask killed Freneau and how
Trasks' daughter was involved in the
crime. Next, she was curious to know
how she was to escape with her knowl-
edge, once she had it.
When Trask heard Gloria's voice
over his shoulder accusing him of the
crime he was denying he whirled as
If an angel had spoken with the
voice of conscience. An angel would
have been hardly more surprising then
the look of Gloria on the stairway of
the barge.
Trask had no idea of Gloria's iden-
tlty. He could not imagine who she
was, whence she had come, or why she
accused him. He stood transfixed
moment, then moved toward her with
menace. Gloria retreated up the steps,
but he leaped at her and dragged her
down and seized her by the throat, as
he had seized Freneau.
She tried to scream, but she could
not make sound. Nell attempted
to restrain her father, but he turned
on her with terror and wrath: 'If
she gets away, go to the chair
He might have throttled her then
and there, but there was a jolt, the
barge shook as the towline dragged
it away, and down the hatchway came
the voice of Trask's helper, Jed.
Trask hurled Gloria against the way
and warned her that If she made
sound 1t would be her last. He would
wiring her neck and throw her into the