The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-12-17
The White Feather
BY J. E. Harold Terry and Lechmcre Worran

thought you would have talked about
betrayals."
Il was only doing my duty. If /
| could l would sink the whole town.
the whole country. into the seas. for
, the glory Of the Lord and Of Ger
many"
,, MY goodness. how they do hate
| u.s." exclaimed the inspector in mild
surprise. 1T fair gives one a turn.
| tave got the charge sheet made out
Mrs. Lee. Is there anything else you
have 10 tel! me-"
Wait" put in fraulein-and such
was the dominant. quality this drab
little woman possessed that every
one turned to listen to her.
There are a few things I must ask
Mrs Lee first. Tell mo. you are not
alone in this. heinz Brent. he is in 1t.
too"
Yes. Mr.. Brent and | are working
| together for the English intelligence
department"
frtulein drew what was almost u
breath of satisfaction. II is something
even In defeat to learn that ones in
stincts were correct. 'Ah, thought
So" she observed What is he deing
up at the house? Is he having Charles
arrested" She fixed her brtilikc eyes
en- Miriam. hoping against hope a.
she spoke. that perhaps, after all,
everything had not been discovered
and that the bomb might yet so off
/, and ut least revenge them even If
| Charles and Fritz persisted also
Miriam guessed the little woman's
thought and was aware Of q not UNI
natural feeling of chill. II should
| imagine she replied steadily that
! by now Mr.. Pennicuik has shot Fritz
and that the soldiers Mr. Brent had,
in readiness have arrested Charles
, Won Mantel. Also don't doubt tina,
| the bomb has long since been put on,
ce action
| "Ah, SO you do know ALL com
mented fraulcin. as a low moan burs,
! from Mrs. Sandcrson. Then there
/ remains nothing" Her little thin
! black silk bag was still in her hands.
! and now she burroaed in it and pro-
duced a large handkerchief which she
! proceeded to put to her face.
Miriam felt a moments surprise as
/, she watched her. She had never
| imagined I'raulein would weep under
any circumstances. The next moment
she had guessed. but it was already
too late. With a conclusive move
! mcnt fraulcin had rapidly swallowed
| something which had been concealed
| in the handkerchief. The inspector
/, ind the other men were still gazing
| a her uncertainty when Miriam sprane
| forward
stop her. she cried. 80. it's too
late. Get doctor at once: she's
| taken poison.
1t was about ten minutes after this
! that Miriam rang up Chris and told
him they were bringing fraulein back
to the house. The hospital was on the
! far side of the town. and fraulein be-
fore she lapsed into Inconsistencies
! had strcnuously demanded that she
ne taken back to Wave Crest. Whether
| IN her already clouded brain she was
cbsessed by the idea that perhaps al
! ter all Charles had succeeded in firing
the house and wished to see it for
! herself. or whether il were not the mere
! blind tcnacitN of her failing purpose
which WAS still fixed instinctiyely on
| the place where she had worked. it
/ was impossible to say. There was at
least nothing against it and fraulcin
/ VAS undoubtedly dying. so she was
allowed to have her way. This time
a policeman drove the car and others
| rode on the steps. and SO fraulcin and
/ Mrs. Sandcrson We're taken back once
more to the house which they had
| thought never to see again.
Neither Brent nor Molly ever for
got entirely the night that followed
like Il nightmare. The atmosphere
was charged not only with impending
death and futile rage and bitter dis
appointments. but with actual evil. It
seemed to her SO unused to conta ct
with such things. actually to pervade
the air F'raulcin had been carried in.
| 4 little, twisted. convnlsivc figure in
her brown wTappings her unconscious
face dewcd and twisted. Her jerkings
| We're horrible TO see, and Molly. who
with the rest had crowded into tho
hall turned and fled down the pas
age to the sitting room again. where
she remained huddled up in an arm
chair. shaking with what was moro
distastc than fear.
Chris had not followed her there.
In that disorga niZed household some
che had to take the lead and it de
volSed naturally on him. The cas-"
was hopeless, rs everyone could Sc,
from the first but still the doctor did
all he could and Mrs Sanderson sal
III a kind of stony despair by the bed
Mr.. Pollock went booming round tn,
house. Miss Myrtle, feeling neglected
had hysctrics and brandy and soda il
her room. and Charles remained-al-
| ways with that fixed immoblity o
his-in the room next to fraulein's. hi
guard around him. So much Chri
had conceded to the misery and ter
ror OF Mrs. Sanderson.