New Britain herald., 1917-12-12
How Lillian Acted With Her Usual
SWiftnesS to Find Out All About
the Strange Woman.


the Strange Woman.
The boys will be here in an hour"
| Lillian announced gayly, coming back
| into the library where Katherine Son
not and I had been waiting while she
| telephoned Dicky and Jack to come to
! dinner. Whats the matter with Jack,
Katherine? He acted as if he had a
chronic crouch. 1t was only when I
told him you were confidently expect
| ing him that he showed any symptoms
of ordinary fricndliness.
"Oh, Lillian, you didn't tell him
that? Katherine exclaimed in dis
treSS.
Lillian gave her a quick keen look.
I'm sorry, dear" she said gently.
eff I've intruded where l shouldn't,
But take an older woman's advice and
don't let pride stand in the way of
happiness
Her voice was infinitely sad, and I
knew that she was thinking of the
happiness that was denied her, not be-
cause Of her pride, but because Of the
fate that linked her to Harry Under
wood, who not only had currishly de-
serted her for Grace DRAPER, but who,
she strongly suspected, was associated
with that beautiful stormy petrol in
lIcdClSly 70 MS country.
Katherine's eyes filled with quick
tears which she turned aside to hide
I wished that she would conf1dc in
Lillian OF let me do it for her, for
have the most childlike faith in Lii
lan's ability to straghten out any
thing, no matter how tangled its
threads may be.
But Lillian's mind was on some
thing else. I knew it by the express
sion that crept over her face as if she
had just thought of something to
which she must attend at once. She
stood with her head bent for q mo-
ment, locking and unlocking her fin
gers, then Strengthened herself and
spoke rapidly, first closing the massive
library door,
I've changed my mind about that
nurse she said at last. II thought
at first would try to trap her while
she was searching my room, and for
that reason wanted you, Madge, to
stay in the library all the TIME l was
not here. But it's too dangerous.
Katherine says she's German, and
she is here protesting to be violently
anti-German and under an assumed
name. There's only one conclusion to
be drawn-that she is a Potsdam
agent, and that her superiors suspect
that I am in the secret service and so
nave planted her here. OF course,
she may simply be shopping on gener-
al principles. but I am afraid the
other conjecture is the correct one.
And if that be true. she'd not be
above chloroforming the whole lot Of
us in order to get into that room
again.
Left ION Guard
She paused, and I was wild to ask
her what she meant to do. But I was
determined to prove myself as poised
as Katherine, who might have been a
statue for any sign of undue interest
she manifested, and SO kept silence.
"She will be back inside Of half an
hour I'm sure" Lillian went on med |
itatively. She never stays out very
long. And I'm sure her errand was
to telephone to her employer that she
had found nothing suspicious. Now,
when she comes back, I will arrange
it so that you, Katherine, meet her
accidentally. Then if you wilt greet
her cordially by the name she used to
use, and express surprise at seeing
her, I think she'll find SOME excuse
to vamoose directly. I will be on hand
to register surprised, disapproval at