The Monticellonian., 1917-04-12


| for Self-eontrol.
They stood talking briefly, incoher
entity. Looking into each others eyes,
| they saw that something which bind
women irrevocably and exalt men.
Yet that this dread thing lay be-
tween them Payne as well as she knew,
| and when without responding to his
silent pleading for belief in his inno-
| cence Pearl with sob turned aside,
he could not resent the inference that
she was not quite sure.
A moment later she was gone. If
his heart tiuttered when he heard her
receding footballs on the narrow stone
passageway, he gave no sign, receiv-
| ing in an astonishing calm his personal
attorneys who were now arriving on
some matters of business.
You'll be out in n jiffy, Payne"
| holly assured cambridge, the senior,
scarcely before he was inside the door.
Somebody will pay for this damnable
outrage. The government seems to have
| lost it's head entirely !"
Payne, bored, motioned them to sit
down.
II want to talk to you about my
will" said he briefly. You can draw
it up tomorrow and mail 1t for my sig
nature"
The lawyers seated themselves
| heavily. Bainbridge wondered what
manner of man this was.
Meanwhile Pearl and her father
gloomily returned to town.
When Toxic drew up at the war de-
partment to permit the latter to alight,
he fingered at the side of the machine
holding his daughters hand tightly.
BE brave girl. Remember that you
are a Dare to whom America stands
first" Turning away, he mumbled
| something about not seeing her until
late in the following afternoon. Pearl
understood.
1t was during the short homeward
drive, alone that there dawned upon
Pearl the grim significance of the of
Tense for which her lover had been con-
victed. Already had the cause and pre-
dicament of this brilliant young Ameri-
can officer been noised about. The
| streets were unusually alert with pee-
pie. At corners under lamp-posts men
and women were grouping around news
boys. The name of Ralph Payne was
on everybody's lips. To her shame
Pearl heard her own linked with his by
knot of workmen at a culvert over
which her car bounded.
''In these perilous times, there amt
no tellin' who's a traitor and who's not.
Even She"
The words stung her. Toxic sudden
ly increased his speed and the car was
quickly out of earshot.
But Pearl well knew that the times,
| indeed, were perilous, for she could
| not have been in her fathers house
hold and remained ignorant of national
| affairs. The time had come when men
had ceased to speak in jest of the Tur-
| tie bay incident, the Haitian uprising
the Mexican brawl and of our perplexi-
| ties with all Latin-Ameriea. 1t was
well known that foreign men of war,
| in fighting trim, had for some time
| been mysteriously patrolling the CARR
bean and the Pacific; and the financial
and commercial intimacy of the south
ern hemisphere, with Europe and the
| Orient, lately had assumed a new and
disturbing aspect. Every day some
unexpected development in our for
eign relations was arising, exacting a
| keener finesse, more sharp finality,
greater precaution, harbingering no
| one knew what form of disputation yet
| to come in the preservation of national
| independence.
The hour had arrived when some
thing more than the craft of our states
| men was necessary to avert national
| disaster. Agencies hostile, mysterious,
unrecognizable, eluding detection, de-
flying effacement, infested the land,
| lurking in every byway of public life
| Even trivial events in ordinary times
now took on sinister meaning to those
upon whose vigilance the protection of
country and its people depended. 1t
was time when sober-minded men
were beginning to practice with rifle
In the back yard and women to gaze
upon their stalwart sons with tender
ness born in fear of sacrifice. The
bosom of America, among young and
| old, was inspired in a new and solemn
patriotism.
Pearl in her motor car reflected upon
these things soberly. She sighed.
They rode past the celebrated CEN
trail railroad depot where the quick
eyes of both perceived that the stage
of the nights drama had temporarily
shifted. Half score of foreign diplo-
mats and a handful of railroad en-
| ployees We're surrounding a hearse. A
| glance told them that in it was the
dead body of the Granadian ambassa-
| dor. Pearl maryeled at the haste dis
played in getting it out of the coun-
try.
On reaching her residence she found
the house shut up for the night. Dis
missing Toxic, who proceeded at once
toward the garage in the rear of the
premises, she admitted herself. While
closing the door, she observed a taxi
cab on the opposite side of the thor
oughfare. The driver was huddled in
his seat, apparently asleep. She WON
dered who might be having a caller
at such an hour. for in none of the
houses in the neighborhood were there
any lights.
In her own home supernatural
quietude prevailed. With little
shiver she quickly turned on the cleo
trio lights. Then she slowly mounted
the stairs to her bedroom.