The commonwealth., 1917-06-05

Nh0 IL NO fAlOHS WHIT !
Gloria felt bewitched She ran to
seek Doctor Royce. David ran after
her, asking: whats it all about2
What's the little surprise you had for
Don't bother me,' was all Gloria
would say.
David seemed so amused by her dis
may that she began to suspect him of .
kidnapping his confederate. But she
dared not accuse him lest, if he were
innocent, she would reveal to him
more of Lois guilt than she felt it her
right to divulge.
She stood off David and hurried on
to find Doctor Royce. She met Judge
Freeman on the lawn, and told him
what had happened. He expressed
surprise, but when she had left him
she began to feel dissatisfied with the
sincerity Of his amazement. But she
could not pause to investigate further.
When at last she found Royce, she
forgot that he was in her black book
still. It had been her habit for so
many years to run to him with her
problems that she ran to him now,
and, laying her hands on his arm,
cried:
"Oh Stephen, Stephen, they've stoY-
en- Trask! I've lost him again and
don't know what to do.'
"Stolen Trask!" Royce exclaimed.
tits impOssible.'
"Of course, it's impossible" said
Gloria, "but it's true. too.''
Royce set out to pick up what trace
there might be Of him. Gloria tagged
along. Royce asked every servant he
met where he had been.< Several of
them had been on the lawn serving tea.
Judge Freeman had sent others on vari-
Gus errands. The, cook and her crew
had been busy providing for Aunt Hor-
tensia's mob. Royce called for his
own chauffeur. He had been in the
kitchen, he confessed, as a guest at a
tea party below stairs.
Judge Freeman was not to be found.
AS a matter Of fact he was the prin-
cipal offender. After he left Gloria
he had wandered about in q deep and
gloomy meditation. He was convinced
that Gloria, with her inpulsive and
unmanageable temper, was>set upon
unraveling every knot in the tangle.
He was sure that her inexperience
with the world would keep her from
foreseeing the consequences and that
she would compel a complete revela.
ton. This would end only in q public
scandal, an enormous and irretrievable
disaster.
David would be put on trial for his
life and Trask would turn states evi-
dence against him to save his own
life. David would perhaps be SEN
fenced to death, or, if he escaped that,
he would escape it in some pretense
of insanity, with all the aftermath
Of endless serial scandals. In any
case, Lois would be disgraced before
the world, and if David's wealth could
bribe an acquittal, it would purchase
q divorce.
Another consequence would be that
the judge himself would be ilnpeached
or forced to resignation under fire
with his ermine dishonored. 1t is only
fair to say that the judges fears fol
his own suffering had less weight with
him than his fears for the wreck OF
, his daughters life and of Dayids. He
loved David as il he We're his owl
son. He had a deep affection fol
Pierpont and he cherished Il grea
fondHess for Gloria. He respected
, even the motives that We're SO perilou:
, to herself as we'll as all the others.
He wandered disconsolately abOu
the lonelier portions Of the Statfor(
demesne and found himself at tht
l outer gate. There he CHANGED to SCI
the bargeman, Jed, come up the road
Jed asked if he knew where the Stat
|. ford place was. Judge Freeman tOit
. him that it was before him. Jed aSke,
;. if a badly hurt man had been taken il
e there with his daughter. 1he Judg
r nodded and asked what he knew o
q the pair.
: Jed said he didn't know much eS
l. cept that the old mans daughter wa
k his girl and going to marry him som
$ day and he was afraid she was i
trouble. So he had left the barge t
q hurry back and see if he could be Q
r some use.
8 The Judge questioned him cautiOuSl
o. and finally proposed that the best thin
q to do would be to get the old man ou
@ of the hands of the Staffords, VIII
Il meant him no good. Jed seized on tn
g Suggestion hungrily and the judge o.
"a fered his cooperation. He led Jed b
little frequented path to the rear c