The state herald., 1917-06-15

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to cry. At last she offered the fnal
bribe In her power. She drew the en-.
velope Of letters from the bosom of
her gown and held It out to Lois, say.
ing:
II forgive you, dear. I have no
right to Judge you. I can't take that
responsibility. Keep your life and your
past and make what you will Of them"
Lois rather saw the prize than heard
the counsel and she snatched ut the
letters with the instinct Of q child.
|
Gloria felt her heart harden again.
She could not keep back a feeling of
contempt for the selfish pettiness Of
Lois.
Gloria was afraid to speak lest she
waste further rebukes on soul that
could not profit by any other chastise-
lnent than sacrifice and fear. So Gloria
left her and climbed the terraces. She
NOTED with relief that no one had seen
the brief drama that might have star
tied the whole nation. She was afraid
that she had done everything she
ought not to have done.
AS she was entering the house to go
to her room the boy Stas called her.
He was Juggling picture book Of for
eign paintings. He knew nothing of
any of them and he asked Gloria many
questions she could not answer. One
of the pictures represented Christ
kneellng and writing on the ground.
Near him lay cOntrite woman in
shame and tears. In the background
number of men were turning away
shamefaced. The picture was labeled,
Neither Do Condemn Thee, Go and
Sin No More"
Now, Gloria felt that she was justi-
fed In laying aside her impulse to ex-
act a penalty from Lois. She told Stas
that the picture was beyond the un-
derstanding of a child, and that he
was lucky to be child. She wished
that she had never grown up. Then |
she went to her room. Looking from
her window, she could see the embank-
ment where she had won a double VIC
tory over Lois and herself. Lois was
tearing the bundle Of letters to bits |
and scattering the pieces upon the
railroad track, where she had nearly |
been torn to pieces herself.
Gloria felt that one riddle at least
was solved. She felt sorry for David
and his choice among women. Then
she remembered the judges accusa-
ton against David. According to that
her brother was guilty Of n more helm
Gus crime than Lois. He had taken a
life or, with even greater wickedness,
had persuaded another man to COM
init murder for him. She could not
rest till she had either cleared David |
of that suspicion or warned him that |
his secret was known.
The reason that the duel between
Gloria and Lois had not been observed |
by anyone but the fleeting eyes Of the |
fireman on the express engine was |
that the Stafford estate was a little |!
vorld in Itself.
David had been comforting with his
business associates by telephone. Pier
pont had been inspecting the prize cat
tie with which he jealously expected
to confound his rival nelghbors at the
next county fair. Stas had been look. |
ing at the big picture books on the
huge table In the great living room.
His father. Caslmir. had been working
among the rose bushes with the head
gardener. Judge Freeman had been
involved in one more conspiracy, which |
he firmly hoped would be the last.
It was Casimir who first interrupt
ed Gloria In her search for David.
Caslmir had hardly believed that there
were Us many roses In all the world |
rs there In the Stafford close. He
could see his wife lying In reclln- |
ing chair In a sunny nook and 1t 0c-
Cured to him that one Of those roses
would cheer her and serve us bit of
gallantry. So he. plucked one. The
gardener saw the deed, charged on
him with a roar. and snatched the
flower from him. The deep thorn bite
he received In his thumb did not pacify
him. He stood sucking his thumb and
swearing when Pierpont strolled by.
Pierpont had lost his temper ut the
dairy because the head valet to the
cows had not brushed their teeth to his
satisfaction nor manicured their hoofs |
to perfection. When the gardener ex-
planned that Caslmir had dared to
pluck one Of the famous and priceless
Plerpont roses which had never failed
of honorable mention Mt the annual ex.
hibition Of the Garden club. Pierpont
was more wroth thnn the head CUR
dener.
Casimir quniled before the on
alnught, and Gloria. drawn TO the spot
by the noisy voices, found him craven
with confusion. She took his part at
once. md when the gardener nnd her
father explained the atrocity he had
committed Glorin also turned on him
"ln heavens name. Cnsimir. what
did you mean by taking tho only rose
my moor father hnsf"