Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-19

They went into the police station. and
here again the sense Of drab reality and
sordidness shut down upon Miriam once
more. The bare walls. the shiny wooden
counter, the hard chairs, the stolid. uni
formed men with their unimaginative
faces. all these things seemed an made
quate background to the tragedy of the
prisoners. Not that there was any
thing except the expression on their
faces to redeem them either from the
outwardly commonplace. But Miriam.
with that intuitive precedence which
made her so invaluable in her work.
could guess at the tumult OF mortifca-
ton and despair which must be raging
within those portly muffied forms. In
deed. the commonplaceness OF Mrs. San
derson's plump and usually comedy face
only increased by sheer force of con-
trast the horror of the look that was
on it now. She seemed to have grown
an old woman I'm few minutes. Her
cheeks were pendulous and blotched
with pallor. her blue. somewhat proni-
nent eyes were glazed. and her mouth
hung quivering and open. She kept on
murmuring a few sentences over and
over again to herself. Miriam caught
the words: My son. my son.
Fraulein was more self-possessed.
Her broad, rather fat face with the
sharp and jutting features that seemed
so curiously at variance with 1t, was
always the color of parchment and
looked hardly whittier now. Her bird
like eyes CLEANED with a malevolent
despair, not the nNed horror OF MIS-.
Sanderson's. Her compact little mouth
was set even more firmly than usual.
She looked Miriam thoughtfully up and
down in the glare of the pickering gas
jets.
so you have betrayed u.s." she re-
marked.
piled Miriam. but l should not have
thought you would have talked about
betrayals.'
Il was only doing my duty. II could
/ would sink the whole town. the whole
country, into the seas. for the glory OF
the Lord and of Germany"
My goodness, how they do hate u.s.
exclaimed the inspector in mild sur
prise 1T fair gives one a turn. have
got the charge sheet made out, Mrs.
Lee Is there anything else you have
to tell me2"
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 / must ask
Mrs Lee first. Tell me. you are not
alone in this, helm? Brent, he is in II.
too"
yes. Mr.. Brent and are working to-
gether for the English intelligence oe-
partment."
Frauiein drew what was almost
breath of satisfaction. II Is something
even in defeat to learn that ones IN.
stincts were correct. "Ah, 1 thought SO.
she observed What is he doing up az
the house? Is he having Charles ar.
rested?" She fixed her birdlike eyes on
Miriam, hoping against hope as sne
spoke, that perhaps, after an, e'es
thing had not been discovered and that
the bomb might yet go on and at least
revenge them even IL Charles and fritz
persisted also.
thought and was aware OF a not un-
natural feeling of chill. Il should
imagine" she replied steadily, that by
now Mr.. Pennicuik has shot Fritz ana
that the soldiers Mr.. Brent nao IN
Mantel Also / don't doubt that tne
bomb has long since been put out OF
action"
"Ah. so you do know ALL" commented
fraulein as a low moan burst from MRS.
Sanderson Then there remains MOTH
ing" Her little thin black silk bag was
still in her hands. and now she burrow-
ed in il and produced large handker-
chief which she proceeded 10 put 70
her face.
Miriam felt a moments surprise as
she watched her. She had never
imagined fraulein would weep UNDER
any circumstances. The next moment
she had guessed. but it was already too
late With a convulsive movement frau
lein had rapidly swallowed someenlns
which had been concealed in the hand-
kerchief The inspector and the other
men were still gazing at her uncertain.
" when Miriam sprang forward.
.Stop her" she cried. 20 it's too late!
Get a doctor at once; she's taken
poison"
II 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 frauletn before
she lapsed into inconsistencies had
strenuously demanded that she should
be taken back to Wave Crest. Whether
in her already clouded brain she was
obsessed by the idea that perhaps after
all Charles had succeeded in firing the
house and wished to see IL for herself.
or whether il were not the mere blind
tenacity of her failing purpose which
was still fixed instinctively on the place
where she had worked, il was impos-
sible to say. There was at least Moth
ing against il, and fraulein was un-
doubtedly dying. SO she was allowed TO
have her way. This time policeman
drove the car and others rode on the
steps, and so fraulein and Mrs. Sander.
son were taken back once more to the
house which they had thought never to
see again.
(To be Concluded in Next Sundays
Starr
Copyright. 1915, by Edward J. Clode.)