Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-03-02

he had wandered about In a deep and
gloomy meditation. He was convinced
that Gloria. with her impuisive and
u~nmanageable temper, was set upon
u~nraveling every knot In the tangle.
He was sure that her inexperlence
with the world would keep her from
f~oreseeing the consequences and that
she would compel Il complete rcvela-
ton. This would end only in a public
scandal, an enormous and irretrievable
disaster.
David would be put on trial for his
life and Trask would turn. states evil
dence against him TO saw Inns own
life. David would perhaps be SEN
fenced 10 death. or. IL he escaped that,
he would escape II In some pretense
Of insanity. with all the aftermath
Of endless serial scandals. In any
case, Lois would be disgraced before
the world. and II David's wealth could
bride an acquittal, II would purchase
q divorce.
Another consequence would be that
the Judge himself would be impeached
or forced To a resignation under fire,
with his ermlne ~dishonored- IL Is only
fair to say that the judges fears for
his own suffering had less weight with
him than his fears for the wreck Of
his daughters life and OF David's. He
loved David as IL ne were his "
son. He had a deep affection for
Pierpont, and he cherished a great
fondness for Gloria. He respected
even the motives that were SO perilous
TO herself as well as all the others.
He wandered disconsolately about
the lonelier portions Of the Stafford
demesne and found himself at the
outer gate. There he CHANGED 10 see
the bargeman. Jed, come up the road.
Jed asked II he knew where the STAFF
ford place was. Judge Freeman told
him that IL was before him. Jed asked
IL a badly hurt man had been taken In
there with his daughter. The Judge
nodded and asked what he knew OF
the pair.
Jed said he didn't know much ex-
cept that the old mans daughter was
his girl and going 10 marry him some
day and he was afraid she was In
trouble. So he had left the barge to
hurry back and see IL he could be or
some use.
The judge questioned him cautiously
and finally proposed that the best thing
20 do would be 10 get the old man out
Of the hands Of the Staffords, who
meant him no good. Jed seized on the
suggestion hungrily and the Judge Of
fered his cooperation. He led jed by
u little frequented path to the rear 0
the house and babe him wait. He
went In and sent Nell out to speak to
Jed and make sure that she wanted to
escape with him. Nell assured him
that she did. The beauty Of the home
oppressed her.
While Nell was talking with Jed
Judge Freeman was ordering his own
chauffeur to bring the car up to a COR
ner OF the driveway shielded from the
house by a cluEap OF ancient rEod0do-
dendrons as large as trees. Then the
Judge. surprised at his own crafti-
ness and bringing into play all the
AoiG ht nav at1oAAta -
thieves confessions, set about the bur-
glarious art Of clearing the house.
Most OF the servants had been i'm
pressed into the serving Of wholesale
tea at Aunt Hortensia's, conyention.
The rest Judge Freeman sent on vnri-
Gus errands with messages TO distant
laborers on the grounds.
When the coast. or at least the stair
way. was clear. he called I'm his chauf-
feur and Jed. They hurried UP TO
Trask's room and. lifting him In his
sheets, hurried out into the hall and
down the stairs with him. The old
man suffered agonies from the jelts
and Jars. but he smothered his groans
somewhat. The judge went ahead as
a scout and warded of one maid who
ran In for Aunt Hortensia's parasDi
and u man who hurried back for n So
cial register of the county 10 be used
In making up d committee list.
Thus Trask was. as the saying IL,
spirited away without being seen by
anyone except his abductors. The
chauffeur ran his car from the grounds
by the tradesmen's entrance and
Judge Freeman, lingering. saw the
cloud Of dust the machine raised as IL
dashed north. He remained to keep
watch and to do what he could TO
turn pursuit In the wrong direction.
He felt disgnIeted BY the pallor Of
Trask, and by his extreme exhaustion.
He was afraid that the old man would
not last long. He hated himself for
the thought. but he could not dismiss
the belief that 1t would solve all prob
lens II the wretch would pass away
In silence. IL he spoke he might con
denim himself to death In the chair
and take David with him.
Judge Freeman abhorred his own
deed and regretted that he could not
punish himself publicly as severely as
he would have punished another judge
who violated his honor so. But he
had been a father before he became a
Judge. and the parental instinct over
ruled the legal obligation. He under
stood as never before the almost ire
sistible impulses that compel men To-