The Elbert County tribune., 1917-06-08

Gloria felt bewitched. She ran to
seek Doctor Royce. David ran after
her, asking: whats 1t all about?
What's the little surprise you had for
me? II seems to have caught you first"
Don't bother me-" was all Gloria
would say.
David seemed so amused by ner dis
may that she began 10 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 1t her
right to divulge.
She stood off David and hurried on
to find Doctor Royce. She met Judge
Freeman on the lava, and told him
what had happened. He expressed
surprise, but when she had lert 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. 1t 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 sro,-
en- Trask I've lost him again and l
don't know what to do"
"Stolen Trask ~ Royce, exclaimed.
Its 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
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 a deep and
gloomy meditation. He was convinced
that Gloria, with her impulsive 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 complete revela-
ton. It's 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 evil
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 il David's wealth could
bribe an acquittal, it would purchase
a divorce.
Another consequence would be that
the judge himself would be impeached
or forced to n resignation under fire,
with his ermine dishonored. 1t 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 Davld's. He
/ loNtu DhNlu dS IL ne were HIS own
son. He had deep affection for
Pierpont, and he cherished 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 chanced to see
the bargeman, Jed. come up the road.
Jed asked If he knew where the Stat
ford place was. Judge Freeman told
him that it was before him. Jed asked
If 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 to 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 of
some use.
The judge questioned him cautiously
and finally proposed that the best thing
to do would be to 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
a little frequented path to the rear of