Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-05-09
Insider 3"
BY Virginia Terhune Van de
Water
CHAPTER NXXV

i had untnlnhlnSly ODeyeu Ino I'M
pulse to go down to Mrs. Cores
She might be in violent pain. Yet
persons in violent pain did not sob
like that,
An explanation occurred to me.
Perhaps the poor woman was having
a nightmare. That might account for
the sobbing noise.
Thus far had my thoughts sped
when another sound made me stop
short midway on the stairs and
listen.
1t was a mans voice. protesting
or warming could not tell which.
And, low as it was, 1 recognized 1T
as the voice of Mr.. Brewster Nor
ton.
1 Jumped instantly to the. con-
clusion that he had just come home,
and, hearing the sounds of distress
that had aroused me, had gone to
his sister-in-law room to ascertain
what was wrong. l saw that he had
closed Mrs. Cores door behind him.
What time of night was it?
AS if in reply to my silent ques-
tion. the great clock in the lower
front hall began to ring its cathe-
dral chime. l stood, still counting
the strokes. There were twelve of
them. Midnight!
Perhaps 1 should have gone back
TO nv room there and then. But 1
did not. l was too anxious, too un-
certain, as to what my duty was.
Then. upon the silence following
the last stroke of twelve, l heard
Mrs. Gore sob out
\ "Oh. it's dreadful-dreadful!"
ITS all that" came the mans
deep tones. Its too dreadful to be
endured. Why should
I lost the rest. Whatever it was,
It caused Mrs. Gore to sob afresh.
81 did not want to talk of this
matter tonight Mr. Norton was
saying when | heard him again. 4
was in hopes that you were fast
asleep and would not hear me come
in. | wish YOU had not called me
as passed your door"
"How could l sleep?" the woman
demanded, her voice rising almost
to a wall. "Sleep when l did not
"Knowing does no good,s he in
terrupted. And talking of things
does less. I want to hear nothing
more about it-and to mention it no
more
did not catch all of her re-
ioinder. for it was smothered by
weeping, but she asked some ques-
tion ending with the word dan
ger"
N.Danger," the man repeated the
word angrily. II told YOU there was
no immediate danger. l almost wish
there was,'
"Oh, Brewster" the woman ex-
claimed. Think of Grace"
Il do think of her-and of my
self" he retorted savagely.
The woman began to sob afresh
and l heard the man urge her to si-
lence. Then, frightened by 1 knew
not what, I turned and ran swiftly
back up the stairs to my room.
Putting out my light, 1 Crept into
bed and lay trem bling. / told my
self that I was chilly. not fright
ened. But I knew that l was only
pretending not to be afraid, although
/ did not know what l was afraid
of. I was also conscious of vague
sense of shame that l had overheard
that which was not intended for my
ears. l should have came back up
stairs as soon as l heard my en-
ployer's voice.
Still, even now, looking back. I
can hardly blame myself for linger-
ing long enough to be sure that Mrs.
Gore was not i'll and that no dreadful
thing had happened to make her
weep.
That Mr.. Norton had communi-
Gated some intelligence that distress
ed the widow was evident. l sprang
to the conclusion that it had to do
with the business" that had taken
him up to Connecticut. Could it be
that his financial affairs were in bad
condition. Was that the danger
Mrs. Gore had mentioned? But, no,
that could not be, or he would not
have said that he almost wished
there was danger.
1t was all a problem I could not
solve. l tried not to think of it.
Yet it was late before I slept l
heard my employer emerge softly
from Mrs. Cores room and go to
his own chamber at the end of the
hall. After he had gone l lay lis
tening for sounds from below.
heard Mrs. Gore push her chair
back from her reading table, thus
proving to me that she had been sit
ting up perusing her book when Mr..
Norton came home.
l heard her walk back and forth
from her closet to her bureau, evil
IDENTIFY undressing. Finally there was
complete silence that told me the
poor, distressed lady had gone to bed,
and, l hoped, to a dreamleSs sleep.
On Hand at Breakfast
In spite of'the late hour at which
she had retired. Mrs. Gore was at
breakfast the next morning. As
have said, she had lately renounced
her habit of breakfasting in her own
room. 1 had an idea that she did not
want to miss the chance to be pres
ent when her brother-in-law was al
table. l was sure that she wished to
make it difficult for me to see him
alone or with only Grace as wit
ness TO our interview. She also
wanted me to understand that, as he