Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-06

UP UDONe her Knees ana SCOrulng the EaVutu
path which would have taken her "A longer
way, she made straight Tor the terrace, the
main door of which she knew had been lett
open for her return Across the wide lawn
in the bright moonlight she ran. her heart
throhbing madly, the precious yellow packet
clutchcd tightly against her palm, Out or
the tail OF her eye she saw dark forms emerge
from tho bushes and run diagoually for the
terrace steps IN the hope of intorccpting her.
Hut she was fast and she blessed her tennis
for the wind and muscle TO stand the STRAIN.
She was much nearer her goal than her pur-
Sucrs, but they came rapidly. their bulk loom
ing larger every moment. She saw the lights
and knew that servants were at hand. Her
father. too, was in tho library for she saw
the glow of his reading lamp. She had only
10 shout for help now and some one would
hear her, She tried TO-, but not sound
camo from her parchinE throat, with n last
ohurt she raced NJ the terrace steps, pushed
open the heavy door and shut and holtod 1t
quickly behind her Then sanl, into the near
est piece of furniture In a stat" "t physical
collapse.
Doris Mathcr did not faint on act which
might readily have been forgiven her under
The circumstances. Her nerves were shaken
by Tn" violence Of her exercise aud tho mar
roWu'ss of her escape. and II was some mo-
nruts before she could reply to the ANXIOUS
questions that were put to her Then she
answered cNasivcly, necring through the WIN
up"S AT the mOpulit lawn ard seeing no sign
Gt lrr rursucrS. In few moments She
crank glass Of water and took the arm Of
wilson her maid, up the stairway to her
rooms after giving orders 10 the servants
that her father was not to he told anything
cNropt that she had come in very tired and
had gone directly to bed
For the present at least Cyril's packet WAS
safe. I'm her dressing room Wilson took Oft
her cloak and helped hor into bedroom Slip
lrrS, not however, without comment on
ll' hnurHEElod state of hcr dinner dress and
m" shocking condition Of her slippers. But
Doris explained with some care that Mr
IIamm"rslcy's machine had had a blowout
near IN" wicket gate, that she had become
| frightened ana had run all the way across the
! lawn. All OF which was true. II didn't en-
| PLAIN Mr.. liamurrslcy's Deficiencies rs an "s-
| 'ori' hut Wilson was too wei. trained 90 pre-
! sum" further
\ little sherry and biscuit and boris rc-
| Niv.d rapidly. While the maid drew her
| bath SH" locked tyriIs cigarette papers IN
| the drawer of III" desk in her bedroom, and
| when She was hathed and ready for the
| night Sh" dismissed Wilson 10 her dressing
| 10 bed.
| Alone with her thoughts. hrr Glst act was
| To- turn out her lights and knrel in the VIM
| dow where she could p"cr out through the
| hIhElHES. II Vas inconceiNabl' that her
| pursutr$ would dare to make any attempt
| unon the house, but even now she wondered
| whether 1t would not have been wiser IL she
| had taken her father into her confidence and
! had the gardeners out to keep an eye open
| for suspicious characters. But the motives
| th2t had kept her silent downstairs in the
| haIl were even stronger with her now. She
! rouid not have borne 20 discuss with her
| father who had an extraordinary talent for
! EetinE at the root Of difficulties. the sub
| JcCt Of tyril3 questionable" packet OF Gig
| arctic papers. She was quite sure, from the
| adventure which had hotalcu them tonight
and the mystery w,h which Cyril had chos-
| On to invest the article committed TO her
care, that cyril himself would not have ap-
| proved Of any course which would have
| brought the packet or his own actions into
| ih" light Of publicity
The packet OF cigarette papers, WITH a
| last scrutiny OF the landscape she pulled the
| shades and haugings so that no ray of light
could reach the outside Of the house then
| Erop"d her way across the room. \ thin line
| Of light beneath the door Of her dressing
room showed that Wilson was Sttll there. SO
| sh" took the prccautiou Of locking that door
| as well as the others leading to the ups,airs
| NALL thea went TO her desk and turned on
her lamp. She unlocked the drawer Of the
| desk and taking the small object gingerly In
| her fingers, SCrutiniZed il carefully. II was
yellow in color quite new, bound with a small
rubber band, a very prosaiC, a very harm-
| less looking object 10 have caused SO much
| excitement and trouble to all who had been
concerned about il. She turned II over and
| stretched its rubber band swapping il
| th"ughtfully two or three times Now for the
first time since cyril had given 1t to her
did she permit herself TO think OF the hidden
| meanings IN" thilG might possess. In tn"
! machine during the chase Cyril had WOr her
| unreSerNcdIy to his side As against the mys-
| ferrous men of John iti2zio CyrirS cause had
| been the only one to be considered She
| had been carried Off her feet and there hadn't
been time to think Of ANYTHING but the r.aI
| necessity Of accodiug TO Cvri's wishes i'm rni
| ting the small object to a place of safety.
| Then It had only been packet of cigaret te
| t
| which everybody, for some reason or Other
| seemed to want. Now, weighed lightly in her
hand, the Seclusion Of her room gave it a
| different character She recalled t'yriI's
! hautcring tone at having been chased tWent
| miles for u cigarette. But his attitude, de.
| Ccivod Doris no more than il had his rIIr.
Suers There was material here for, some
thing NOR" deadly than cigarettes She
took the yellow packet in both hands and
| pressed il to her temples as though hv this
act She could pas its secrets into her own
| brain. In spite Of herself she was fripltCully
curious aud frightrully afraid.
She got up and paced the floor rapidly
No--it couldn't go ON. She must know tho
| truth. As III" key Of the one unopened room
fascinated Bluebeard's wife, as the box fas,
cinated Pandora 50 this unopened yellow
| packet plagued and Fascinated Doris Nfathcr
sic bngit.tnd anntber io,'tr ~ LIS, 80 -'I,''lti
| then slipped off the rubber band and opened
it, trembling 50 that the first leaf Of paper
| came out in her fingers and fell to the floor
| minutely. holding it up 10 the light There
was nothing unusual about it, no mark ne
| sign of any kind that might indicate u secret
| mission. Lear by leaf, slowly at first and
then more rapidly she went through th,
leaves examining each page back ana IRON,
/ without success. 1t WAS not until she wa,
almost half through it that she came upor
| the wrting--four pages written lrngthyays
IN ink with line too fine almost for logt
bilitN
She put tho packet down for a moment
her heart throhhing with excitement and IN
dread Of a revelation which was to chang,
the whole course of her life and Cyrils Ther,
was stll time Ia close the book and go Z,
bed why did she st there holding tn,
thing open, stupidly gazing at nothing?
| Cyril
Yes if Cyril was the unspeakahle thin.
of her doubts, it was time that she knew /
and no cOmpuuCtions Of honor should hol,
| her with such n man. Besides she ha,
promised him nothing lIcsitating no long
er, she held the leaves under the light o
her lamp and slowly deciphered the thin
script,
At first she could make little OF it. as /
seemed to consist of numerals which sh
couldn't understand, but here and there sh
made out the names of towns. the names @
regiments familiar to her and n series o
dates, beginning In March and ending in May
As the meaning Of the writing grew cleare
to her she read on, her eyes distcnded will
horror Even II child could have seen tina
this was a list of the British forces undo
arms the proposed dates for the compIct iol
of their equipment. training and departur
for France, When she had finished readn