Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-09
The Lady of the Night Wind

of mind What superlative mental pre-
parcdness for emergencies And shC
never once battcd an eye"
1t would be difficult to describe th
precise effect upon katherine Harvard
of that suddenly acquired knowledge
for, be it said with all emphasis. il
was knowledge absolute. even though il
had not been so much ms suggested ,tC
her mind until that Inumcn: ~ com
| plctc conviction of its truth.
1t stunned her for the moment.
The face. the manner. the personal =
| ity of the sonorita, had impressed Kath
crime as favorably as had the woman $
voice when she had first heard it upon
the telephone wire. She had been drawn
to the entertainer, strangely, oddly,
pSychologically, intuitivcly - incxpli
"ably is perhaps better word than any
of them-and the fact remained. the
nu2zling fact, too, that it had been a
rare event. indeed, in Kathcrine's OK
pcricnCcs, when her intuitions had been
at fault.
Vet. present in her own home was
the beautiful woman who was n declared
enemy; n woman who must, pcrforcc,
also have knowledge Of kathcrinc's So
crrt. and who had come there to net as
AN arcomplico and assistant to Belknap
in tho threat to divulgc it. unlcsS--un
loss what! That was the puzzle. What
what could it be that Bclknap and
this beautiful woman were after at My
quest!
And in her was no mean adversary.
In her was a focman worthy of all
Of Kathrrinc'S skill; as subtle, as re-
~ourrcful as ready Of wit. and as cour
agcous as katherine herself.
Like the warhorsc that scents the dis
tant battle. like the cavalry Stccd that
hears tho buglc'S peal to boots and
.addlrs. Katherine lifted her head, and
with partly distcndcd noStrils. started
t1 her feet beneath the rose bower. with
the light Of battle shining in her eyes,
with defiance in her heart and brain,
and with he glory of successful con-
quest for her accepted goal.
so be it," She murmurCd, and
stepped from the bower into the path
way. moving swiftly along it toward
the side entrance through which Bel
knap had disappeared.
She believed that he had gone in to
sock an interview with the ScnOrita,
and she hoped that she might find them
and surprise them in the act of con-
vcrSing together. thus exposing the Sc
norta'3 subtorfugr.
Such was Kathcrinc'S intention when
She started forward for she was filled
with resentment at the deception that
had been 50 dcftly praCticcd upon her;
but by the time she passed the door
way a second thought convinced her of
the impracticability of such an act.
Better. much hotter. to make them
both believe that | am ignorant of the
deccption," she told herself, ''and to
watch-and wat-and to keep on
watching and waiting
She came upon them silently. herself
unobscrvcd, where they faced one an
other in the cmbrasurc of window in
the drawing room.
Scnorita Ccrvantcz. pianistc. un-
doubted accompicc of Conrad Bclknap-
voicclcss. and yet, if the truth were
known, the poSseSor of the most at
tractive speaking voice that katherine
had ever hcard--provcd herself through
carcessncss at the very beginning of
her stay at inquest.
She was standing in the cmbrasurc
of the drawing room window, with
Bclknap, it is true, when katherine
noiselcssly approached them through the
music room; but--a little shcaf of ivory
tablets and tiny gold pencil (not
unlike the same convenience that was
affected by Nine. Savage dropped from
her fingers at the moment when Kath-
crime discovered them, and it would
have been apparent to anybody that
she had been using both to converse
with her companion. The articles were,
seemingly. ii part of her regular ap-
parcl and were attached to a fine gold
chain that cncircled her neck, as an
older woman might have carried
lorgnetto.
There was not a circumstance con-
ncrtcd with her expression or drmeanor
20 bctray her to the sharpest observer,
and the sole satisfaction that Katherine
could CLEAN by reason of her Stcalthy
'nproach was in Belknap's attitude.
He was plainly annoyed, palpably
'"ustratcd and fustered. 1t was evi
'"nt to Katherine that he had de
ended an explanation and that it had
cen denied to him. If she had been
ware of the last communication that
vas written on one of the ivory tablets,
md as speedily erased. she would have
romprchcnded better the reason for the
transportation that gripped him.
"Onc more such remark from you
will send me back to where | came
from. l will take no risks. RS sister
is shrewder than you think for. If
YOU don't play up to me thoroughly,
| will go away. and you will have to
play a lone hand that is final was
what the senorita had written - and
Katherine had not arrived on the scene
soon enough to Overhear the remark
that had induced it.
Having expressed herself. the scnorita
was ready to end the interview
Even as Katherine crossed the music
room toward them and saw tho ivory
tablets drop from Roberta's $ fingers, she
stepped through the open window to
the veranda, and Belknap, perforce,
followed.
So did Katherine. in effect, although
he passed out by way of the door.
ursie Hath Charms to SCOT