Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-19
The Lady of the Night Wind

passed many hours with palette and
knife and brushes, or with pencil and
crayon as the whim might take her.
So was her desk there, over in one
corner between two windows that over
looked the lake at different angles
windows which permitted Of no vision
Of the interior from without; as, in
deed. was the rule without exception
for every other window, too.
She passed many silent and happy
hours at her desk, writing, as also at
her easel painting; but these were
little secrets Of her own, shared by
none as yet
katherine required no kcy with which
to enter the Nest.
The lock which guarded its ono door
Of entrance had been made and adjust
ed for her by the so called best lock
makers in the world. II had neither
dial nor kcyholr: it was invisible, and
it's presence unsuspectcd-and was az
great n mystery from the inside as from
without.
Simple enough. all Of il. to Kath
crime; yet a stranger outside of that
chalet could not get in, and. by the
same token. a person inside of it and
unwise to its secret. could not get out ;
for the windows were guarded as thor
oughly and as skillfully. and by the
same sort Of mechanism as the door
When she was inside. the steel blinds
that covered them were showed aside by
the mere pressure Of one of her fingers
upon the secret springs; and even then
their arrangement was such that pryinG
or curious eyes could not see past them
to the daintincss and homeyncss inside.
The ventilation was ample and com
plctc. and could he rendered greater. or
less. by tho pressure Of finger. In
decd. vcrNSnanv mysterious things could
bc accomplished there by the touch of
Kathcriuo's fingers.
The Nest was really wonderful
place.
II contained every comfort and con
vcnicucc Of tiny home: and il stood
high pcrchcd upon the bluff At ono end
of the dam that was as solid aud sub
stantial in its way rs that one Of
Ashokan
The little house vas made of uncut. =.
hillside stones. The roof was Of terra
Gotta tilc The door and the windows
were framed with oak cncascd in steel
II was built nj the pinnacle Of the
taller Of the two bluffs. which stood
at either side Of the narrow ravnr like
scntinels on guard above the dam. and
there was but ono pathway TO il with
flight Of stairs al the top which could
be transformed into no stairs at all by
another touch Of ono of kathcrinc's S
| fingers inside Of the house, or below the
stairs outside Of il.
There wore many other secrets. also.
than those already described. connected
with kathPrinN'S 5 whimsical hobby-but
they need not be gone into Just now
we will learn more about them later on
She had day dreamed of some time
possessing just such n place ever since.
as n child. she had fallen under the
destinations Of Sir Walter Scott $ mas
| tCrpiecc: and when Bingham's foster
father. Mr.. Chester. made her a be-
lated wedding present of MyQuoSt She
at once chose tho tall bluff over the
ravine as the proper location for the
] lulHlIHlfHI bI HNE llltlOUB urFdn.
So Sh" mounted the steep path to
| the bottom of the stairs. touching. as
! she drew near. the small spring that
/ made them practicable. and pressing
/ upon another one after she entered the
| house. which restored them to their
| former condition of steep and smooth
inacCcSSibilty and it is worthy of
. tlnt if hoI
/ looking on while she performed either
act. one could not have seen her do it,
nor have told how it had been done.
Then
SICNp-hlCsscd slccp-contcntcd sleep,
! Th" sleep of perfect security. of utter
safety. of complete SeclusiOn. Even her
own bedroom III the great house beyond
the lake had never been so much her
home as the Nest. There she could
b" found and routed out at the Most
th"r" was no such possibility.
RIng would know. when he missed
her in the morning. whore she had
gone: he would not know why. bul hC
would not be impatient TO know over
that-and If he should particular,
want her there did exist a secret mean,
of communication between Sc two
places. known only to themselves. h,
which he could call to her.
Katherine slept.
Within the great house Conrad Bel
knap also SISpt-in the depths of BIZ
chair that 4 had pulled across th,
floor until " confronted the bathroom
door beyond which he believed tina
Roberta had locked herself away from
him.
Aud thus. upon entering softly Ro
bprta discovered him.
Flint and Steel
D OBERTA'S entrance. even rhougf