Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1919-10-02
THE LADY EVELYN

A Story of Today
BY MAX PEMBERTON

almost number them as she sat upon
her bed. rejecting upon this astound-
ing encounter, the threat OF 1t, and
its Just consequences. When she left
Derbyshire she had no thought Of dis.
covery, nor imagined 1t to be possible
Not a soul knew her by sight, she
said. She had spent her days in a
convent in France. and after that as
very prisoner in her fathers house.
Why, then, should she fear recogni.
ton? None the less did recognition
stand upon the threshold. This for
eigner she believed to be already in
possession Of her story. How he
had gained knowledge Of it, and what
use he would make Of 1t, she felt alb
solutely unable to say. Sufficient that
malign destiny had brought her face
to face and called her to decide in.
stantly as difficulty an issue as es-
capade ever put before woman.
"He knows my name; he knows my
father" she argued; IF he does not
come to our house, he has some good
reason for not doing so. In any case.
must not stop here. Oh, my dear
Mr.. lizard, what will you say tonight?
And poor dear Di Vernon, poor dear
Di Vernon. whoever will take care OF
herf"
J She laughed aloud at her own
thoughts, and jumping up impulsively
she gathered her things together as
though for journey, though she had
not the remotest idea whittier she
would go or how she would act. A
church clock striking the hour Of sew
en- reminded her that the hours were
brief and that she must make the best
use Of them. Had she been a man she
might have remembered that II this
intruder knew her fathers name, he
would very quickly discover her faith
er's house, his rank, and the story OF
his life. But she was not even a wom-
an, scarcely more than schoolgirl,
in fact, and terror of the present be-
regard to the future. She must flee
the house and the mystery without
an instant's loss of time. Nothing else
must count against the prudence of
this course All the little things she
had collected in London, the clothes
she had bought there, these must be
abandoned. Eta, indeed, carried
nothing but her light dust-cloak and
her purse when she left the house az
half-past seven.
II must write to dear old Mrs. Wegg
and make her a present" she said;
"she can send my things to st. Pan
cras Station to be called for. II
don't go to the theatre, Mary Jay will
play my part. Perhaps the poor girl
will make her fortune. It's an i'll
wind no, horrid wind
and, oh, do wish 1t would blow me
home again!"
| From which it will be seen that
the idea Of "home" crept already into
her dizzy head and attracted her
strangely. There is always an after.
math Of Jest, however bold that Jest
may be. Eta realized this dimly
though all the impressions of the
theatre, its glamour and its triumphs
were too new to her to permit of any
serious rival. She feared discovery
simply for her fathers sake. To him
the theatre stood for very pit of all
that was most evil. He had, from the
days of her childhood, dreaded a day
which would awaken a mothers in
stincts in Eta and tell him that she
had inherited her mothers genius as
an actress. For such reason above
others, he made recluse of her. For
such reason loving her passionately,
he sent her to the convent school and
guarded her almost as prisoner Of
his house. Eta knew that he dis.
liked the theatre greatly; but she nev-
er had his reasons, and was unaware
OF her dead mothers story. Had she
known 1t, this mad escapade would
never have taken place.
She left the house In Bedford
Square at halfpast seven furtively
and not little afraid. She had al
ready determined to keep her own Sc.
cret, and to that intention she ad.
hered resolutely. Crossing the Square
with quick steps, she stood an instant
at the corner to make sure that no
one followed her. When her sus-
picions upon this point we're at rest,
she called the first hanson cab she
could see and told the man to drive
her to st. Pancras Station.
"And please, to stop at a telegraph
office on the way" she said.
The journey had been fully deter
mined upon by this time, and she no
longer found herself irresolute. 1t
} cost her much to send Charles lizard
her farewell message; but she did i,
courageously, as one who knew that
1t must be done. How or why Count
Odin had crossed her path she could
not say; but her clever little head
grappled instantly with that turn Of
destiny and determined to defeat 1t.
None could harm her In her home In
Derbyshire, she said and to
Derbyshire she determined to go.
| When she entered the. post-office
and had dispatched her kilograms, she
felt as one from whose weak shoul.