The Raymer enterprise., 1921-10-13

AUG 1yluuA uUWt
That Is what I propose to ind
out tonight" answered Hugh. "We
have staged q little comedy for Peter
sons especial benefit, and we are hop
Ing for the best"
"Oh, boy. do be carefull" She
looked at him anxiously. "rd never
forgive myself II anything happened
to you. I'd feel It was all due to
me. and Just couldn't bear It"
Dear little GIRL" he whispered ten
derly, you're simply adorable when
you look like that. But not even for
you would l back out Of this show
now" His mouth set In grim line.
"It's gone altogether too far, and
they've shown themselves to be 90
completely beyond the pale that It's
got to be fought out. And when It
has been" he caught both her hands
In his "and we've won
why then. girl O mine. we'll
get Peter Darrell to be best man."
Which was the cue for the COM
mencement Of the last and longest
interlude. terminated only by the sud-
den and unwelcome appearance Of a
notorious covered within and with
out BY unromantic sightseers, and
paper-bags containing bananas.
They drove slowly back to Guild
ford, and on the way he told her brief
" Of the murder Of the Americans
secretary In Belfast, and his inter-
view the preceding afternoon with
the impostor at the Carlton.
TITS tough proposition" he re-
marked quietly. They're absolutely
without scruple. and their power
seems unlimited. I know they are
after the duchess Of Lampshire's
pearls: / found the beautiful Irma
consuming tea with young Laidley
yesterday-you know, the dukes eld-
est son. But there's something more
In the wind than that, Phyllis-some-
thing which, unless I'm mug Of the
first water, Is an infinitely larger
proposition than that"
The car drew up at the station,
and he strolled with her to the plat
form. Then the train came In, and
he put her into a carriage. And two
minutes later. with the touch Of her
lips warm on his, and her anxious
little cry, "Take care, my darling!-
take care!" still ringing In his ears, he
got into his car and drove off to an
hotel to get an early dinner.
FOUR.
At a quarter to ten he backed his
car into the shadow Of some trees
not far from the gate Of The Elms.
Save for a light in the sitting-room
and one in bedroom upstairs. the
front Of the house was In darkness,
and, treading noiselessly on the turf,
he explored all round 1t. There was
one bedroom light at the back Of the
house, and thrown on the blind he
could see the shadow of man. As
he watched, the man got up and
moved away. only to return In mo-
ment or two and take up his old POSI-
tion.
"It's one Of those two bedrooms,
he muttered to himself, III he's here
at ALL"
Then he crouched in the shadow of
some shrubs and waited. Through
the trees to his right he could see The
Larches, and once, with a sudden
qulckening Of his heart, he thought he
saw the outline Of the girl show up
In the light from the drawing-room.
But 1t was only for a second, and
then 1t was gone.
He peered at his watch: It was Just
ten o'clock. The trees were creaking
gently In the faint wind; all around
him the strange night nolses-noises
which play pranks with a mans
nerves-were whispering and mutter-
Ing. Bushes seemed suddenly to come
to life. and move; eerie shapes
crawled over the ground toward
him-figures which existed only In
his imagination. And once again the
thrill Of the night stalker gripped
him.
He remembered the German who
had lain motionless for an hour Ii q
little gully by Hebuterne. while he
from behind a stunted bush had tried
to locate him. And then that one
creak as the Boche had moved his leg.
And then the end. On that
night. too. the little hummocks had
moved and taken to themselves
strange shapes: fifty times he had
imagined he saw him; fifty times he
knew he was wrong-in time. He
was used to It: the night held no
terrors for him. only a fierce excite
ment. And thus It was that as he
crouched In the bushes, waiting for
the game to start, his pulse was as
normal. and his nerves as steady as
II he had been sitting down to supper.
The only difference was that in his
hand he held something tlght-gripped.
At last family In the distance he
heard the hum Of car. Rapidly It
grew louder, and he smiled grlmly to
himself as the sound Of five unme-
lodIous voices singing Justify struck
his ear. They passed along the road
In front Of the house. There was
sudden crash.-fhpn sIlpnce h,,t onIv