Evening star., 1921-09-07
BY ISABEL OSTRANDEF

lnat sunday night, do you remem Der?
I'd come for bit or a chat with him.
SELF and he brought mo in here to you.
You were sitting at that desk over
there writing a letter and as I stepped
up to You to shake hands looked
down; l don't know what made me,
for I hadn't a thought Of the truth.
He paused. '"rhe words you had writ
ten stared up at me as though they
were In letters Of flame and knew
the writing: I'd been looking for 1t
ever since certain note came into
my hands with seven words at the
potion Of IT, accept. Expect me
half past H.
"of course, I'd known from the
minute stood beside that supper
table In the other house that a woman,
ana not q man. had been there; the
remains OF that supper showed that 1t
had been light and fancy. not at all
the sort of stuff for the hearty appe-
titas Of two men. and I thought I
could guess what had happened. but
wasn't sure. When knew who the
woman was I couldn't think at first
why she had done It. There was some
one who thought could tell me, but
but I got no hint from his lips. I
think the whole story Of 1t is clear
IT wonder If it is?'' she said slowly.
You know the old. reckless. gambling
strain In the blood Of both John and
me, Mr.. McCarty."
The fine old sporting strain!" he
exclaimed. Tell me why you did it.
II am trying to do so." she replied
We're as poor as church mice, you
know. The rents at home were getting
lower and lower and the dear old
castle tumblfng down about our ears.
!onn mad q wild idea about coming to
Amerlca and getting rich/as quickly
as some millionaires do here. and so
we came and got in with Mr.. Cutter
and all that set. loved the cards,
too; the gambling fever was strong In
me as wei! as In him. Soon I was
oesp IN debt and couldn't hear to
leH MIN, for he had lost also. and the
disgrace-of 1t stared me in the face.
sleeping and waking! -
The man who-Who died in h;s
study that night had been yery Kind
did not realize that it was all part
OF game. q horrible, vile game
v,nis. Maien none OF my sort had ever
In. he offered to lend me money and
l Was weak enough. to accept, it. 7
gave him notes, of course, and I AL
ways hoped to win back enough to
pay him, but lost instead; he saw
to that! When I was in too deep to
extricate myself he put on the screws
ana ] was .desperatei 4 knew that
John would never forgive me II he
knew, and there was no one to whom
could turn. He-that man-de.
with him: he said he had a PROPOSE.
tton to make whereby I could repay
MIN. ana he was SO plausible that I
nalf believed him, yet was afraid,
He said II I came that I should
nave my notes back; that he would
trust to my word, andsat last /. con-
| sented. He sent pefemptory mes-
sage summontng me. and went, but
took the pistol with me; 1t was one
tnat servant Of ours had carried
In the warm.and left here when he
went west. -
II stole like thief out Of my own
mousse and down the avenue to his
/ and made a pretense Of eating the
supper which: was laid out even
amber holder broke in my fingers. It
was after sunpsf. In the study, that
ne laid his cards on the table and
I mad no choice. was alone with
him, and 1t meant his life. against
You understand now. don't YOU. MI:
"Yes"- He nodded very srayely
All n9t about that. nine OF dia-
That card! You found itr' She
away. 1T was q lucky card, q mas
cot which Mr.. Weverly had given nae.
/. knew Its history; once before. the
words no quarter had been, written
acrossa the face Of It and took Il
with me t9 show that. man.. IT, his
,ntentions, toward me were really as
black rs feared. that l., too. would
give no quar- rtar! I dad show 1t to
him. but he. e.countered. by showing me
nay promisSory. notes and telling me
that in the morning they would be
In. my ehuebend's. hands IL L did not
surrender. The card fall to tttes floor,
to- toe; e lsy y sat my feet fsst 7 loDksd down e
thinking what waa doing, and. II
was stained with his blood! A sort
Of horror seized me then and I thrust
1t under something, don't know
pistol beside his hsnd and stumbled
IF got homo; don't remember any
thing until I. found myself In my
own room. and all that had passed
since I 1eftIit seemed like q friGktfal
l.And that's AL II 4; Lady Psgsy. a
forSet when you're back In the old
country again" McCarty said softly.
'Oh. what q friend you are!" Her
eyes,weFes shining as she turned them
to his once more. but why didn't
you denounee mef Why didn't you
spaak. when. you u@knew?- It.wax Eo,ir
duty: you were an oficer Of the Iaw!s
.~The law that man has made, may
boz but there's = higher law than fhat,
and By 1t you were Justified. 81 He:
pensad and s1aded Nhimp6 a3ay:
roGld. II 70 back on MY oWm4 6nsfA;
yrtSA t0os feegy r. .sfs.s !:
Z