The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1921-12-22


my dear cousin" smiled the judge
blandly, "the alternative is his con.
finement for the remainder of his life
In public asylum for the insane"
"You cannot mean it !" cried Hester;
but the judge only shrugged his shoul.
ders and said: sTime flies. Bid Cliff.
ford come to me-" and Hester turned
and went slowly up the stair and
knocked at her brothers door. and
called. None answered. After long
waiting, she knocked again; then she
undid the door and entered-the cham
Der was empty.
Back she ran down the stair, calling
frantically:
Clifford is gone! Help, Jeffrey
Pyncheon! Some harm will come tc
him." She ran through the hall, call
ing and searching for him. When She
approached the parlor door again, Cliff
ford stood In the door, coming from
within. He pointed his finger bach
into the room.
"Come Hepzibah I" he cried with
wild gesture. "The weight is gone
from us We can sing and laugh. now
Aye! we can be as light-hearted as
little Phoebe herself"
Horror-stricken at his looks and mo.
lions, Hepzibah slipped past him into
the parlor. Almost Immediately she
returned-a cry choking in her throat
my Godl" she cried, "What will be
come of us!"
"Come with me-" cried Clifford,
still with that wild gayety. "Put on
your cloak and hood, take your purse
with money in it, and comet"
Still with that wild gayety so foreign
to him, Clifford led the way, first to the
depot-where he made her take the
train-when they left it at an out-of.
the-way station, still leading, he drift.
ed away with her into the cold, sullen
mist.
With the day came many people tc
the cent-shop; but none gained admit.
lance; but when Phoebe came, the gar.
den-door opened for her. A hand
clasped hers and she was led into the
disused reception room. The sun
streamed in through the uncurtained
windows and she saw her companion
was HOlgrave.
He told her the judge was dead-in
the same manner as his ancestor etc
whom God had given blood to drink y
He convinced her that the uncle fol-
whose supposed murder Clifford had
suffered for thirty years had died in
the same fashion.
"Ne must not hide it a moment
longer" cried Phoebe. Clifford is in.
nocent! God will make it manifest
Let us throw the door wide and call
the neighbors to see the truth"
"Wait" begged Holgrave. 'Phoebe,
in all our lives there can never be an.
other moment like this. Is it all ter.
ror? Are you conscious of no joy, as
am, that has made this the only point
of life worth living for?"
at seems a SIM" faltered Phoebe,
ito speak of Joy at such time"
"Phoebe," cried HOlgrave, before
you came, my past was lonely and
dreary-my future seemed a shapeless
gloom. With you came hope, warmth
and joy. l love you, Phoebe. Do you
love me?"
"Look into my heart" said Phoebe.
dropping her eyes. "You know / love
you"
At that moment the mingled voices
of Hepzibah and Clifford came to
them. Phoebe and her lover went to
meet them. Hepzibab, when she saw
them, burst into tears-Clifford smiled
and murmured that the Rose Of Eden
had bloomed in the old house at last.
BY the death of Judge Pyncheon,
Clifford and Phoebe became
rich. They decided to live at the
judges country place. At the very
of departure, through Cliff
ford's troubled mind drifted a recollec-
ton of the time when. a mere boy, he
had discovered the secret spring which
caused the portrait of the colonel (be-
fore which they stood), to swing for
a recess wherein
were important papers. But he had for
gotten the secret of the spring.
perhaps / can recall it." said Hol-
grave. and touched the spring.
1t was much rusted and therefore,
when released, the portrait tumbled to
to the floor. There was the recess
and there the title-deeds to vast Indian
jeffrey Pyncheon's missing
"But how came you to know the Sc
cret of the spring." Phoebe asked of
Holgrave, apart.
my dearest Phoebe smiled Hol-
grave, show will 1t please you to take
the name of Maule? This secret is the
only Inheritance that has come down
to me from that ancestor. When
Thomas, son of Wizard Maule, built
this house, he took the opportunity to
construct this recess and hide away
those title-deeds. I would have told
you this before, but feared to brighten
you"
Phoebes smile forgave him; and as
tbair On rr;o oa rollad awov the old