The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1922-06-07
The Lady OF the Night Wind

crime was sure that she caught a
CLINT in Belknap's eyes that manifest
ed chagrin because Roberta had
avoided him.
However, she did not escape with
out giving Belknap an opportunity
for a word with her, and without a
glance in his direction, although he
did rise from the swinging piazza
chair, as if to approach her.
The Arches were the next to leave;
then the Clanceys; and as they passed
into the house -Belknap lighted a fresh
cigaret, crossed the top of the steps,
and remarked:
"The night is much too fine to turn
in yet. l think TIL take q stroll"
He disappeared down n OF the
paths, thus leaving Harvard and his
wife alone.
go TO bed if you like, Catherine"
Bing remarked. "Tn sit here a while
longer-possibly I'll wait for Belknap.
/ don't feel like gring in just yet"
Katherine, who had risen at the be-
| ginning Of his speech, started a trifle
as she bent forward to kiss her hus,
band good-night-and then assuming
that his remark about waiting for
Belknap had been merely a casual
one, an excuse rather than a purpose,
she went inside.
Instantly, when she had gained the
shaded walk, he was all ~alertness.
The instructive dislike that he felt
toward Belknap had ~crystalized into a
settled one during the week just
past-and he had not a reason in the
world that he could call by name to
account for it.
But the fact troubled him; also it
had made him supersensitive to every
surrounding condition, and super
watchful of the little things that hap
pened-and he had made up his mind
to be the last one in the house to go
to bed that night, with no reason
whatever for the decision.
Nor did he become alert because of
any accountable reason when he en-
tered the shadows of the grounds;
rather, it was the alertness of habit,
inculcated during the Night Wind
days, and never quite abandoned since
then.
Like every other member of the
household, he was conscious OF the
charm of Senorita Cervantez, and un-
der the spell of her marvellous skill
/. upon the piano; also, like the others.
I although a little more so because
more sensitive in that respect, he re
sented the unkindness of the fate thai
had deprived her of the power OF
speech. 1t seemed monStrous to hin
-unbelievably preposterous-a trav-
esty; and he had found it difficult tt
= keep his eyes away from her.
Thus, while studying her with M
e other incentive than sympathy ant
admiration, but nevertheless watch
ing her covertly, he had seen-well
a other things that he had not sought
little, nameiess, unimporJant trlv
S ialities, chiefest among which was tn
impression he received of her sup
pressed-but to him apparent-con
d seriousness of Belknap.
= Outwardly she seemed almost to le
: more him-to be less aware OF mn
than Of any other gentleman IN Tn
. party; and yet Bing felt, rather tina
n was conscious of it, that the man OIL
d not utter a word that Senorlta Gel
/. vantez did not near the register-tha
% the man did not make a move, how
ever natural, simple or unlmportan'
l. that Senorita Cervantez did not, b
some occult constituencies, anticipate.
Perhaps it was partly because Bin
70 was also ~covertly watchful OF Be
it KNAPP, although unconscious of it, ths
he saw and took account Of such hal
t. penings-if there were such; and
was by no mea sure on that pom
He did not go around to the SIC
IN steps of the veranda and descend
the path for the definite purpose
watching Belknap; in reality he hs
no thought of such a purpose when |
= started.
~ Nevertheless, it was his purpos
Just the same-and before he T
turned to the house and sought h
~ bed, he had found a reason for mo-
az puzzling surmises anent the tn
~ character and calling, and the. und
- veloped purposes of Mr.. Conrad Be
KNAPP.
VI Katherine was restless also.
She did not retire when she h;
prepared herself for bed. Instea
after a moment of bordering, she p
~ on a daintily embroidered neglig
IL over her night dress, extinguished t
u lights in her room, and stepp
50 through the open French window
her private balcony.
~ She had at the moment no 9th
IS thought than to sit, quiescent, in t
starlight night and think upon h
e, p~erplexities; but, it'll the instant
stepping outside, with the black bac
iel ground of the darkened window h
=. hind her, and the starlight and wa
n1 ing moonbeams upon the g~arden-li
al grounds of inquest beneath her. 81
"a too, became alert and watchful.
az Midnight-and After.
- She saw the figure of a man star
ing without motion just within t
iiui deep shadow cast by the thit
:, boughed balsam that grew near
Jus one of the paths, and a spark of Zig