Williams news., 1922-12-22

Nt man of hers lying maimed and broken, a battered, whimpering. ineffective thing in the moonlight of some distant hillside. The vision brought knowledge to her. Even more clearly than in the second of their kiss. before he had gone to see Hudson. she realized what an immutable part of her he was She gazed with growing horror at Dave's leering face "Where Is her" she asked. She remembered. with singular steadfastness, the pistol she had con- cealed in her own room.
 "IU show you. If you want to get him in you'd better bring the old hag with you. It'll take two of you to car ry him."
 "I'n come," the old woman said from across the shadowed room. She spoke with a curious breathlessness. "Tll go at once"
 The door closed behind the three of them. and they went out into the moon lit forest. Dave walked first It was wholly characteristic of him that he should find a degenerate rapture in showing these two women the terrible handiwork of the Turner's. He re jofced in just this sort of cruelty. Lin- da had no suspicion that this excur- sion was only a pretext to get the two women away from the house, and that his eagerness arose from deeper causes. It was true that Dave exulted in the work, and strangely the fact that 1t was part of the plot against Bruce had been almost forgotten in the face of greater emotion. He was alone in the darkness with Linda except of course for a helpless old woman-and the command of Simon In regard to his attitude toward her seemed suddenly dim and far away. He led them over a hill, into the deeper forest.
 So intent was he that he quite failed to observe a singular little signal be tween old Elmira and Linda. The wo- man half turned about, giving the girl an instant's glimpse of something that she transferred from her breast to her sleeve. It was slender and of steel, and it caught the moonlight on its shining surface.
 The girls eyes glittered when she beheld it. She nodded, scarcely per ceptibly, and the strange file plunged deeper into the shadows.
 Fifteen minutes later Dave drew up to halt in little patch of moonlight,
  brush.
 There's more than one way to make a date for a walk with a pretty girl" he said.
 The girl stared coldly into his eyes. What do you mean?' she asked.
 The man laughed harshly. 'T mean that Bruce ain't got back yet-he's still on the other side of Little river, for all know-'
 ''Then why did you bring us here?"
 Just to be sociable," Dave returned. "I'Il tell you, Linda I wanted to talk to you. I ain't been In favor of a lot of things Simon's been doing-to you and your people. I thought maybe you and I would like to be-friends.'
 No one could mistake the emotion behind the strained tone, the peculiar languor in the furtive eyes, The girl drew back, shuddering. 'I'm going back" she told him.
 "Wait. I'll take you back soon. Let's have kiss and make friends. The old lady won't look"
 He laughed again. a hoarse sound that rang far through the silences. He moved toward her, hands reaching. She backed away. Then she half-tripped over an outstretched root.
 The next instant she was in his arms, struggling against their steel. She didn't waste words in pleading sob caught at her throat, and she fought with ell her strength against the drawn, nearing face. She had for gotten Elmira; in this dreadful mo- ment of terror and danger the old wo- mans broken strength seemed too little to be of aid. And Dave thought her as helpless to oppose him as the tall pines that watched from above them.
 His wild laughter obscured the single sound that she made, a strange cry that seemed lacking in all human quail ity. Rather it was such a sound as puma utters as it leaps upon it's prey. It-was the articulation of R whole life