The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1922-06-21
By vARTcK vANARDY Author Of
s'The Two-Faced Man" "Alias the
Night Wind" etc.

seated herself 20 write the note as
soon a she got to her room.
why not she asked herself,
meditating upon boldly seeking
Katherine's room, into which she had
already several times penetrated by
invitation and tapping on the door.
" will-yes, will pretend that / saw
a man proving in the gardens below
and am frightened, and perhaps
that is, pOssibly-she will talk
So without turning on her own
lights she went out and glided like a
spirit toward the door to Kattherine's
bedroom.
She had reached it, she had lifted
her hand to rap UPTON the panel, when
that indefinable sixth sense which.
without conscious sound, warns us of
the nearness of another person, made
her withhold her hand; and with the
same impulse she sprang away from
the door and c~rouched, hiding behind
the solid back of one Of the big chairs
that thanked Katherineis doorway on
either side.
/ Then she held her breath in star
tied, half-frightened uncertainty.
Approaching swiftly along the wide
hall, arrayed In negiigee and with
slippered feet, and with something
grasped tightly in one of her hands,
came Betty; and Betty's errand she
knew was probably the same as her
own-to make a midnight call on
Katherine.
Betty, she well knew, had a habit
OF seeing things; there was little that
escaped her.
Discovery. was almost certain, and
iyet-
Nighttime Complications.
Intent as the 4s~enorita was upon OBJ
serving the approach and preparing
herself for the encounter, she was
not aware that a third person had ap
peared upon the scene until she saw
Betty stop, hesitate, dart aside, seize
the knob of the door that was nearest
to her, open the door swiftly, and dis.
appear beyond it. betty, it must bt
borne in mind, was almost as much
at home in that house, and quite a;
familiar with its interior, as wa:
Katherine herself. She knew wha-
rooms were occupied and what were
not).
At the instant when Betty passet
out of sight, the ~senerita becam,
aware of the third person, and SIT
crouched still lower behind the high
backed chair in the dimly-lighte,
: hall.
Belknap-for it was he-was walk
ing swiftly but stealthily.
Ii was apparent that he had a def
l mite purpose, and the watching sen
: orita could not doubt what that pur
pose was-an interview with herself
Was the man mad to attempt sue
a thing? To dare to approach he
door in the middle of the night an
summon her to it? To risk the be
trayal of both-of their completely Il?
t She could see, when he went pas
S her hiding place without discoverin
S her, the marks upon his face wher
thorns had scratched it, and she moi
S ed the absence of collar and tie an
e his general d~isheveled appearance
e and also she believed that Betty wa
d watching him through a crack of tn
n doorway Of the rooms in which sh
had hidden herself.
Betty, of course, could see the me-
e go to Senorita Cervantez's door ar
mo matter what was destined
happen after that-would form HI
own conclusions.
le Something had to be done, an
done at once to offset them. The
n was not a moment-not an instant
to be wasted, and So
" The senorita darted from her hi
T. ing place as soon as Belknap h
s passed her. She seized the oppo
n tunity when Betty would be abs0rbI
ID in watching Belknap and moved Il
g chair ever so little, and so was {
- rectly at Katherine's door. s.
pressed her body closely against
~ thankful that the embrasure of it w
8 almost deep enough to conceal h
& unless an observer stood well o
4 into the hall.
Il Then-not too loudly; not Wi
8 force enough, she hoped, to attrs
8 the attention of Betty, who was CO
cealed behind a door that was neal
s tight closed, or of Belknap, who
own motion and footballs might pl
3 vent him from hearing-she tapp
3 against the panel.
z The door was opened instantly,
3 that, pressing against it as she h
g been, the senorita literally stumbI
q into the room and against Katheri
& who had been passing it at the 4
3 ment of the summons and had pull
1t open quickly.
The senorita was really start
into the appearance of fright.
had meant to play the part; but
3 did not need to, because she lool
1sA it; and yet she was none tke less CT
resourceful and competent.
- She gasped-in that whisper.
manner Of one who is without vol
~ she turned like a flash, seized
door, closed it, turned the key in
lock and leaned against the barr
with every appearance of one who
on the point of utter collapse. II
she succeeded i nfrightening Katk
inc m~omentarily which she had me
to do.
why, senorita! What
Katherine got no further, for
berta seized her by both arms
clasped her tightly; she put her
close to -Ka&keTiness ear; she
ciaiined in that breathlessly e
whisper Of her adoption:
NHnwwlmr~f Nh M~o uo~uS.