The Dolores star., 1923-05-04

=
that picture? Don't you know what
those numbers meanT"
what do they meanT'
"They are the figures of his num-
| Der In what Is called The Rogues
| Gallery And they mean he has com
mitted crime and been tried and
convicted Of 1t; they mean in this case
that he has committed a murder"
"a murderi"
"For which he was convicted and
sentenced"
Sentenced!
YES; and Is alive now only because
before the sentence could be carried
out, he escaped. Tint man, Philip
Eaton. Is Hugh"
"Hugh!"
Hugh Overton, Harry"
Hugh Overflow"
yes; l found It out today. The
police have just learned It. too. ] was
coming to tell your father. Hei
Hugh Overton. the murderer Of Mat
thew Latron
"No; moi"
ayes, Harry; for this man Is GER
tainly Hugh Overton."
1T isn't sol | know II isn't so!"
'You mean he told you he was
some one else. Harry?'
mo; mean" She faced him de-
family. Father let me keep the pho
tograph. l asked him, and he said,
DO whatever you wish with it. He
knew l meant to keep I'll He knows
who Hugh Is, so he would not have
said that, if-If-"
She heard sound behind her and
turned. Her father had come into
the room. And as she saw his man
ner and his face She knew that what
Avery had just told her was the truth
She shrank away from them. Her
hands went to her face and hid II.
She knew now why 1t was that her
father, on hearing Hugh's voice, had be.
come curious about him, had tried TO
place the voice in his recollection
the voice of prisoner on trial for his
life, heard only for an Instant but
fixed upon his mind by the circum
stances attending 1t, though those cir
cumstanceS afterward had been for
gotten. She knew why she, when she
had gazed at the picture a few minutes
before, had been disturbed and fright
cned at feeling 1t to be kind Of pic
ture unfamiliar to her and threatening
her with something unknown and ter
rible. She knew rhe reason now for q
score Of things Hugh had said to her,
for the way he had looked many times
when She had spoken to him. 1t ex-
plalned all that! 1t seemed to her, in
the moment, to explain everything
except one thing. 1t did not explain
Hugh himself; the kind of man he
was, the kind of man she knew him
to be-the man she loved-he could
not be a murderer
Her hands dropped from her face:
she threw her head back proudly and
triumphantly, as she faced now both
Avery and her father.
He, the murderer Of Mr.. Latron I"
she cried quietly. 1T isn't sol"
The blind man was very pale; he
was fully dressed. A servant had SUD-
ported him and helped him down the
stairs and still stood beside him sus-
tanning him. But the will which had
conquered his disability of blindness
was holding him firmly now against
the disability of his hurts; he seemed
composed and steady. She saw com.
passion for her In his look; and com.
passion-under the present circum-
stances-terrified her. Stronger, far
more in control Of him than his COM
passion for her, she saw purpose. She
recognized that her father had come
to decision upon which he now was
going to act; she knew that nothing
alter that decision and that he would
employ his every power in acting
upon II.
The blind man seemed to check him.
self an instant in the carrying out OF
his purpose; he turned his sightless
eyes toward her. There was emotion
In his look: but, except that this emo
tion was in part pity for her, she
could not tell exactly what his look
expressed.
"Will you wait for me outside Har
riet?" be said to her. II shall not be
| long"
She hesitated; then she felt sud.
denly the futility of opposing him and
she passed him and went out into the
hall. The servant followed her, clos.
Ing the door behind him. She stood
Just outside the door listening. She
heard her father-she could catch the
tone; she could not make out the
words-nsking question; she heard
the sound Of Avery's response. She
started back nearer the door and pu,
her hand on 1t to open 1t inside they
were still talking. She caught Avery's
tone more clearly now, and 1t sudden.
ly terrified her. She drew back from
the door and shrank away. There had
been no opposition to Avery In he,
fathers tone; she was certain now
I b.