The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-06-29
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covered, and the little world of Scot
land Yard pigeon-holed the mystery,
while the larger world forgot all
about it. Y
Meantime, with sense of secret
relief, Mark Brendon prepared to
face what had sprung out of these
incidents, while permitting the
events themselves to pass from his
present interests. There remained
Jenny Pcndean and his mind was
deeply preoccupied with her.
Indeed, apart from the daily toll
of work, she filled it to the eXclu-
sion of every other personal consid-
Grafton. He longed unspeakably to
see her again, for though he had
ccrresponded during the progress of
his inquiries and kept her closely in
formed Of everything that he was
doing, the excuse for these commun-
ications no longer existed. She had
acknowledged every letter, but herr
| replies were brief and she had given
him no information concerning her
self, or her future intentions,
though he had asked her to do so.
One item of information only had
she vouchsafcd and he learned that
she was finishing the bungalow to
her husbands original plan and then
seeking a possible customer to take
over her lease. She wrote:
II cannot see Dartmoor again, for
it means my happiest as we'll as my
most unhappy hours. shall never
| be so happy again and, hope, never
suffer SO unspeakably as l have dur
ing the recent past"
| He turned over this sentence
many times and considered the
weight of every word. He conclud-
ed from it that Jenny Pendean,
while aware that her greatest joys
were gone forever, yet looked for
ward to time when her present de-
ISOLATION might give place to a truer
tranquility and content.
The fact that this should be so,
however, astonished Brendon. He
judged her words were perhaps i'll
chosen and that she implied swift
er return to peace than in reality
would occur. He had guessed that
u year at least, instead of merely
these four months, must pass be-
fore her terrible sorrow could begin
to dim. Indeed he felt sure of it
and concluded that he was reading
an implication into this pregnant
sentence that she had never intend
ed it to carry. He longed to see her
and was just planning how to do so,
when chance offered an opportunity.
Brendon was called to arrest two
Russians, due to arrive at Plymouth
from New York upon day in mid
December; and having identified
them and testified to their previous
activities in England, he was free
for while. Without sending any
warning, he proceeded to Dart
mouth, put up there that night, and
started, at nine o'clock on the fol-
lowing morning, to walk to "Crow's
Nest"
His heart beat hard and two
thoughts moved together in it, for
not only did he intensely desire to
sec the widow but also had a wish
to surprise the little community on
The cliff for another reason. Still
some vague suspicion held his mind
that Bendigo Redmayne might be
assisting his brother. The idea was
shadowy, yet he had never wholly
lost it and more than once con-
templated such surprise visit as Ahc
| was now about to pay.
| Suspicion, however, seemed to d.
minish as he assembled great heights
west of the river estuary; and when
within the space of two hours he
had, reached a place from which
"Crow's Nest" could be seen, perch
ed between the cliff heights and
gray wintry sea, nothing but the
anticipated vision of the woman
held his mind.
He came ignorant of the startling
events awaiting him, little guessing
how both the story of his secret
dream and the chronicle of the
quarry crime were destined to be
advanced by great incidents before
the day was done.
His road ran over the cliffs and
about him swept brown and naked
fields under the winter sky. Here
and there mewing gull flew over
head and the only sign of other life
was ploughman crawling behind
his horses, with more sea fowl flut-
tering in his wake.
Brendon came at last to white
gate facing on the highway and
found that he had reached his des-
tination. Upon the gate "Crow's
Nest" was written in letters stamp
cd upon a bronze plate, and above
1T rose post with receptacle for
holding lamp at night The road
to the house fell steeply down and,
far beneath, he saw the flagstaff
and the tower room rising above the
dwelling.
II A bleakness and melancholy SEEM
ed to encompass the SPOT on this.
sombre day. The wind sighed and
sent tremor of light through the
dead grass; the horizon was invisi-
bic, for mist concealed it; and from
, the low and ash-colored vapor the
: sea crePt out with it's monotonous, ]
myriad 'wavelets flecked here and
there by a feather of foam.
AS he descended Brendon saw a
man at work in the garden setting
up two-foot barrier Of woven wire.
I, 1t was evidently intended to keep
the rabbits from the cultivated flow
er beds which had been dug from
the green slope of the coomb. >
CONTINUED in Our Next Issue)