The Holly chieftain., 1923-04-19

live. Harry, have you never seen 1
picture with the numbers printed in
below like that? Can't you guess yet
where your father must have sent for
that picture? Don't you know what
those numbers mean?"
"What do they meanT
"They are the figures of his num-
ber 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 murder!"
"For which he was convicted and
sentenced"
"Sentencedw
yes; and is alive now only because
before the sentence could be carried
out, he escaped. That man, Philip
Eaton. is Hugh"
"Hugh!"
Hugh Overton, Harryp
"Hugh Overtonl"
"Yes; found 1t out today. The
police have just learned 1t, too. was
coming to tell your father. He's
Hugh Overton, the murderer of Mat
thew Latronl
"No; mol"
"Yes, Harry; for this man is GER
tainly Hugh Overton."
ut isn't so! / know 1t isn't sol"
"You mean he told you he was
some one else. HarryY
"No; I mean" She faced him de-
! Hont1v NTofhor Iat v,,o Eoo,, Tho ,ho
tograph. asked him, and he said,
DO whatever you wish with It, He
knew meant to keep It'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 1t.
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 few minutes
before, had been disturbed and fright
ened at feeling 1t to be kind Of pic
ture unfamiliar to her and threatening
her with something unknown and ter.
rible. She knew the reason now for a
score of things Hugh had said to her,
for the way he had looked many times
when she had spoken to him. 1t ex-
planned 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 murdererl
Her hands dropped from her face;
she threw her head back proudly and
trlumphantly. as she faced now both
Avery and her father.
| HE, the murderer Of Mr.. Latron I"
she cried quietly. ut isn't sol"
The blino man was very pale; he
was fully dressed A servant had sup
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
passlon-under the present circum-
stances-terrified her. Stronger, far
more inscontrol 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
she or anyone else could say would
alter that decision and that he would
employ his every power In acting
upon 1t.
| 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 walt for me outside Har.
riet?" he 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-asking question; she heard
the sound of Avery's response. She
started back nearer the door and put
her hand on 1t to open It; inside they
were still talking. She caught Avery's
tone more clearly now, and 1t sudden.
1v fprriflad her She drew hack FROM