The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1924-05-02
CHAPTER xl-continued.


ing from them, appeared the uppe
body and face of Jasper Haigl
The new Adelaide Rutherfor,
crouched for the moment, covering he
white face with her bloodless hands
She heard the heavy footsteps of tn,
man who had been with her pas
across the room TO the body upon tn,
noor-the body with the white fac,
and the smile-still that oblique smile
OF the celebrated and wonderfully
nstute lawyer, the manager of thu
Gorgam Trust.
And as she looked up, she knew
with terror that he must be dead. fol-
she saw the great brute who now
stood over him, lift him and drop him
back
Then suddenly he stopped and lis
tened. And Mary Manchester listened
with him. Outside the door, back In
the hallway of the house. there was a
low sound of dog growing, and of
whispering. The servants were there
beyond that fastened door, waiting,
no doubt wondering what to do-and
as yet doing nothing
And now another change came over
the speaker-his voice and manner
hardening.
Don't come in," he said calmly, ad-
dressing the closed door and holding
his revolver at attention. 'It'll be bad
for you.
'Why bring them?" he asked, now
reasoning with Mary Manchester.
Rank outsiders Innocent It's got
us. You and me-and this" he said,
alluding to Joseph Haig. land the one
that's coming. It's got us-it was
certain to from the first-it planned
to. You can't help that-you can't
stop it, said the speaker And now,
his mind turning In a new direction,
he started cursing the Gorgam Trust.
Mary Manchester could see now
quite certainly that the Trust, that I'm
material thing, had grown more real
and more terrible in the lmmaterial re-
gion where this wild Imagination lived
now than any actual breathing thing
a great enemy. stalking him, which he
feared and hated as nothing else.
1T gets US. It's moved us around"
he asserted. you and me and all the
rest, just where 1t wants to. First it's
that" he said, I'm brief aIlusion to the
figure on the floor again. Next it will
be him." he explained, and glanced
with pleasure and expectation toward
the door into the private entrance.
facing which they now stood waiting
"1'hen 1t will be your turn-and then
mine
But there's this one thing, too
you may not see," he went on. lowering
his voice now to more confidential
pitch--as If the Gorgam Trust stood
there behind them somewhere in the
room. when it's done-it's done, with
us; when we go out. 1t goes out too !"
He spoke now in voice touched by
a kind Of ecstasy-the voice of one
who stands on a pinnacle of high emo
tons. of intense thought, with all the
petty motives of life put behind him.
And Mary Manchester, watching him,
debated what she should do-could do.
Could she. if she would, convey to
those outside the cumbrous expana-
ton Of the one thing which must be
donc-how to prevent the entrance Of
this man she and the other watcher
now expected?
In spite of her hurrying thoughts, the
girl herself sat perfectly silent-still
unresistng. waiting for the
execution of her plan, the thing she
had definitely decided would be best
for her TO do now. Certainly, she rea-
soned having brought this man here TO
help her. she and no one else was re-
sponsible-and should take the risk
Tie least that she now could do was
to prevent his murder. She waited. lis |
tenlng-to the growing puzzled murmur
outside the hallway door. the occasion
ii protests Of the dog, the sound of |
the heavy. even breathing of the man
beside her. Then all at once the one
particular sound that she waited for
came She heard the sound of some
'ne moving behind the side door-the
ioor Of the personal entrance Of old
Daniel GorgHm to his study. AT last,
he knew, 1t was time for her to act
There are certain advantages which
ypmen have, even In a time of vio-
ence. She was lighter. quicker-sensed,
more responsive to her nervous inn
'ulses. one might say, than this great
,rute beside her. She heard first; she
moved first: and when the key was
urning In the lock of old Daniel Cor
ANS private door. on the other side
girl with disheveled hair and fright
ned voice was beating on the panels,
nd crying out In wild warning:
Keep out--keep out-keep out He
vill kill you He will kill you'll de
vill kill you -
CHAPTER XII