The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-11-23

unearthed was the clothing of the common
keeper who had been done to death last
night
Then some one entered the ruin-was
moving about overhead evidently
woman.
The footsteps ceased abruptly, brought to
a sudden halt by the ring of others-the
fast-falling steps Of an excited man, and
that man had no more than come into range
of the woman's vision when the eager voice
of Lady Katharine Fordham cried: "Geoff!
Thank heaven you have come. Why did you
want me to come here and meet you with
out anybody knowing? I'm frightened half
to death!'
care you? His footsteps clicked sharply
as he moved rapidly toward her. you have
not gone so far as I, then, for I believe
have been frightened past death. Come
here, into my arms, and let me hold you
while speak,
"Geoffr'
"Put your arms around me. Kiss mel /
want you to know that ! love you SO well
I'll fight all the dogs of justice and all the
devils of hell but what I'll stand by you and
save you from them, I'll come between them
and you no matter what happens, no matter
what it costs me-life with all the rest.
That's what I've come to tell you! But, oh,
my God, Kathie, why didn't you let me kill
him?"
Kill him, Geoff? Good heavens, what are
you talking about? Kill whom?"
de Louvisan!'
DE Louvisan? Let you kill De Louvisan
i? Oh, my God! Geoff-you-think-
I-killed-killed-him
Geoff groaned and buried his face in his
hands. "There was no one in the house
but you," he said hoarsely. ut was you who
showed me his dead body spiked up there
against the wall-you and you alone. My
God, Kathie! what is the use Of denying
what we both know?"
"You mean this thing? You really and
truly mean it?'
Geoff bowed his head in silent assent.
Still he could not answer.
THAT l met you and took you into Gleer
cottage last night?" she went on. ''Took
you in there and showed you that mans
body? II"
"You showed me into the room where it
was hanging. Or, at least, you waved me to
the door, l waited in that dark room for
fully ten minutes but you never came back.
AfterWard, when l struck a match to light
a cigarette and saw that dead man spiked to
the wall-God! / think | went mad for the
moment. l know ran out of the house, al
though l do not know when nor how; for
when came to my senses l was racing up
and down the right-of-way across the fields.
But all of a sudden / remembered you. l
ran back to the place as fast as l could,
There was a break in the boundary wall. l
got back into the grounds that way, cutting
my wrist. l burst open the rear door and
raced along the passage to the room where
De Louvisan's body hung. You were not
there.
II struck another match to see, noticing
this time that there was the half of a candle
standing upon the mantelpiece. lit it and
ran through all the house, hunting for you.
There was not trace of you anywhere
and at last, in a panic, rushed from the
house. But there was no getting away SO
easily as all that. Lights were shining, men
were coming. remembered the old hollow
tree where we used to play in our kiddy
days, you and /. ran to that and got in
side of it. wah found, and it might have
ended badly for me but for my fathers
friend, Mr. NaFkom."
With a sudden awakening from the sort
of stupor which, up till now, had mastered
her, She flung back: II never was nearer
TO Gleer cottage last night than l am at
this minute, and if you say that met you,
that spoke to you, that l even saw you, or
that you saw me after Ailsa Lorne led me
out of the drawing-room at Clavering Close
when you threatened the Count de Lou
30 aTSc SAVING what is abSOs