The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-03-06

the greatest in~telligences have an
swered no.. To the mind of Adelaide
Rutherford, the absence of her per-
sonal maid and attendant that next
evening, for an evening out, seemed
on its face a very fortunate accident.
and yet was it entirely that? Was
there moi very likely, if all were
known, a purpose behind that actionf
Whether there was or not. It gave
to Adelaide Rutherford the exact Oh.
portunity that she had wished. TO be
entirely free In her own house. at least
and to be, at a little before h~alf-nast
eight, in the great study of the dead
Daniel Gorgam without the question.
ing glances Of anyone following her.
She was dressed in a dark. rather
quiet gown which would have seemed
equally suited to indoor or street
veal She was alone when she en-
tered the great room, her usual com
panion, Rags, having by a strange
awkwardness been allowed to 90 out
of the house following her maid. There
was nothing to be done, then. but 90
alone into the room and to the inter
view that she expected and at the
same time dreaded and wished for.
She was afraid, until the hour it.
self came, that she would be unable
to get into the room unseen. She did
so, however, and turned on the light
and closed the door behind her. There
was an inside bolt on the door-of the
kind that turns with a little knob. She
turned it. There would be NO one now
who would enter the room to disturb
her. 1t was now eight-thirty by her
watch, but she listened several min
utes in vain for any slightest sound
from the room or from behind the
door on the farther wall by which she
knew her visitor and accuser would
Several minutes passed, which
seemed more like hours. She looked
1t her watch again. 1t might be that
Ter message by her accepted messen-
;er that morning had miscarried-
wen though she had believed that she
herself had seen it taken from the
logs collar and knew for a fact that
he dog had returned without it. 1t
even, she reflected, have come
nto other hands She stirred uneasily
nd got up.
1t was now e~ight-forty. She turned
oward the long bookshelves at one
ide of the room, took out a book at
andom and sat down again, making a
retense of reading but with her eyes
pom the wall of the room where that
DOR was to open. And as she sat
with no sign of the sound
he was listening fora feeling came
yer her that not infrequently attacks
ne alone at night in a great dark-cor-
cred room, that some one else was
lere watching her. Dismissed at first,
lie idea returned and ever grew. I
radually she had the fancy that I
lere was some one breathing heavily
the stiffness. {
Behind her, at the farther extremity
z the room, two tall, heavily cur I
lined windows looked out upon an l
lner garden laid out at one side Of
house. 1t was possible, Of course, {
at some n might be concealed S
ere. Try as she could to resist it, {
e impression grew upon her mind f
at there was some one there. She S
as determined about one thing: she
ould not leave the room for any ?
ere imagining. So, rising suddenly, c
e moved quickly toward the long Il
lvet draperies to convince herself of q
r foolishness. She reached out her D
inland when she did Sc. fsi1 e