Evening star., 1924-12-21

Eram-the grating fitted into the la
opening of the trap. She was a
aark-haired. slender girl with that
aspect of capacity and independence
with which the great war endowed
our women: the high courage that
no assault of evil fortune could
hludgeon into servility. She sat in
her chair before the table, to the eye,
unconquered.
But it was to the eye only. In the
magniticence about her the wreckage
impending was Incredible; the great
house fitted with every luxury, the
library in which she sat. its rug the
treasure of a temple, its walls pan
eled,
To Marion billiard, in her chair be-
fore the table, with the telegram
open before her, the whole setting
was grotesque. All over the city,
white with newly fallen snow, were
the symbols of this majestic cele-
bration of the birth of the Savior.
They were not absent in this room.
Holly Wreaths hung in the windows,
and the strange ivory image. repre-
senting the crucifixion of Jesus of
Nazareth. which her father had al
ways so greatly priced. had been
brought out, after the usual custom
OF this night, and placed on the ia
bic. 1t sat on black silk cloth en-
broidered with a white cross. AS a
work of art it was not conspicuously V
excellent; but her father priced it for
the memory of great adventure.
Marion Dillard leaned back in the
chair. reviewing the events that had
moved against her as though with
some sinister design. Her father was
dead. A cross of white marble stood
on hilltop in France to his mem
ory. 1t had been erected by every
people in the great war, for her faith
er, moved by a high, adventurous
idealism, too old for longer service
In the American Army, had taken his
own fortune-and, alas, the fortune
which he held in trust for another
and with it maintained a hospital
base on the western front for the
benefit of every injured man, friend
or enemy.
Marion Dillard reflected: Of what
avail was 1t that her father had not
realized that this trust money was
going into his big conception? He
had drawn on his resources in Amer
lea until every item of his great for
tune was pledged, and by some error,
this estate. in trust, had gone into
the common fund. Appalled,, when
she came to examine the accounts
Marion had endeavored to cover the
matter, hoping that the decision of
the United States Circuit Court of
AppcdlS III Il suit TO recover tract
of coal lands In the South would be
decided in favor of her fathers es-
tate. and thus furnish the money to
replace this trust And so she had
somehow managed to go on.
This telegram on the table was the
end. Reversed and dismissed" were
the sinister words of it. On this
night commemorating the birth of
that great founder of brotherhood,
whose idealistic conceptions her
father had always so magnificently
followed, she must decide what she
would do.
THE thing was sharp and clear be-
fore her. She must either wreck
the majestic legend of her father, or
degrade herself! AS she had carried
the thing along by various shifts
since her fathers death. she could
easily make it appear that she had
herself embeZzled this trust fund
That would leave the memory of her
father clean; but it clearly meant
that she herself could not escape the
criminal courts. The heirs of her
fathers friend were insistent and
hostile. They would have the pound
of flesh, now that the fortune was
gone.
For time she sat motionless. her
image on the table before her. Then,
she got up. and, with her hands
clasped behind her back, stood look
ing down at the cruciflx.
1t was about ten inches high, rude
ly carved in the Chinese fashion out
of the segment of an elephants tusk
four inches in diameter. The cross
represented the trunk Of tree, the
roots thrust out for the base. The
figure, with arms extended, was nall
ed to the broken limbs of this tree
trunk, forming the cross. The whole
top of the treetrunk made the head
of the figure, thrown back under a
crown of thorns. And there in the
quaint English letters cut around the
base was the legend: '1nasmuch as
you have turned your head to save
us, may He turn His head to save
you"
Well, the thing was an idle hope.
There was no help in the world
either her own life or the memory of
her father was on the way to dreadful
wreckage!
Then desperation overcame her.
She went out of the library through
the great hall to the door A maid
helped her into her coat She gave
direction that the servants should
be dismissed for the night, no one
should remain up, she would let her
self in with her latchkey when she
returned. She went out.
At the bronze gates as she passed
into the street a man sauntering
along the wall spoke to her. She
knew him at once; he was a detec-
tive from the Secret Service. So they
were already beginning to keep her
under surveillance! The explanation
OF this detective did not mislead her.
He was looking for a dangerous GRIM
1nal, he said, who had come into the
city and had made inquiries about
this house.
Marion billiard replied with some
polite appreciation of the thoughtful
ness of the police for her security,
and went on. At the end of the
bronze fence. as she passed she OBJ
served another figure crouched against
the wall as though it also kept guard
on her house; but 1t moved away as
she approached, as though to con-
ceal itself around the turn of the wall
fnclosing the spacious grounds. She
smiled grimly. The watch kept on
her would be efficient; here was an
other. She went along the street to
the great bridge.
She paused for a moment before the
immense stone lions on their great
pedestals at the bridge head. They
looked old, haggard, changing into
monsters under a draping of snow!
Then she set out to walk across the
bridge into the country beyond, past
the cathedral on the hill, lighted, and
from which the melody of vague and
distant, music descended. And the
feeling in the girl as she moved
dreadfully in the night became sort
of wonder. Was this vast delusion,
or was there in fact a Will in the
universe, determined on righteous
ness, and moving events to the aid