Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-06-25


f, ly against him, and there was a
savage sense of fury upon him that
would not quiet down. And now,
as ne heard his door open and
heard Polly call, he was out Of bed
and into dressing gown in an in
slant. Polly out there in his sitting
! room-at halfpast 4 in the morn
ing! And she was sobbing. She
again:
nGuardy! Guardy! Oh. guardy."
ms was queer-damned queer.
ms lace was suddenly set in the
darkness as he crossed the bed
room foor-but his voice was quiet.
cool, reassuring. as he answered
her: "Right-o. Polly. I'm Coming"
ne switched on the light as he
| entered the sitting room. 1t
the sobs.
".Oh. please. guardy." she faltered
! light" oiI 'he
OF course." he said quietly-and
IL was dark in the room again,
a., ne mad caught a glimpse of a lit
tie ngure crouching just inside the
door-a little figure with white
strained face. with great, wondrous
masses of hair tumbling about her
| shoulders, with hands that clasned
some nlmy drapery tightly across
| ner bosom, and small, dainty feet
| that We're bare of covering. And as
ne moved toward. her now across the
| ioom' another mood took precedence
over the savagery he had just been
ilurslng-a mood no holier. 1t might
: pe queer this visit of hers; but
| that glimpse of her, aluring, init
mate, of a moment gone. had set
I ms blood afire again-and far more
violently than it had on. that first
/ occas sion when he had seen her here
On the island two nights ago.
| II brought again to the fore the
| question that, through cursed
nightmare of happenings, had al
most since that time lain dormant.
was ne going to let Locke have
h f was he going to keep her
! lor himself? How far had she gone
/ with Locke? They had been q lot
together. Well, that mattered little
If he wanted her for himself he
| would make the way to get her
Locke and hell combined to the
! contrary! The woman-against her
Potentlal value as somebody elses
| Wlie! Damn it, that was the won
! DER OF her-that she could even
foid her own when weighed on
such scale. There were lots of
| women. -
He had reached her now. and
.oucned her. found her hand and
i1hen II IN ms own. What it is,
rolly"' he asked gently. What's
! the matter?"
its-it's mother" she whispered
hrokenly. The telephone in NV
room rang a few minutes ago and
! some one-a mainland, oh. euardv
m sure it was the same voice that
we heard when we were in the
woods the night before Iast-asked
! me why | didn't wear black for nv
mother. lit couldn't mean anv-
! tllng else but-but that mother Is
dead; on, guardy, guardy. How
! could he know, guardy? How could
! he know"
Captain Francis Newcombe made
no movement, save to place his
arm around the thinly clad
| shoulders, and draw the little figure
closer to him. 1t was dark here
she could not have seen his face
| anyway. but it was composed, calm.
! Tranquil. Perhaps the lips straight
! ened little at the corners-nothine
more. But the brain of the man
! was working at lightning speed
| Here was disaster. ruin. exposure
! II ne made the slightest slip.
| Again. eh? This was the fourth
! time this devil from the pit had
shown his hand. The reckoning
! would he adequate. But how was
he to answer Polly? Quick. She
! must not notice any hesitation.
| Tell her that Mrs. Wickes was
dead? He had a ready explanation
on his tongue. formulated days ago.
to account for having withheld that
information. Seize this opportunity
to tell her that Mrs. Wickes was
not her mother? No. Impossible!
He had meant to use all this to his
| time. 1t was too late now
He was left holding the bag!
If he admitted that Mrs. Wickes was
dead. he admitted that there was
some one on this island whose
! mysterious presence, whose mys-
ferrous knowledge, must cause
furore. a search. with possible re-
suits that at any hazard he dared
rot risk. Polly would tell Locke
Dora-everybody. 1t was impos-
sible! But against this, sooner or
later. Polly must know of Mrs.
Wickes' death and Bah. Was he
become a child. the old cunning
gone? He would keep her for a
while from MISUNDERSTANDING
thing-and, months on. the word
would come that Mrs. Wickes was
dead. and found in the old hays ef-
fects would be Pollys papers. The
one safe play. the only play. was
not alone to reassure the girl now,
hut to keep her mouth shut. Above
all to keep her mouth shut. But
how? How? Yes, He had 1t
now, His soul began to laugh in
unholy giee. His voice was grave,
earnest, tender, sympathetic.
HE couldn't have known, Polly"
he said. That Is at once evident
on the face of it. How could any
one on this little out of-the-way
island possibly know thing like