San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-01-24

y tea, placing it on a table
near her chair.
"Mr. Swete is speaking to a Wis
itor down stairs" he said. HE
asked me to crave your indulgence
in his behalf"
Alone again. She didn't touch
the tea; she told herself that it
would have choked her.
Five minutes! Ten! She would
have rung for Brasher, since it was
imperative that she must leave,
but Swete had said the bells were
out of order.
The telephone on the bureau at
the other side of the room buzzed
softly and unsteady. There were
two reasons why she felt justified
in picking up the receiver. 1t was
futile trying to ring for Brasher
and it might be that Swete himself
was anxious to speak to her from
downstairs. She waited until the
buzzer had sounded three times
before she dared to lift the re-
ceiver. There came the sound of
a mans voice lowered to a dra-
matte whisper.
"Swetc, get on to Mexican Skies
first thing tomorrow. Buy all
YOU can"
That was all. Fearfully, like a
burglar who has Inadvertently
knocked over a vase and is listen
ing to the sound that shall mark
81 the awakening of the household,
she replaced the receiver on its
hook and remained motiOnless.
There wasn't sound to be
heard; she went back to her chair,
b near the fireplace, and mechan-
ically raised the teacup from the
tray. When she heard footstep
in the corridor outside she trem-
bled violently, so that the cup al
most fell from her hand. Brasher
entered TO say that the master
would be with her in a moment;
she intimated that he might remove
the tray.
The idea that she should tell the
valet about the telephone message
occurred to her. but somehow she
felt horribly mean about the bust
ness. and servant would mis-
Judge. But when Swete returned
she found that she hadn't the cour-
age to tell him. Gust a stupid
little thing like that" she whis-
pcred chidingly to herself. "Any
one would have done it in the cir
cumstances." And yet-yet there
was something sneakish, demean-
ing about the wretched business.
This was house of secrets and
she seemed to have taken advan-
tage of a confidence reposed in
her Whoever it was that had tele-
phoned would probably ring up
again, because she had replaced
the receiver so abruptly, and hadn't
even spoken. Oh. it was all so
hatefully insignificant and yet so
colossally mean! If she had told
Brasher the moment he came into
the room, and explained that the
bells were not working, things
might have worn a different as
pect. Now, if she told Swete, he
would wonder why she didn't tell
the servant so that the master
might be acquainted.
BY the time Swete returned she
was determined to dismiss the af-
fair from her mind. Fiddlesticks!
Why worry about a thing like
that? She had set out that after
noon with the object of striking
the first blow in a vendetta that
should level him to the dust: why
rcproach herself for having lis
tened in to his private business
affairs? Wait till she had shorn
his locks and delivered him into
the hands of the Philistines!
He opened the door and came in.
. Ready to drive her home to Cavern
dish Square! How remarkable the
dignity with which an overcoat
can invest some men! Stout fell
lows these modern tailors! Why,
Swete was inches taller than she
had deemed him to be. And much
broader of shoulder: that would be
the padding, of course, she thought.
And when he said: 81 crave your
pardon for keeping you so long:
the car is now at the door," his
voice had lost all its irony, all the
superciliousness with which she had
associated it little while before.
"Thank you," she said and went
forward to accompany him down
the stairs.
The telephone buzzed again at
that moment. Sickening thought!
The impulse was to dash for the
door and make her escape. A
chambermaid would have been in
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