Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-13

I entrance of the building which they
were mad to loot; but they rushed and
| StroVe none the less. They drew in past
the girl on the shivering horse as If
| sucked from the edge of the bowl by
| outflow at the farther side. They left
| her standing like an equestrian statue of
| some ancient heroine fixed on pedeS-
| tai there.
| For a moment she sat stricken as if
Death had laid his chill hand on her
| breaking heart. Then, as If drawn by
the same impulse that ruled the mob,
she leaned slowly over the horses neck.
She could go to him! There was q
way! See that packed mass of men!
| Given the rein, the mare could leap
| their outer ranks like trifiing barrier,
and gallop-gallop on their packed
heads! She would crush them down,
| kill them, take frightful toll In re-
| venge for what they had donei And
| reach the place where he lay! To die
| there with him, under their feet in
turn! She did not want to live!
She loosed her rein. "Betty!" she
whispered, touching the mares sides
with her heels. The alert animal
| started, crouched for the forward jump.
| But a man leaped. and caught her
bride. With his weight thrown on the
rein he checked the mare. Her hoofs
secured the gravel bank, sending the
tiny stones squirting like water far and
wide. With a heaVe that almost I'M
| seated her rider she gained her balance
and came pounding upright upon her
| feet. The girl, dazed. half blinded by
the sudden dashing of her madly en-
| viSioned deed, bent to look at her as
sailant's face. He turned and looked up
at her, his eyes thrusting through her
| like knives, his lips hard gray line,
the planes of his face sharp edged as
if with a tool!
In the revulsion of the moment, the
thread of consciousness seemed to
break. Her heart contracted as If its
very fibers had received blow at which
it gasped and could not recover. She
tottered, wilted. She stretched out her
hands to him. He reached up and
caught her in his arms, as she fell.
He lifted her up and set her on her
feet. Don't be frightened" he said
Don't be frightened" again. You
thought was over there in that lighted
| stairway-where the mob thought was
pleading with them not to kill me!''
"Radley! Oh, my God!" she breathed
her hands on his face.
Well" he said, II was there-three
weeks ago! When foresaw some such
night as this. and laid my plans for self
defense! Tonight, when they flocked to
see me murdered here, walked out
the unguarded side door,"
He turned from her an instant and
looked of at the bowling crowd.
1t was as though a cold wind swept
her brain. Then he had not been
there on those glittering stairs, facing
the mob and murder-in that fine,
terrible, beautiful moment Of proud
courage, bitter, cruel, but somehow
redeemed by the sweet tang of death!
A record for him!-a mere record from
his machines, made weeks ago, when
there was nothing to face-no mob
and death! A bit of crafty FORE
thought-forethough Of the trickster!
Pierced with anguish as she had been
| at belief that she had seen him struck
down, with her arms now claSping
| him, with his voice now gently in her
ears-gentle, as it had not been for
| months to her-She yet felt cheatedl
Cheated Of what? HEROES? Climax?
Drama? Surely such things could
not weigh with her beside the saving
Of his life. What had there been in
that tragic instant when his life
seemed forfeit, that was itself forfeit
now that his life was saved instead?
But he had caught her arm and
turned her toward the grassy bank.
"Ushigi has the car waiting on the
other side" he told her. Then as he
walked beside her. You look as If
you were disappointed that I did not
die
For a moment she was wild to start
away from him-break away from his
hand, his touch. To run, to escape
hide away-and see what strange
thing was this that clutched her heart.
But they reached the car. He swung
open the door and almost thrust her
in.
Drive for Pasadena, first" he said
to the Jap behind the wheel.
Phyllis stretched out her hand. "Oh,
they've gone to Aunt Relief'S place,
in the hills above Altadena," she said.
Go there!"
He repeated the instructions to the
Jap; then stepped in and sat beside
her.
The car turned and scudded away.
Phyllis sank back in its luxurious
cushions and shut her eyes.
II suppose you will be glad to know"
she heard him say, that your father
and mother are safe-at the country
club. They telephoned me Just now"
The very commonplaceness of his
words brought back overwhelmingly
widel What was the safety Of coun-
try clubs. Of isolated houses, of distant
hills? Where was escape from the
terror OF which she had that night
seen the mereSt gesture? True, the
mob that had directly tried to lay
violent hands on the body Of the man
1t thought to kill would find itself
baffied, fooled, and would spend It's
wrath and strength in mere destruc-
ton OF his tools. But the forces in
volved were greater than the mob, as
the mob was greater than those men
who were its hands! The man who
had eMded 1t had those forces to
face. He had lodged thrust. side
stepped blow; but the great reckon
ing remained.
With sudden terrified sense that
she had once more tried to set I'D
her little measuring stick beside events
Of which she did not recognize the
scope. she turned and looked at him
under the dome light burning unnotic-
ed in the car. His profile against the
black window at his side was like a
relief in bronze. The thing through
which they had just passed was an
incident; 1t had not touched him! It
was not in scuffieS with mobs that his
struggle lay. And suddenly she realis-
ed that she possessed that very boon
for which she had been willing to sell
her life. She was at his sidel
He glanced at her His eyes Wild
ened slightly. He touched a button
and the light went out. But he did
not speak.
The girl sat still. Outside, dark
streets were running by. The car was
climbing, climbing. 1t turned into a
wide boulevard and picked up speed.
Presently 1t was flying through the
night. Over low hills it sped. rising
and dropping like a skiff on a heavy