The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1936-11-05

But Ill nave the ureSS. IL 80
and get it"
She got up, bathed and dressed
with the mechanical precision
which purposeful anger can pro-
duce. She put on riding clothes.
She went to the stable and sad
died Queen and rode to Need
Meadows.
She diSmounted at the yard
gate and tied Queen to the fence.
Then she crossed the lawn toward
the house. She had no plans, no
idea of what she would do next,
She was imipelled merely nrby y
jumbled. sense of daring and are.
sentful determination to seize
what was, her own. ,,.s'..
The front of the house, was
closed, every window shattered
blankly against the heat of the
day. Kate skirted the house to
the right and came to the side
porch with it's matted vines OF
honeysuckle. She saw that the
house door stood open and the
screen Unattached. She passed
through it and stopped in the
hall. ,
An utter silence pervaded the
house. Kate laid her hand on the
stair rail and looked up. The
.reads seemed to beckon. How
dearly familiar was this little
stairway! 1t was not as wide as
the front stairs, nor as steep as
the back. 1t was carpeted with
worn red brussels strip which had
been there as long as she could
There was nothing
to keep her from going up, so she
went, not pausing until she had
reached the attic under the caves.
Kate looked about her. over
the entire floor beans were dry
ing on neatly spread newspapers,
hut there was no furniture. The
rich disorder of other days had
been replaced by a stark neatness
which was foreign to the room;
OnIv the windows, still curtained
in ancient Need nottingham Lace
and the worn rafters Of the STOP
ing roof seemed the same as when
she had played there as a ehiiG'
listening to the rain on the ROOF.
Four large chimneys cut thru
Tho attic. two flush with the out
or walls, two passing through the
room itself. 1t was behind one OF
these that Kate found the little
trunk. She gave a low cry OF sat
isfaction and started to draw 1t
across the room to a window, then
Thought better of it. Boldness was
giving place to caution. All she
wanted now was to find the box
and get away undiscovered.
She remembered that her grand
mother had kept candle and a
few matches in a tin box some
where near the back chimney, 1or
this part of the attic was always
in twilight. Hopefully she looked
for the tin box now, and found
it. A tallow candle and one match
lay in it. Carefully she struck the
match on a chimney brick and
lighted the candle. When the
candle was burning steadily she
fastened it to the floor with drip
pings. Then she eagerly raised
the lid of the little trunk. ,
Yes, there was the box, tied
with the red silk cord, the only
thing in the trunk. She lifted it
out and opened it. Inside lay a
garment wrapped in blue tissue
paper. The dress!
Kate stood and held it from
her. 1t was an ivory-white ball
gown, lovelier even than she re-
membered. A myriad of wrinkles
traversed it, and the hoops had
been removed from its full skirt,
but otherwise it was as lusciously
antebellum as a costume in an old
picture. The neckline dropped off
shoulder. Small rosebud garlands
trimmed the skirt.
Kate pictured Caroline in the
dress. Caroline's waist was small,
though not quite small enough, OF
course. They'd have to let the lin
ing out somehow, for Caroline
couldn't sing if she were pinched
The length would be just right
. Caroline must wear rose IN
her hair and carry an old fan .
Suddenly Kate was conscious OF
steps on the stairs. On the attic
stairs. In that instant she realized
the gravity of the situation, her
utter folly in coming here like a
thief to steal what was her own.
AS all trapped animals do, she
looked around for way OF esq
cape. But there was no way out,
she knew, except by that door.
Should she face him? In the Sec
onds that remained she made
| cowardly decision. She stepped be-
hind the chimney and stood quite
still.
Ito be continued)
|