The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1936-07-10

Unfortunately she had led them to
an ideal rendezvous-the cottage IN the
wood.
"No," she said.
The next second she shivered as
something cold was pressed to her
"We'l give you five minutes to make
up your mind" said the fair man,
glancing at the grandfather's clock.
Then we shoot.
Ann gritted her teeth. In that mo-
ment her reason told her that she was
probably acting from false sentiment
and a CONFUSED n Ct values u But But
betray her trust.
mo-" she said again.
The second man crossed to the bed
and pressed his revolver to Miss Vests
head.
Ann looked at her old governess in
an agony, imploring her forgiveness.
She's only 15," she said ~piteously, as
though in Excuse.
Miss West. your reasoning is sound.
But you forget someone younger than
your pupil. Your unborn son."
AIMS face quivered, but she shook
with the rasp of authority in her voice.
Ann, In ashamed of you. What is
money, compared with two valuable
lives, not to mention those still to
come? I understand these-gentlemen-
do not wish to injure your pupil. They
That's right, lady," agreed the fair
man. I'VE won't do her no harm. This
will tell the old man all he'll want to
know"
He laid down a typewriter demand
note on the table and added a direction
to Ann.
can go and give him this"
with her legs tied to chair?" asked
the deep sarcastic voice of the old
woman.
shes got her hands free, amt she?
Them knots will take some undoing, but
it's up to her, amt it?"
True. No doubt she will manage to
free herself -. But suppose n writes
this note and the young lady does not
accept the invitation? What then?"
The fair man winked at his COM
panion.
Then you'll both be unlucky." he
replied.
Ann listened in dull misery. She could
not understand the drift Of Miss Vests
agony. Both of them knew they could
place no reliance Of the promise Of the
kidnapers, The men looked a pair of
merciless beasts.
If she wrote that note she would lure
her poor little gilded pupil to her
death.
sharply to her.
"Ann, you've heard what these gent
lemen have said" She added in bitter
mockery Of their speech. ""They wouldn't
never break their word. Write that
note"
Ann could not believe her ears. Yet
vitality playing on her like an electric
battery. It reminded her of a former
experience, when she was a child. Her
uncle, was paid for her education, was
an Oxford don and he raised an objec-
ton against Miss West because she
was unqualified.
In the end he consented to give his
result of which depended the governess'
fate.
Ann passed the test triumphantly,
but she always felt, privately, that Miss
West supplied the right answers, as she
sat staring at her pupil with hypnotic
black eyes.
Now she knew that the old magic was
at work again. Miss West was trying
to tell her something without the aid Of
words.
Suddenly the knowledge came. Her
old governess was playing for time.
Probably she was expecting some male
visitors from the manor, as the earl
and his sons often came to the cottage.
What she, herself, had to do was to
stave off the five minute sentence Of
death by writing a note to Stella, which
was ~hallmarked as a forgery so that
the girl would not come.
AS h hesitated she remembered
that she had extracted a promise from
her pupil to disregard any message.
The question was, whether it would be
obeyed, for she knew the strength of
her fatal attraction, and that Stella
vas eager to visit the cottage.