The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1940-03-14
CHAPTER XIH-Continued

self 1T must have been as you say
the ghost Of Jarvis came back. I
myself have thought something OF
the kind. Thought it often. Poor Jar
Wis! His obsession with the past dis
torted all his thinking. He wrote
this In moment of-of lucidity. You
should be glad he did, my dear"
"Glad?" Autumn said absently.
at alters nothing, Hector"
"On the contrary, my dear" Hec-
tor protested, ''it alters much" He
tapped the paper lightly with his
fingers. This is the equivalent Of
n retraction of everything that Jar
Wis had against Bruce Landor."
Even so, Hector" Autumn said
YEARLY. What good can that do
now"
Tt viii not hurt Bruce to know
that Jarvis Dean held no real bitter
ness IN his heart toward"
Certainly, Hector" Autumn
broke in Forgive me, please! That
was a selfish thought"
Hector laid the paper on the table
and placed his hands awkwardly on
his knees. 81 see," he said softly.
What you would have preferred,
perhaps, would have been your IA
Tiers written consent to"
'Oh, Hector" Autumn Interrupted
again. 81 wasn't thinking when I
spoke"
ST can see that" he said. "The
fact Is, when a young woman is IN
love she nterprets everything IN the
light Of that one fact. Well, my
dear, this retraction-sman as il
may seem to you-may have some
bearing even on that"
Autumn looked at him and smiled
resigedly. You don't understand,
darling. Bruce has made up his
mind about me-"
You are sure Of that"
st haven't told you," she said hes
ttantly, about the night he came to
the PARIS lodge to tell me what
had happened TO father. I had gone
up there earlier in the evening.
Bruce found me there alone with
Florian- Hannah had told him that
had gone to spend the night at the
lodge. I had intended to, but Linda
was 70 have been there, too. She
became III that day and couldn't
leave home. Florian met me there
to take me back home, Of course.
But We had supper together IN the
lodge and before we were ready to
leave-Bruce arrived. You know
yourself what he must have thought.
Flor1an tried to explain, but Bruce
wasn't In a mood TO accept his ex-
PLANTATION.
Hmm" Hector said, knitting his
bruTs. Has Florian done nothing
more about It, them"
Florian was incensed, of course,
at BTuce's attitude. He will undoubt-
edly have a talk with Bruce-and
force him to listen, but he's away
just now on business trip for his
father. II won't make any differ
ence to Bruce, though. You see-he
had changed toward me before
that"
Hector frowned and cracked his
huckles. The romances Of these
young creatures were too much for
him. He had been given to under
stand that young love of the mod
ern variety held the conventions In
light esteem. Now, in his day-ah,
wei, m his dayl
You're a pair of young tools!"
he bfurted out suddenly, and poured
himself another cup of tea.
Autumn got up and stood looking
out Of the wide spread of windows
into the garden. Hector was endeav-
oring, she thought to herself, to
bring her out of the CHASTITY en-
chantment that had imprisoned her
since that dreadful night when
Bruce had come for her at the lodge.
Only isolated images remained IN
her memory Of the events of that
shocking time, brilliant and horrible
as exploding stars. The ride home
"a nightmare in which the stagger-
ing knowledge Of her fathers death
clashed against her knowledge of
Bruce's reaction to finding her alone
with Florian. Then, suddenly, Han
nah taking her IN her arns-Han-
nah, white-faced and speeches..
And the closed mask of a door-the
door Of the little back parlor, be-
hind which her father lay. The COM
ical little undertaken, with the cone
shaped bald head, at whose appear
ance Autumn had fed to her own
room TO scream into her pillows
with hysterical laughter, until Hec-
tor had come quietly In and sat on
the bed beside her. From some
where - Hector had come. She
learned later that Bruce had finally
reached him by telephone. Then, In
the depth Of night, the moan of Saint
Pat, the deep-throated, torsaken
moan of Saint Pat!
Yes, Hector was trying to bring
her around. II was sweet Of him, of
course, but where was the use Of
their talking any more of Bruce Lam
dor? Bruce seemed more unguessa-
bic 70 her now than ever, In the
numbness Of her fatigue. It was
difficult to remember clearly what
he looked like, or TO recall the tim
bre of his voice. II seemed years
since she had seen him, severe and
silent, at the entrance to the Castle,
where he did not turn In after his
car had escorted her and Florian
home.
Autumn turned and faced Hector.
'Fools?" she said. Eyes, darling
and past redemption.
He looked at her with c1riousIy
bright eyes. Probably, my dear,
probably" ne replied. what, for
example, are you going to do about
that-that little note your father
wrote into his will?"
ST don't know yet" she replied. SCI