Show hush riu ri u S h I 1 s I 1 by victor redcliffe j s s co copyright 1917 by WG chapman whorls she mrs Barna betta burgoyne she Is the most ami beautiful woman I 1 have ever seen pronounced wayne blatchford Blatch tord only a humdrum law clerk blerk hut but artistic tempera temperamentally menially poetic and therefore susceptible to strong impressions he had paused in a casual st stroll alj through the little inland city of IN val al afia tham jo to observe the occupant of a modest moda s t but expensive automobile the car caf was standing at the curb its 16 chauffeur evidently having been sent on some onie mission to one of the stores on this the principal street of tha town k A young lady sat sal in a some bome what rigid pose her face statuesque in its classic beauty what struck blatchford wits was that while to ordinary eyes this superb figure would have suggested the cold hauteur of an aristocrat seeking the depths of her eyes he noted a hidden trace of sadness subtle ineffable more than that he discovered that while humble passersby passers by bowed bowento to her with infinite respect those in passing automobiles of higher social prestige either greeted hernot her not at all or with a scant civility and the lips odthe of the peerless creature fluttered tremulously at the fact aa though she felt deeply the contempt or obloquy expressed then the chauffeur returned and the automobile sped away leaving blat blatchford like aneina one in a passing trance tralice he aroused I 1 himself with an nn effort burgoyne he repeated repealed vaguely where harej have I 1 heard that name before ah ahl I 1 I 1 fancy an old historical ie reminiscence 11 wayne blatchford I 1 did not meet the youn glady lady agal again n during the next two days but he did not for forget gether hep tb then ell his interest in her was revived by a strange circumstance he was strolling through the beautiful cemetery at the edge of the city one afternoon when he observed a high massive shaft bearing the name burgoyne K 1 ae F JA 4 I 1 wilison ahl a cl clue ue a vital sugi again it suggested something h he e bad forgotten but the similitude once more escaped him the imposing shaft bore a lengthy legend it detailed the services to ills his country and to ills his city of william burgoyne ranking bilg brigadier adier in the army and mayor of waltham walthal it expanded on his integrity and public and private charities ta ahn alwa aroused to sheer amazement blatchford traced a brief and obscure legend upon a low flat slab of marble d at the remote edge of the same burial lot for it read williston s son on of william burgoyne hush I 1 he thrilled and he knew not why th uncanny nily sensation that overcame him was past pasi analysis why the half hidden tablet in the shadow of the towering shaft wh why y hush it was ft as a warning on ii appeal ibeal a pitiful call for human elf charity arity why involuntarily wayne wane blatchford removed his hat and stood with head bowed his impressive nature responded to tills this fairly emotional pie presentment sent ment the stone hid abat a secret a mystery a direful taint taini and what w hat might it not have hav e to d do 0 with the bereaved daughter of william willia in bur roynel all ah I 1 a clue a vital suggestion gest lon the names in ili conjunction stirred up memory to a new efforts effort now lie he knew where he had seen that name came before ills his thoughts went grop groping ilig to rest upon a clear central fact then a rustling sound in the grass behind him caused him to turn quickly and he be could coul d not restrain a quick gasp for viewing him wonder wondel angly was miss bliss Barna betta burgoyne in the near distance was ivas her automobile in her hands bonds she bore some flowers flower evidently her aier mission was to do homage to the dead d nd blatchford drew aside almost gull guiltily tily as though lie he were coni committing a desecration for i fear she might construe 0 ills his prence here hereunto into seeking In mystery of the secret that hallowed grave might conceal aci nci A fine bitter scorn came inter ant that lovely falte fale he had not believed it capable bi e of expressing as he said simply pardon me and started respectfully to move on oh I 1 understand I 1 r she said they even enlighten strangers as to the wretched calumny that killed my poor father you mistake spoke speedily it was reverence it was sympathy it was a solemn pity at the he presence of that strange word hush hu I 1 slie She fixed a look U upon him as if in teni upon reading his very defy soul poul then her eyes softened she turned lier ber face away he caught the faint elojio of 4 sob if I 1 dared to believe that I 1 c could uld be of service to you 1 11 he was eon on strained to speak not to intrude on your sorrow lighten lighte ayour your burden it that were possible believe me all I 1 see allI all I 1 surmise appeals to the 04 depths of my very soul again those translucent eyes fixed his own she put out he her hand she did not withdraw it until sh she biad eliad led him to a rustic benchat bench at the edge of the pathway 11 hush I 1 she said aid do you understand what that billdt means go ask an any gossip of the town look ciack babkin in the he public prints a year agone learn ill all the tragic story as others tell it then if your soul does not shrink from the ille hideous presentment t come to me as friend as counselor of ofa a broken heart ed woman with but one thought in life to clear the memory of a noble father unjustly accused driven to ills hid death by the of fl a cruel persecution it was a strange soul communion ile he welcomed it he cherished it and all the time hla his mind was repeating that name burgoyne the single name hail had simply awakened his memory the two together it all came back to him now bowl I 1 he did not tell his impassioned companion what was in his mind lie he listened to her story and a neV flood of light resulted she told of her father rich honored respected accused by a business rival who hated him of faithlessness in the sacred trust of a widow and orphan long since the just division of an estate had been concluded when mr burgoyne wen went tto to get the papers proving every step he had taken in the trust they were gone the house bouse had been burglarized a month before narrated miss burgoyne whoever took jewelry and money also carried away a portfolio containing those papers the wicked relentless persecutor saw hw his power and urged it cruelly our claims were trea treated tedas as fiction tion my father was disgraced the blow killed him the thief prot probably ably threw the papers away for I 1 have advertised a large reward for their return an appeal for help for sympathy for interest was la in those beautiful eyes blatchford arose a great purpose in his mind dear lady he be said and his strong voice trembled your pitiful story has opened a sealed chamber in my mind I 1 may have great news for you within the next forty eight hours he had for this had halip happened ened nearly a year before his law firm had closed up the aff affairs a irs of a notorious criminal and his wife had brought nil of his bis papers to the office distinctly now blatchford recalled a package of documents bearing the name ton burgoyne back he sped to the city on a dusty shelf of the vault I 1 of the office blatchford found them where they had been cast aside as having no beating on the estate of the criminals widow but to Barna betta burgoyne they were everything for they were the documents that proved cef her father an innocent ent man I 1 it wag the glory of her life the rehabilitation of that beloved parents memory it was as Blate blatchford liford who assisted her he r in tle the task in the glow of a beautiful summer evening those two with joined hands and joined hearts saw removed by the carvers carters chisel from the little obscure tombstone that searing sinister word hush I 1 |