| Show she A 14 A BLIND LIND M MAIM BY WILLIAM MACHARG EDWIN BALMER illustrations by R H livingstone Livins tonu GY V OWN AND NB COMPANY CHAPTER XV continued 1 pho kh 11 sud uil it anly aly in hr her h r 11 ant I 1 hiir r bad had out swit laton to itie ih country club with avery A very here there aery tind forced forr iston into tile lie lolo 1010 game ity her fathers instructions henrly thur there een iid 41 to linie alwn puite in ili whet bat hi I 1 tein I 1 fin line ani ant purpose vi which aich hod find not I 1 tern een corill fondled lp I 1 to hi ili r left either hy by her fallica or for how coul I 1 they have eaton would betray himself in the gum they lind had alno 1 suspected that he had bad played polo before to suspect that they must at lenat have some theory ai As to who 1 inton was but her father had no uch such theory he had been expending unavailingly 1111 an 0 o far every effort to ascertain enton a so go her thoughts thouc hta ird led her only into deeper and greater perplex ity fly but with them came sudden bild unaccountable resentment against avery at even seven harriet went in to dinner with her fattier the blind roan man as alone he h had been av alting her and they were erred at once all through tb dinner she ho waa was nervous and moody for she ho knew ehe she max going to do something eom ething the she had never done before she he vaas ft a going to conceal something from her father she told of enton reception at tit the he country club and of his big taking part in the polo practice and playing badly but of her own oun that eaton knew lie the caroe game and her present con that donald avery had seen even more than that vint ehe she nothing she hatched matched her fathers foth cre face but the ghe could see there no consciousness that she the mas omitting nittIng or anything in her ac couTiL an hour later when ben after rending reading alond aloud to him for a time he dismissed her she hesitated before going youve seen donald I 1 she be asked yf abat hatt did he tell your the same as you have told though not quit eliso ceo fully she was outside the door and in the hall before realization came to her that her fathers reply could mean only that donald like herself bad had concealed his hi discovery dit covery of batons ability to play polo why my donald had not told she could not imagine the only conclusion cond oslon she the could reach was that donald donalds silence in some way menaced eiton for Aud dealy now it came to her what bat this must mean to eaton all that h be had bad been 0 so o careful to hide bids regarding himself rod and his connections must b be obtainable by avery now and avery for some purpose of his own was withholding betrayal to make use of it as he might see at she moved once more to return to her father again she topped stopped then swiftly she he turned and went down stairs sh she looked buirl hawl edly about for avery she did not find and him nor at first did she the find eaton either she discovered him presently in the music room with blatchford Blatch lord blatchford at sit once excused himself tired evidently of his task of watching over eaton harriet caught herself together and controlled herself to her usual man oer ner what mat hall shall it be thia this eT enIng ur mr hatour she he asked A mule lusle billiard billiard billiards if you like he responded they wen went up to the billiard room and for an hour played steadily but her mind wa was not upon the ame ga menor nor he abe aw saw waa was hit his finally mally as they ended a game he put his cue back to tn the rack and faced her alls mt Sant olne he aid 1 I 1 want to ask a favor what Is 1 I want to go to out unaccompanied obyr 1 I 1 wish to speak peak to a friend who will be waiting for me me how do you knoer know he got word to roe me at it the country club today excuse mei did not mean to inform on mr avery he be wa was really most vigilant I 1 believe he only mad made one slip he lira was not the only one observing you 1 1 I suppose not in tn fact 1 I was certain of it IL Ilo however wever I 1 received a it message which was undoubtedly authentic and bad not been overseen but you were not able to make reply 1 I wae was able to receive all an th that A was necessary 1 she eonald eon eldered ered forat for a moment what do you yo want me to dot dor either because of my WY presence or because of what baj has happened or normally you hare have at least four men about the grounds two of whom seem to 00 constantly on duty to observe anyone who may approach i 1 I wish yoa to order them to let lot me BIG 4 pan and go Q to a place perhaps tea ten will walk from here but it you do ao 40 1 I will return at the latt etya wj UK UR gj an houe 1 be he jacod at bw jtb anth to be before a tr of if elten why liy arioul I 1 I 1 do ailet lie bione tione to her anti faced her hill in do jon jolt think of me now illse 1 V hy fly 1 I lou ou ore certain now are you not that I 1 fin lidid nothing liiK to do falth fill the at inck on your father that ie Is to in any other connection than that the attack might be meant for mo me I 1 denied yee ym erday that the men in tn the automobile meant to run roe me down you did not ac capt that denial I 1 may as 0 ell admit to you that I 1 know perfectly well ell they delint to kill mo me they are likely to try again to kill me ae e recognize that too she he an the men on watch about the bouie house are named arned to protect you as a a ell as a natch match you 6 1 I appreciate that nut but are they ell all you have to fear mr ur eatone she was thinking of donald avery lie seemed to recognize what hat was in her mind his eyes as he feied gazed in bently at her clouded then darkened till still more ft ith ome some succeeding thought no not all and it will aid you toto protect yourself if you see your friend to yes I 1 nut but why should not one of fa fliers inen men be with you I 1 were alone m y friend mould not appear 1 11 I see lie ito moved away from her then came come back the importance to him of what he was asking was very ory plain to her berhe he mail a shaking nervously with it miss Sant olne he eald said intently ou do not think badly of me now I 1 do not have to doubt that I 1 can see it you tinie wanted anted me to eee see it it I 1 ask you to trust me for a few minutes tonight I 1 cannot tell yon you whom I 1 wish to see or why except that the man comes to do me a aenice service and to endanger no one except those trying to injure me she herself was trembling with her desire to help bam but recollection of her father held her back then swiftly there came to her the thought of gabriel warden because warde 2 had we if all right wilile she ah said bald qui out atly tried to help ahlm himin tn some way and for some reason which she he did dot not know warden had been killed and AM feeling that in helping him there might be danger to beruf she suddenly and nd eagerly welcomed that danger and made her decision promise mr eaton not to try to leaver yes let us go out she said sidd she sho led the way downstairs and in tn the hall hai picked up a cape be he threw it over her shoulders and brought bis his overcoat and cap out but in bis his uon he be forgot to t 0 put them on until as they went out into the garden together she the reminded him then he put on the cap the night was clear and cool and no one but themselves thenis elves seemed to be about the bouse house which way do you want to gor she asked ile turned toward the forested acres of the grounds which ran down to a ravine at a the ibe bottom of which a little stream trickled toward the lake As ali they approached the side of this ravine a man appeared and investigated them lia recognized the girls figure and ind halted balta if au IU richt WU ai the she aid said quietly tes yes inaam 1 they passed the man and went down the path into the ravine and up the tiny valley vanoy baton eaton halted too you dont 14 waiting walting here a is few moments tS for fot bal arf wo no she be aali toe you will wm starn turn heibert yes he be saidi and with that per nilion mission he be left her both hail find spoken 0 so o hit that tho man above could not hare have heard board and anti liar riet now noticed not levil that as her compel compan ion ton hurried ahead he went almost bhe she tood stood till still shivering hi a little now la in the tile cold and anti she be ile 11 tinell klie she no lonier longer heard hi his foot toot riols N i hat she he had dono done wn was done thin just as site lie was telling herself hut lint it must be ile many moment moments before he ito would mould know whether he as coin ini ing linck back alla he heard him returning at fit little distance tie poke spoke her nnnie linnie so 10 As ii not to frighten lid she knew at once it was he lie but a clience in the tone surprised iLd her she stepped forward to meet him lou found your friend frien dr f 11 i it ant mint did he lie tell you I 1 mean lint hat la Is wrong that you did not ex pert V she site heard tile breath come fait fast nothing he denied no you ou routt must tell met cant you trust me trust youl you be he cried lie turned to her and seized her hands handl you aek ask me to trust you I 1 lea ive trusted you cant you believe as its much in met mer belleve nel leve in you hiss he ile crushed her fingers in hia his grasp oh my god I 1 ish I 1 could I 1 you with wish you could she he echoed the ile tone of it truck struck her like a blow and the he tore her handi hands away what do you mean by lie made no reply but tood stood staring at her through the dark we mutt must go back he old said queerly youre cold she did not answer but started back up the path to the house lie ile seemed to bare have caught himself together against ome some impulse that stirred him strongly etron gly the man out there who saw us ut he will report to your fa ther miss San be he asked un steadily etea dlly report reports for father are first made to me 1 I see did not ask ik her what she was wag going to do if he wa was as assuming 3 um that her permission to exceed hie his net set limits bound her not to report ato to her father ehe she did not accept 6 that a f t assumption hough though she he would not re port to the blind man tonight for she knew he mait must now be asleep dut but she felt that eaton wag as no longer thinking of this A As they entered the house and he helped her lay os ox her cape he suddenly faced her we ve are in a strange relation to each other illas Sant olne stranger than you know he said unevenly she waited for him to go on when ahen the time comes that you comprehend what our actual reli relation tion is 1 I 1 I auant ft ant you to know that I 1 un der stand that whatever you have done was done because aou ou believed it might bring about the greater good 1 I 1 I have seen in you jou la ta your kalher only kindness high honor bonor thy if I 1 did not know she started gazing at him what he aid said bad had absolutely no meaning for hat I 1 Is it that you knoer she demanded he ile did not reply his hand went out to her hers seized it it crushed crashed it and he started away As he went up the stairs still in tn his absorption carrying cap and overcoat she stood staring after him in perplexity CHAPTER XVI the fight in the study baton eaton dismissed the man who bad been waiting in his rooms for him be he locked the door and carefully drew down all the window shades then he be put his overcoat folded as a he bad had been carrying if it under his big arm am on 01 the writing table la in the center of the rom and from its folds and anti pocket pockets took a I 1 breast drill such us is iron workers use in drilling steel an auto matic maue pistol with three clips of car bridges on an electric flashlight and a little botti bottle of nitroglycerin he loaded the pistol and put it in his pocket docket then he carefully care tully impeded inspected the other things he raised a shade and window and eat bat la tn the th dark th the night wa was cloudy and very dark darl gazed at the south wing of the house the windows cowx of the first floor were closed and the curtains drawn but tonight there was no light in the room then in the dark be moved to the table where he had left his over overcoat coak and distributed in his pockets and within his clothing the articles he bad hah brought and now he felt again spin in the overcoat and b brought ro aught out a short strong bar of steel curved and flattened at one end a jimmy for forcing the win windows eaton slipped off his shoes and went to his room door he opened the door and found the hall dark and quiet he stepped out closing his door carefully behind him and with great cau can tion be he descended the stairs lie IT went to a window in the drawing room which was set in la a recess and so placed that it was not visible from other windows in the house opened this window and let himself down upon the lann lamn he ile gained the south comer corner of the wing unobserved or at least without sign that h be bad been seen and went on around IL it he stopped at the first high french window on the south As he tried to slip his jimmy under the bottom of the eash sash the window to his amazement opened silently upon its hinges binges it bad had not been locked the heavy curtains within hung just in front of him he put out his hand band and parted them then he started back in im astonishment and crouched close cl ole to the ground inside the room wax WAS a man moving about fia flashing thina an el electric ertrie torch before him and then exploring an in instant to in darkness and flashing his torch t again baton eaton had not been at all prepared for this now he knew know suddenly that be bf ought to have beo been prepared prop for it IL I 1 A if the man within the til room waa was nol not the one who had bad attacked him with the motor he was closely allied with that man and what hat h he wai was after now aa at the tine time thing baton eaton wai was after lie ile drew big pistol and looting the safety he made it ready to fire with his hl left hand band he h clung dun to the hort short henry heavy jimmy he lie stepped into th the great room through the curtain curtains and treading noiselessly in big tacking stocking feet he advanced upon the like man moy inn ing forward forwar il in each period of dark nets between the tile flashes of the electric torch now at the further aide side of the room another electric torch flashed fiti shod out there were mere at least two men in the room working together toge theror or rather one uns working he the other super for fitton heard now a steady almost inaudible grinding noise as a 3 th the second man worked baton eaton halted again and waited if there were two there might he be other others ills pulses etere ere beating faster and cioth r end and he felt the blood rushID II to his hl head and his handa hands rowing growing cold with hit his excitement but he wai was conscious of no fear lie if crouched and crept forward noiselessly again no other light appeared in the room and there wai was no sound elsewhere where from the darkness but the man who wh supervised had moved clow closer to the th other the grinding nolle noise had bad topped stopped it wai was followed by a harp sharp click the men aide side by aide side W were ere bending over am and the 11 light of the man who had been working for a fraction friction of a second ahot shot into the face of the other lie ile mutter muttered sd come some hort short hoane hoarse imprecation b bat at before enton eaton heard the voice he had stopped ai as if truck struck and hia his breath had gone from him ills III instants Ina tanta glimpse of that face astounded stunned itu nned stupefied him he ile could not have that man I 1 the fact waa was impossible I 1 lie must hare have been mad his hi mind must hare have become unreliable to let him even imagine it then came the sound of the voice tole the voice of the man whose face |
