Show the BLIND BLEN MANS MAN S 0 Q S 9 i 1 l A EYES S 0 ij by william macharg j 1 edwin balmer 1 I 8 j copyright by little drown brown and cd coman CHAPTER XV continued 13 sho halted suddenly in tier hor dressing perplexed and troubled nor her fattier father lind find sont sent eaton to tho the country club with avery there avery plainly had forced eaton boton into the alio polo ame jamo by tier her fathers instructions clearly there here seemed to bavo been purpose in what lind had been done and purpose which had not been confided to tier her self either cither by tier lier fattier father or avery for how could they have suspected eaton baton would betray himself in the gunto unless they lind naso suspected that tie ho had played polo before to suspect that they must at least have some theory its as to who enton was cut but tier her fattier had no such theory lie he had find been expending unavailingly so flar far every effort effora to lis ascertain certain batons connections so her thoughts led tier her only into deeper and greater perplex UY ty but with them cai came caido do sudden and unaccountable resentment against avery at seven harriet went in to dinner with tier her father tho the blind roan man wits was alono alone ho he had been awni awaiting ting tier her and they were served tit t once all through h tho the dinner she was nervous and moody for sho she know she was going to do something she had never done before site she was going to conceal something from tier her fattier father she told of matons Chi tons reception at the country club and of his taking part in the polo practice and playing badly but of her own impression that eaton knew the game and tier her present conviction that donald avery hau hall soon seen even more than that she sha said eald noth ing she watched her fathers face but sho she could seo see there no consciousness that she was omitting anything ii lik her account an hour later when after reading cading aloud to him for a time ho be dismissed tier she hesitated before going youve seen Don donald nid she asked yes what did ho he tell you the same as have bayo told though not quite so fully she was was gutride tho the door and in tho the hall before realization camo came to her that her fathers reply could mean only that donald like herself had concealed concen led ills his discovery of batons ability to play polo why donald had not told sho bho could not imagine the only conc conclusion luIon sho she could reach was that donalds silence in some way menaced eaton for suddenly now it came to tier her what this mat must mean to eaton all that mat ho be had been so careful to hide regarding himself and hla bla connections must bo be obtainable ty by avery lowi now and avery for some purpose of his own was withholding betrayal to make uso of it as ho he might see fit sho she moved once more to return to tier her fattier father again she stopped then swiftly she elio turned and went downstairs she looka hurriedly about for avery she did not find him nor at first did sho she find eaton either she discovered him presently in tho the music room with blatchford atchford BI Ul atchford at once excused himself tired evidently of his task of watching over enton catob harriet caught herself together and controlled herself to her usual manner what shall it bo be this evening sir air enton eaton sh she 0 asked music Bl billiards billiards it if yov like lie ho responded they went up to the billiard room and for or nn an hour played steadily but tier her mind was not upon the game nor she saw was hla his finally as they ended a game he put his cue back in the rack nick and faced her fifles miss Sant olno olne ho he said 1 I want to ask a favor what Is it 1 I want to go out unaccompanied why 1 I wish to speak to a friend who will be waiting for me how do you yon know he got word to mo me at tho the conn try club today excuse roe me I 1 did not nican mean to ful inform ferru forru on mr avery he was really most vigilant I 1 believe lie bo out only v made ono one slip lie ile was not the only one ob swerving YOW you 1 I suppose not in facts fact I 1 was cor of it however I 1 received a mas aage which was undoubtedly autlin tit tic and had not ben been overseen but you TOU were not dot MAD able to mako make reply ply t 1 I was ablo to receive all that was ne necessary eary 11 she considered for a moment what do you want me todo to do 4 either because of toy my presence 0 or r because of what has happened or perhaps normally you have at least four mon men about the grounds two of whom seeni seem to be constant on duty to observe anyone who may I 1 wish you to order them to lets MO pass and go to a place perhaps ten minutes walk from hero here if you do 1 ao 80 1 I will returns at the west latest within half an hour he glanced at his watch to bo be definite before a quarter of eleven 11 why should ji do this he cantio close to her and faced tier her what do you think of me now miss Sant San olno toino 0 0 why you aro cert certain allf now aro are you not that I 1 find nothing to do with the attack attach on your fathers father that Is in any other connection than that the attack might bo be meant for me I 1 denied yesterday that the men in the automobile meant to run me down you did not accept that denial I 1 may as well admit to you that I 1 know perfectly well they meant to kill mo me they are likely to try to kill me W i recognize that too she an al the men on watch ab about out tho bouso are warned to protect you ats ah well as watch you 1 I appreciate that but are they all you have to fear mr eaton baton she was thinking of donald avery IM ho seemed to recognize what was in her mind his eyes as ho he gazed intently at her clouded then darlien darkened still more div thought no not all and it will aid you to to protect ybur yourself self if you see your friend tonight yes but why should not one of fathers men bo be with unless I 1 alono alone my friend would not appear 1 I see ile ho moved away from her then thea came back the importance to him of what ho he was asking was very plain to her ho be was shaking nervously with it miss Sant olne ho he said intently you do not think badly of roe me now ow I 1 do not have to doubt that I 1 can see it you have wanted me to tb see it I 1 ask you to trust pe me fora tor a few minutes tonight I 1 cannot tell you whom I 1 wish to see or why except that the man comes tu do roe me a service and to endanger no one except those trying to injure me she herself was tre trembling with her desire to help him but i election of her father held beld her back then swiftly there came to her the thought of ion gabriel lV warden arden because warden had tried to help him in some way and for some reason which she did not know warden had been killed and feeling that in helping him film there nit might bo be danger to herself she suddenly and eagerly welcomed that danger and made her decision promise mr eaton not to try to leave yes 11 lot us go out she said she led the way downstairs and in the hall picked up a cape ho he threw thre w it over tier her shoulders and brought tits his overcoat and cap but in his absorption he forgot to put them on until as they went out into the garden together she reminded him then he put on the cap the night was clear and cool and no ono one but themselves seemed to bo be about the house which way do you want to gor go she asked ilo ho turned the forested a cres acres of the grounds which ran down to a ravine at k the bottom of which a little stream trickled tow toward ar I 1 d the lake As they approached the side of this ravine a man appeared and investigated them no he recognized the girls figuro and halted its all right willis she said aul fitly etly yes 11 they passed the man and N yent ant down the path into the ravine and up the tiny valley eaton halted you dont mind waiting here a few moments for met roe no she said you will return here yes he said and with that permission m lie ho left her both had find spoken so that the man above could not have heard and harriot now noticed that as her co companion hurried ahead ho he went almost not noiselessly el essly she stood still shivering a littie now in the coll cold and she listened ehe no longer heard beard his bis footsteps what she had done was done then just juit as she woe witz telling herself that it roust must be many moments before she would know whether he was coming back she ehe heard him returning at some little distance he spoke her name so as aa not to frighten her she know knew at once it was he be but a change in the tone ione surprised her she stepped forward to meet him you found your friend T yos yes ahat nabat did ho he tell you I 1 mean what lj ai wrong that you did not ex she bho beard hla his breath come coma fast nothing Not bing bo be ten led no you must tell me met I 1 cant you trust me trust you I 1 ho he cried he turned to tier her and seized her bands you ton ask ash me to trust youl yes ivo ive trusted you cant you believe in morl me bellevo believe in you miss antof nol ile ho crushed her fingers in his grasp oh my god I 1 I 1 could I 1 you wish i you could she echoed the tone 0 of f it struck her like alko a blow ond and shotaro she sho tore toro her hands I 1 away what do you mean by that ho he mado made no reply but stood staring nt at her through tho dark we must go back lie ile sold que queerly orli youre cold she did not answer but started back up the path to the hou he flo seemed to have chught himself together against some impulse that stirred him strongly the man out were there who saw us ile ho will report to your father miss Sant olne olno he asked unsteadily I 1 reports leports I for father are first made to ma me 11 1 I see ile ho did not ask her what she was going to do if he was assuming that tier lier permission to exceed his set im limits its bound tier her not to report it her father she did not accept that assumption though she would not report to the blind man tonight for she know knew he must now bo be asleep but she felt that eaton was no longer thinking of this As they entered the house and he helped tier her lay off her cape ho he suddenly faced her are in a strange rotation relation to each other miss bliss Sant olne stranger than you know ho he said unevenly she waited for him to go on when the time comes that you comprehend what our bur actual relation Is 1 I 1 I want you to know that I 1 understand der stand that whatever you have done was done because you believed it might bring about the greater good 1 I I 1 have seen in you in your father only kindness high honor sympathy it if I 1 did not know she skirted StIr started ted gazing at ham alra what he be said had bad absolutely no meaning for tier her what Is it that you know she demanded ile he did not reply his hand went out to hers seized it crushed it and he bo I 1 star started ted away As he went up the stairs still in tits his absorption carrying cap and overcoat she stood storing staring after him in perplexity CHAPTER XVI the fight in the study eaton baton dismissed the man who had been wat waiting ting in hla his rooms for him he j locked the door and 1 edre carefully fully drew down all the window shades then he j put his overcoat folded GS as he had been carrying it under hla his arm on the writing table in the center of the room and from its folds and pockets took a breast drill d rill such as iron workers use in drilling steel on an automatic pistol with three clips of cartridges an electric flashlight and a little bottle of nitroglycerin he loaded the pistol and put it in hla his pocket then lie he carefully inspected the other things he fie raised a if shade and window and sat in the dark the night was cloudy and very dark he gassed gna ed at the south wing of the house the windows of the he first floor were closed and tats drawn hut but tonight there wn was V light in the room then lu the dark he moved to the he table babl e where he had left his overcoat and distributed in his pockets and within his cloi clothing hing the articles ho had and brought and now he felt again in the overcoat and brought out a short strong bar of abeel curved and flattened at one end a jimmy for fording forcing the windows enton eaton slipped off his shoes and went to hla his room door he opened the door and found the hall dark and quiet aulet he stepped out closing his door core care fully behind him film and with grent great caution ho he descended the stairs he went to a window in the drawing toom loom which was set in a recess and so placed that it was not visible from other windows in the house he opened this window and lot let himself down upon the lawn ile ho gained the south corner of the wing unobserved or nt at least without sign that he had been seen and went on around it it ile he stopped nt at the first high french window on the south As he tried to slip his jimmy under the bottom of tho the sash the window to his amazement opened silently upon its hinges it had not been to locked eked the heavy curtains hung just in front f r out of him ho fie put out his hand and parted them then ho he started back in astonishment and crouched close to the ground inside inaldo the room was a man moving about flashing an electric olec torch before him and then exploring an instant in darkness and flashing hla his torch again not been at all prepared for this now he know knew suddenly that he ought to have been prepared for it it if tho the man within the room v was 7 na not the one who had attacked tacked nt him with the motor ho he was closely allied with that man and what he was waa after pow was the same thins thing eaton baton was waa after ne ile drew his pistol and loosing the safety lie he made fiade it ready to are with his left hand band he ha clung to the short abort heavy jimmy he into the great room through the curtains and trending dAne noiselessly in hl hid stocking foot he be advanced upon up tho inon n MY ing forward in each period of darkness between the flashes of tho the electric torch now ow at tho the further odds hide of M room another electric torch flashed out there wore were ot at least two men in the roon room working to together geiber or rather one was working the other supervising vi for eaton heard now a steady almost inaudible grinding bolso as the second man worked eaton baton halted again and waited if there wore two there might bo be others his bis pulses were beating faster and hotter and ho he felt the b blood dushl rushing no to tits his head bond and his hie hands bands growing cold with his excitement 4 t but ho he was conscious of no fear he crouched and crept forward noiselessly again no other light apper appeared tred in the room and thoro there was no sound elsewhere from the darkness but bui the man who supervised had bad moved closer to the tha other the grinding bolso had stopped it was followed by a sharp cllrk the men side aide by side were bending over something and the light of the man who had been working for a fraction of a second shot I 1 into nto tho the face of tho the other tic he muttered somo some short hoarse imprecation but before eaton baton heard the voice he had stopped as if struck and hla his aroath had gone from him his instants glimpse of that face astounded stunned stupefied him ho he could not have seen that man I 1 the fact was impossible t ile he must have been mad his mind must have become unreliable to let him even imagine it IL then the came the sound of the voice the voice of the man whose face he had soon seen I 1 it was he hot I 1 ano and in place of the paralysis of the first instant now a wild savage throe of passion seized eaton his pulses leaped so it seemed they must burst his velna reins and he gulped and choked he bad not filled in with insane fancy anney the features of the mr whom he had seen been tho the voice witnessed too that the man in the dark by the wall was he whom eaton if ho he |