Show AT D GAT BY NiCH illustration by PAY ML ta rcy A 9 CA A SYNOPSIS M patricia patriel it Itol brook and it 1 helen Itol holbrook brook ter niece were entrust entrusted el t to the tits rare care ot of maurance donnar a summering ring 1 near netar rort Annar dalf miss ml I 1 afrula to Don oisin that ehe she he feared her brother henn who aulne rul I 1 by a bank f lilure ha I 1 constantly threatened her tier donovan dis 41 ani camtu pd an in intruder who h p proved to be lu act n ild gillespie for the hand of helen dono bownan an saw mige alias holbrook Itol brook un an I 1 her tn fa ther meet on frien friendly ily lly terms donovan fought an italian assassin lie ile met the man he supposed wax was nit ut who eald aid ha he wai a tano gaker alss ala mla vat announced ter tier anten intention on of 0 dish ting henry holbrook an not another j flo donovan novart met I 1 clelin felt n in garden at night pupil tty ity of liel 1 n was raf essed by tin the dunic lady at night nigh ja disguised an a nun etole stole front the house site met reginald oil GH herple abo told her hid hs love gillespie was confronted by done ionian an at the town post po tonce office helen unseen except by dono an llpyd a draft tor for her father into ti tie e hand of the italian callor A 3 bunic lad resembling miss 1 helm Itol brook was observed alone in a canoe wien mien helen wag was to liae lime been at home tome gillespie admitted riving giving helen SIOW OOOO for her father who had then left to epen open I 1 it 1 helen and lo bonoan noan met in tie night she I 1 told d hint gillespie was nothing to her tier he ito confessed hie his love ione tor for lier tier donovan found gillespie gauged tagged and bound in a cabin inhabited by the yil li tinous italian and holbrook he ile released him CHAPTER XV I 1 undertake a commission gillespie availed himself pt of my wardrobe ar drobe to replace hia his rags and ap feared lr IT the library clothed and in his usi ai at state of mind on the stroke ot of seven you should have had the doctor out donovan heing being stuck bisrat isn t so funny and jou ou will undoubtedly die dle of blood poisoning every one does now 1 I 1 shall disappoint you illma ijima and I 1 between ue us have stuck me together like a cracked plate and it Is not well to publish our troubles to hie the world if I 1 called tho the village doctor ho he would kill his horse circulating m Ft erious tidings A are to you satis batts ned fled f quite so you re a man after my m own heart donovan we had reached th dining room and stood by our chairs 1 I I like he said taking up hi his cocktail glass to propose a truce between us in the matter of a certain lady even not 1 on the honor of a tool he said and touched his glass to his lips and may the best man win he added putting down the glasa glass un emptied lie ile was one of those comfortable people with whom it Is possible to fit sit in silence but after intervals in la which we found nothing to say he would with exaggerated gravity make some utterly inane remark tonight to night his mind was more agile than ever his tits thoughts leaping nimbly from crag to crag like a mountain goat llo bad had traveled widely and knew kne the ways ol 01 many cities and of an amerlean Amer herilan lLan political characters whose names were but vaguely known to me he tie discoursed with delightful then his mind danced away to a tour he had acce made with a company of acrobats whose baggage he be had released from the grasping bands hands of a rural sheriff what ho he asked presently Is as s sad ard as being deceived in a person you jou have admired and trusted I 1 knew a fellow who wae was professor of something tn in a blooming college and who was to poor that he had bad to coach delinquent preps tn in summer time instead of get ting a vacation I 1 had aery conn dence in that fellow I 1 thought he was aas all right and so I 1 took him up into maine with me just the two of us and hired an indian to run our camp and everything pointed to plus well I 1 aldays aim ays get stung when I 1 try to be good lie ile placed his knife and fork carefully across his plate and sighed deeply ahat was the mattert did he bore ou with philosophy no such luck that man was weak minded on the subject of domesticate at ing prairie dogs you may shoot me if it that the fact there he was as a prize and a fellow of his aunt ver varsity sity and a fine scholar who edited greek text books with that thing on his mind he ile held that the dally daily ex ample amplo of the happy borne home life of the prairie dog would berd to ennoble all mankind and brigolin brig hlin jn up our famil altars think st 0 being lost in the axis 1 with a ft man wit with it euch match an idea and of having to sleep bleep under he the same blanket with him it rained most df the time so wo we had to bit in the tent and he never let up he ile got so bad that he would wako wake me ne up in the night to talk prairie dog it must have been trying I 1 agreed what waa was your solution dul but tons 1 I moved outdoors and slept who with the indian your salad dressing Is ex cellena cel lent donovan thou though gh perno personally nally I 1 lean to more of the paprika but let is ga go back a bit to the Ilot brooks omitting the lady there are certain winta vints about which wo we may as well grce gree I 1 am not so great a fool but hot bat I 1 can see that this state of things annot last forever henry Is broken own town froni front drink and Za brooding over s troubles and about ready for clo close in a a brick building with windows mal 2 A rifle shot rang out an d my horse shied sharply then I 1 m for capturing him and sticking him away in a gate safe place the irish of if you will pardon me but its it s noi not the holbrook Holb of it A father tucked away in a PH vate yale madhouse would not sound well to the daughter I 1 advise you yon not to 10 suggest that to helen I 1 generously aid sour our suit to that extent we are both playing for helena a gratitude hats the flat of the tte matter 1 I was brought into this business to help miss pat I 1 declared areil though a trifle lamely gillespie grinned sardonically doni cally de be it far from me to interfere with your plans methods or h b apes we both have the conceit rf et our wisdom there may be something in that but it was decent of you to gel got me out of that italians clutches this afternoon when I 1 went over there I 1 thought I 1 might find henry holbrook anil and pound some sense into him and he it about due from that telegram if it miss alias pat won I 1 t pollen her heart I 1 d better buy bu mn rl n oft off ho he added lively WP we walked the long length of the hall into the library Ib and had just lighted our cigars when the butler ought me beg pardon the telephone sir my aly distrust of the ho telephone is so deep seated that I 1 had the existence of the instrument in glen arm rouse where I 1 now learned it was tucked away in the butler butlers e pan try for the colv fience of the hous keeper in ordering supplies from he the village after a mota tents parley a womans oice 1 address d me ine distinctly a olce that at once arr acted and held all my thoughts my replies were I 1 fear somewhat breathless ard wholly stupid this la Is rosalind do you remember met me yes I 1 remember I 1 remember nothing else I 1 slat farej ijiro bad had closed the door behind nip and I 1 was as alone with the dicea olce a wice oleo that spoke to me of the summer night and of it 1 y winds murmuring across starry waters 1 I I am going away tho the rosalind Ros you remember Is going a long esy sy from the lake and you will never see her again hut but ou have air aw engagement when the new moon hut but the little feather of the new moon Is under a cloud and you cannot see it and find rosalind must always be helen now hut but this wont do rosilind Kosa Ros lind ours as a more than an engagement it was a solemn compact I 1 insisted oh ob no not t so very solemn solem nl 1 abe be laughed and then you have the other girl that jont just girl of the daylight that you ride and salt tall with and play tennis with I 1 oh I 1 haven t her I 1 dont don it want her treacherous man mani volatile irish roan want Marr marvelous elom adorable rosalinda Rota Rosa lind lindt that will do mr donovan Doo ovan and then with a quick change of tone she asaad abruptly you are not afraid of trouble ere u you ou I 1 live the for nothing elsel I 1 ou are not so pledged to the me its you play olay tennis with that you cannot berre rosalind noia lind if it she sibe aks asks no you have only to ask put I 1 must see gels you once more roa rota lindi sted belne illy silly and listen care cars fully and I 1 thought I 1 heard a bob in tho the moment moments silence before ehe she spoke I 1 want you to fo go at once to the house of the boat maker on noo no creek go as fast as you cant sho she implored to the tile bonito or of the man who calls call 1 I himself lian the canoe maker at red batel I 1 ats at you must see that no harm come comes to bim him to night there was no talla mistaking taking now the sobs mobs thu th U broke her sentences s and my mind wis so a whirl awhirl with questions ont that I 1 stammered incoherently 11 will you go win will ou go got I 1 ehe she do banded in a voice so low and broken hat that I 1 scarcely heard ye yes at once and the be voice vanished and while I 1 still stood staring at tho the lastrum l ent the operator at an fandale nandaly blandly asked mo me what number I 1 wanted the thread bad had snapped and the spell was broan I 1 blared stared helplessly at the thing of wood mood and wire ire for halt half a minute then the girl girls a appeal and my promise rose it ia my mind distinct from all else I 1 ordered my horse before returning to the 11 brar where gillespie was coolly turn ing in over ever the magazines on the table I 1 was as astill dazed and something in my appearance caused him to stare been seeing a ghost he asked no just hearing one I 1 replied I 1 had bad yet to offer some pretext for leaving him anil and as I 1 walked the length of the room he stilled stifled a yawn his ekes falling filling upon tho the line of french window windows I 1 spoke of the heat of the night but he tie did not answer and I 1 turned to find his gaze fixed upon rine of the opra o pra windows window i watt ais it man 7 I 1 demanded lie ile crossed tin mt room in u miep and waa was out upon the he terrace a peering down upon the shrubbery beneath the row rowa I 1 demanded ou see itt no 1 then it wasn gasn t anything I 1 thought I 1 saw the dago it you must know itell lie II 11 probably be around looking for us humph Ituria tilt youre a little nervous 8 all you 11 stay her herp all night of I 1 asked without will out I 1 tear fear much enthusiasm he ile grinned dont be so cor cordial diall if send me into town bo be off I 1 had jurt jupt ordered the dog cart when he the butler appeared if ou please sir sitter margaret wishes to 0 o use our telephone air lr 81 agatha a Is out of order I 1 spoke to the sister a she he left the houie house half as a matter of cour courtesy court tosy bait to make sure 0 01 her the telephone at st agathas Agai hae had boen been out of order for several days she said and 1 I walked with her tu to st bt agallar a gate talking of the weather the garden and the he holbrook ladles ladies who he were she said quite well ell ater when I 1 tal dispatched gillespie to the village in the dog cart I 1 got into leggings rejecting upon the he odd circumstance th that nt helen holbrook had lied been able to speak to me over the telephone a few minutes before belore using an instrument that lad by sister mar garets testimony ben been out nut of corn cow mals sion tor for several days the eirl cirt had bad undoubtedly slipped away frota bt st agatha agathas and spoken to me from some other house in the neighborhood but this was f P after of little importance now that 1 bad undertaken her corn com mission the chipel 31 clock chimed nine as 1 I alneil gained the road ami anal I 1 walked my any to scan st ag has windows the letae nistas that across he foliage anil and there b the open of her aunts aunt a sitting room I 1 aw helm holbrook reading A table amp at her aldo side illumined her slightly head and as though abou arou aroused d by horses quick step in fit the road the rose and land stood framed against the the with tho soft window draperies fluttering lutt ering about her I 1 spoke to ny MY horse and galloped toward lied gate a CHAPTER XVI an odd affair at red gate ae As I 1 rode through port ann Annin travalo dalo he lilting strains of a waltz floated roni the cast casino iio and I 1 caught a impe ot of the L 1 ko a cincture of my head was as none too clear from lie its crack on tho the cabin floor and nay chest as growing sore and stiff from the blash slash of the italian italians knife hut but my spirits mere higl and my cars ears rang with memories of voice helen bad had given ino me a commission and every fact of ct roy my life faded into insignificance compared to this tho the cool night air rushing by refreshed me I 1 wag was ea ir for the next turn of the wheel and m curiosity curlo alty ran on to the beatina bo t ina ker are a boust I 1 came now to a lonely sweep where the road ran through a heavy wood land and tho the cool moist molit air of at the tile forest rose round me the lake I 1 knew lay jay close at hand and the hart didgo cottage not as I 1 reckoned my distances very far ahead I 1 had drawn in my horse to consider the manner of my approach to the boat makar ji and was jogging along at an gin easy trot when a rifle rrie shot rang out on roy my left from tie the direction of the crock creek and my horsa horse shied and plunged on at a wild callop gallop lie ile ran several hundred yarda yards before I 1 could him and then I 1 turned and rode slowly back peering into tho the forests black shadow for the toe too I 1 paused and walled waited with he the budoo dancing crazily beneath me but the woodland presented an inscrutable front I 1 then rode on to the unfenced strip of wood where I 1 had left my horse before I 1 began this narrative with every intention of telling the whole truth touching my adventures at annandale and I 1 cannot deny that the shot from tho the wood had ag agian tin shaken my felth in helen holbrook Itol brook she bad had sent aae to the tippecanoe on an in errand of nor her own choosing and I 1 had been bred fired oe 04 from ambush near the place to which sha she had sent roc me I 1 fear that my tower of faith falth that had grown so tali tall and strong shook on its foundations but once more I 1 dismissed roy my doubts just au I 1 had dismissed al Is missed other doubts and misgivings about her my bly flee fleeting tint glimpse of her in the window of st st agathas less than an hour before flatbed back upon me and the tower the stare stars steadfast and stud se as rene again I 1 strode oa on toward red gate gat e with my revolver in the elde side pocket of my norfolk noi folic jacket jackel A buckboard filled with young folk from irom the summer cot col ony passed me and then the utter av V lence of the neld the coill in a nom nt I 1 had reached the canoe maker a cott cottage ago and aval entered the gate I 1 went at once to the front door and knocked I 1 repeated my knock several tills tin a but there was no answer the front window blind blinds closed tight tb tt houseboat wae was effectually screened by and I 1 bad de do ecender half halt a doten steps before t saw a light in the windows it oc burred to me that ae as I 1 had undoubtedly been sent to red gate late tor for sene pur pose I 1 should do welt well not to defeat it by any clumsiness of vat my ov n me I 1 proceeded lowly slowly pausing loveral several times to observe the lights below I 1 beard heard the tippecanoe lipping slipping by with the subdued of water at night and then a lantern flashed oa on deck and I |