Show DARK HOLLOW LLO r by ANNA KATHARINE GRF GREEN F N copyright 1014 by br dodd Dodds Hond company ea 4 SYNOPSIS A tar er crowd of f land t hem b Yeter lex bm home a f juice pr mounir rou n ty fudge eed itce ame recluse rc lue tot ot low lowlow ing a celent adm wl who h ax 1 brough the th sat of 0 the th high 1 berru ni surrounding the th place th woman be but the juda in Is found la 10 a af state bels his hi ant la in a dying sol oa 04 ie to a aftret ear door bela 1 die ties T the judge awaked ml meigs to him hirn afat hat hr bas during his hi fiur fie secretly 41 th 9 aher bouts louts of e the th veiled womac 1 la sy aft its his hi guarded 4 house hou at t night bf he gots KO through irk hollow to A tim th lee oa V ault vult 1 att CHAPTER ill III continued judit jude ostrander wu was lookin irking about him for mr mrs yardley I 1 ah he quiet figure of a little body up a certain doorway 1 I 1 am looking loo liing for mrs yardley be he ventured th the 0 latua figure turned be he was con ocious atou of two ro very piercing eyes balog ratel to tile bla and beard heard IB in ac cent cents yet were oot not the accent accents of wea kB ma the ion tion nudge jude next minute they were together in A small room with the door but shut behind them the energy and de cislon of tali afa mite mile of a woman were surprising in 1 I as going to the li morn 1 ing she be panted la in her excitement to apologize otlie she bo on do asbed 0 thab aid said he be it ia as your child who ho visited my boue house dodart she edl her tier laree large bead waa was somewhat to her short and arid stocky body but nut ber bet glance and manner were vere not ua there wa was a moment of aleace WE which itch she liast ened to break Is I 1 very youn young it not 1 T r alt shel ah lii la ao so young ahe she docan t know where ale be went she ah waa was found loitering 11 around mund the bridgeta bridget bride ea a dan serous place for a child but weve been very busy all day sad ibe she waa was found there and tadeu alone along baby if te a other person I 1 hope that you will excuse it tir alro abal be he had bad to nay say came with a decided abruptness ibo Is the woman lire Y attley what I 1 hare have coad to leara learn and cot mot to in complain compla ln of your child the answer truck struck him vera strange ly though he saw nothing to lead him to distrust ber bar candor 1 I 1 dont know audre ostrander she calle calls herself averill but that do make me ine lure sure of her you wonder that I 1 should keep a lodger lodner about whom I 1 have any doubts but there are art time times hen sir yardley uses bat and this abl 14 one ove of the limed the woman pay pays well and nd promptly she added in to a lower tone ifer stains la Is she be maid mild wife or widow oh ahe she aya says ibe she la Is P widow and 1 nea see every reason to ballve her A slight grimness grm nea la in ber her manner he the edo edge to ber her voice led the J dc to remark pretty I 1 not like a girl air lr she eld enough to show fade ads but I 1 don t be bt hay have you no idu who this mra mrs averill lot 1 aleve that a man would mint that abe ah mad a looka way that zion women tal you may judge 1 it we old stagers at t the business buel neM have bez been willing to take her in and keep her at any price A woman who vrona n ona how tier ter face am except ta to me m and who will oot not leave her hot room without bei her veil and then only for walks la to places where no one ele else want to to she some queer son on of charm td overcome all scruples crup Je hut EC gt too far today bho sho ball shall eave iab athla inn tomorrow I 1 promise you 1 I r whatever hamud mya nul ut lcou fit fw look tired 1 it 1 dae dze Is idimo you would I 1 ive fiam tt 1004 4 no I 1 a of wt ouch much U ss d to wak walk lar ing bedee besides I 1 bare have bid had great real 1 today ajr man MAD bela then with hi his former abruptness abrupt nw hare roc you DO no idea who thia this air afro averla in or why by the be broke into my house but one explanation air 1 ive been thinking abou it ever since I 1 cot got wind of where ibe she took my peggy the woman Is not responsible she bai has me eort sort ot of mania why die else should she he go into a trance strange gate just because the saw w it opeal you peak speak of her as a stranger atra ager are you ou quite ure sure that ie 09 is a it stranger ranger to 81 you have oot not bcd ic very many yeast here bete and ht her wearing of a roll veil indoors and out la Is very suspicious so im beginning to think aad and there Is I 1 1 eke else judge bleb make makes mo suspect you may be quite correct f about her not being an entire stranger here boo known this bousi too well ell the judge it start arted edL the strength 0 of his adf had bad relaxed a bit and he showed la in the took he cut cast abot bim what whit it bad east him to inter these it la Is not he the same of couric con U zed ced mr mrs yardley lar dley affected in n a peculiar pecullar way by the glimpse she he bad caught of the other others emotion ral and incomprehensible ax ajl it appeared to her the place baa has been heels greatly changed but there la Is a err cri tain fain portion of the old bouse house left lift which only a prison who bo knew it as a it originally waa was would be apt to find and wid yesterday on going into one of there remote room I 1 cane epou her zi in one of the window windows looking 0 out UL how ilow fibs be jot therl or why by abe be went ent I 1 cannot tell you she didel t choose to ell tell me god I 1 didn t ask nut but I 1 ve not mot felt rca rea aay easy about her since excuse me mr yardley it may be a matter of ro moment but do you itic telling me where here thil this room far its it on the top floor air ir and it looks out over the ravine perhaps she he WL spying out the path to your boure house the judge judges face hardened har dered he ile felt batted and greatly but he be poke spoke kindly cough enough abou be he again addressed yardley 1 I 1 am aa as aa as you of thin this womans personality and of her rea bonit for intruding into my presence pree ence this th morr ilog nat bat there ie Is something noaie thing so 0 o rc rec ullar tillar about this avoux attempt of her hers at an interview that I 1 feel impelled to inquire into it more fully even it I 1 have to approach Jp the only source of information capable e of givler me what I 1 want that la Is be hersell lire yardley Ya ruley will you procure me mo an immediate interview alth ith this woman I 1 am tt ure re that you can be relle tells upon to do this and to do it with caution you have the countenance of a woman unusually discreet the subtle flattery did its rork work bho she has aa not blind to the tact fact stat he I 1 had a d introduced it for that very pur pose but it was not in her nature to withstand any appeal from ao so exalted a source however made lifting her bar ere even fearlessly fearlee ely to hie his she he earnestly 1 I am proud to serve you I 1 will aee see what I 1 can do will oa ou wait cherev judge ostrander bud had juit just time to brace himself to meet the unknown when the door fell back and the woman of the morning appeared la in the h opening CHAPTER IV V unveiled on the instant he recognizer recognised 4 that no to common interview toy lay before him she waa was catill the stranger ranger and she ib still till wore her vell tella vella a fact all the aft more impressive that it was wa no longer the accompaniment of a hat but flume flung freely treely over ber bare bead he lie frowned aa an be he met her eyes through this dis dl gul ing gauze thia la Is try good of 0 you judge ostrander she he remarked la in a voice both cultured ini pleasant 1 I t hardly have hoped for thia this honor such consideration mown to ft a stranger arsue argues i spirit of unusual kindliness or perhaps I 1 am mistaken ml aken pi i my supposition up tiou perhaps I 1 stu no stanger to 10 you perhaps you know my uty aamot name i Aver verill lUt no she paused showing her disappoint ailet quite T aleu L dr up a chair she abe leaned heavily on ita its brck beck saying la in low monotonous tonea tones from which the former eager thrill bad had deported ported 1 I eee see thai that the intended marriage of your son has ha made very tittle little imbros upon yea aghast tor for the moment this woo va ucb such a different topic from the one be he expected the judge regarded alt in hence silence before 1 have known nothing ft pf it it my III ona concern concerns are no ou longer mine if it yot ae 1130 broken brokell into ay MY course of life for no all other purpose than to discuss dl lie the affairs of oliver ostrander Ott rander I 1 fogt beg ot of you 0 1 0 escuage me I 1 halve ic jar say ts ta bf hit connet lica to you tit ot to 10 at athle 1 it III breech bet between earr you yoo 0 o deep as a that I 1 ami no you are am a man I 1 vily amy you sense ot at att happl BM bahu all i 1 A in arl ml 1 to lt 1 t of a bogos and innocent girl lovely as few are lovely either in body or mind yourself madair no my daughter oliver ostrander has done us u that bonor honor air lie fie bad every wish aad and bad made do every prep prepa ration to marry my child when n shall I 1 go on oar I 1 you may it wa was shortly eald but a harden selem seemed led to all fall from her shoulders at ite its utterance her tier whole graceful form relaxed swiftly into its natural carve curves and an atmosphere ot 0 charm from this moment enveloped e her w which justified the description of mr mrs yardley eren even without a eight of the feature f tures she the till still kept bidden hidden 1 am a widow sir air thus ohp be began with studied 4 simplicity alth N ith my oue hald I 1 bare have been living in detroit these mary year years ever my husband a e deb in fact we site re not alere nor bare have we lacked re ubea uben some six months ago your BOO ton who stands litsa la in every one ones e regard as bents befits his parentage and bic his varied talent talents met my daugh ter and fell seriously la in lore love with her no one ao so far as I 1 know criticized his taste v cv found fault with his hi choice I 1 thought my child afe safe abd she ho waa was bafo loi all appearance up to the very iba ang ot of her marriage the marriage ot of which yoe yon eay any you bad had received ived za intimation though oliver seems a very dutiful eon son madam the hoarseness of his hi tone possibly 1 increased lie its peremptory cha character rocter 1 1 I really must ask you to lay slide your deiv tell it waa was A rebuke and ahe she felt it to be so 0 o but the tho ish she be blushed blus from n I 1 behind her tell yell she did not jav 1 it L pardon me 0 she he begged end and very humbly bat but 1 I cannot yet let me reveal my secret first judge der the name under which I 1 had llred fired in detroit was not my ray real one out I 1 hu let him court and all but marry my daughter without warning him ta in any way ay of what this deception on my part covered but othere others one other I 1 have reason now to bellere belleve had detected my identity under the altered circumstances of my ner now life and surprised him with the new news at that late hour we are judge ostrander you know who we are thio this ie Is not the first time you and I 1 have seen each other U a to face facer and lifting op up a hand hind trembling ir embling with emotion she be put aside her yell you recognize mero too well the tone tons wae was deep with meaning but there wae was no sed la in it nor waa wits there any cote role of rollet it wai was more as if it rome hope deeply and perhaps unconsciously cherished bad had buffered suffered a and complete extinction put back your deiv 11 trembling she complied compiled murmuring a As she he fumbled with its told folds disgrace to in an derl I 1 know that I 1 wai was mad to risk it tor for a moment forgive me for the attempt attempts and listen to my errand oliver willing to mar ray my chiva even after he knew know he the shame it would entail out dut reuther would not accept the sacr sa crince itice judge Os trender I 1 aa sin not worthy of such ii a child but such she he la Is if it john we will not peak speak blis name broke in judge ostrander Ott rander assuming a per bearing bulte quite unlike his for mer one ot 0 reserve 1 I 1 should like to hear bear instead your explanation ot of how bow my toy son lion became inveigled into an engagement of which yo yoa if it no one otis ise tise knew the preposterous na lure judge ostrander rander you do right to blamo blamis roe me I 1 should never have bare riven given my consent never out but I 1 borsht our past so 0 o completely hidde nour iden eliy so 0 o entirely hobt under ahe accepted name 0 of averal V you thought though ti he ile towered over her la in bis his anger hi ila looked and acted a aa in the old day days when witnesses cows cowered under his eye tind voice say that you knew madam that you planned thia this unholy trap fur nr my son 0 judge ostrander Ott rander I 1 did not plan their meet lair nor did I 1 at first en courage his addresses not till I 1 abw the client of their mutual did I 1 yield to the vent event and accept the hut but I 1 waa was wrong wholly wrong to allow him to visit her a second time but now that the Is dene judge ostrander Ott rander was not listening 11 1 I have A question to put you said aid he hen bon ha he zed that she had ceased speaking oliver wae was nevo a fool tool when bo he ts told who your daugler daug ber waa wits what did he say any of the coincidence which made him the lover of 0 the woman against whose hta father had bid uttered sentence of death he marvel and call it rythe na work of the derill but if it he didat waa was not in any conversation he bad had with roe me M and your daughter t was be as closemouthed close mouthed lu in speak lag ut tu alto to her us he wart to byoir lop 1 I 1 have no do ant of it it reuther to tray trays ao no knowledge of you or of your habits and ha hat never expressed but arft in your regard As A you iau rats i au lina gille bt hat that ii 6 1 t it U nut ut t all if it i bod arc at 1 l liberty to tm I 1 have ilat I 1 I 1 I 1 and 4 tn ranch much and can veil well listen it U a little more mire judge abe she it Is of a very affect loca nature and her appreciation 0 of you 0 ab sons virtues alj buea la Is very great T though g her conception of your yourself tell la Is naturally very vague one it la is only to tx be expected that sue she should wonder bow how fou ou could lire so lone long without ft a ruit visit from oliver ilia ills up took a strange twist ther the ars we self contempt in it ad aid some other very peculiar aud and contradictory emotion bat but when ben thia this semblance of 0 a smile bad had pasted passed it was no longer OIl Of ivers rera father abe the saw before her bot but the county judge eren even his hi tone partook of the change as he be dryly remarked what you tou bare told me concerning your daughter er ina and iny son la is very in te cresting but it was not for the simple purpose of informing me that this untoward engagement was at an end that you came to shelby you have another purpose what Is lit it I 1 can remain with you tou just five rain min utes longer fire five minu teal it only take takes one to kill a hope bet but are are far too few for the reconstruction of one but she he gave no eign sign of her secret doubts as she plunged at once into her subject j eject t 1 I wilt will be brief raid ebe ehe as brief aa as any mother can be who la Is pleading for her daughter daughters life ills as well aa as bit hap P 1 1 1 I can well listen to a little more marit pine reuther baa has no real ailment aliment but her constitution la Is abnormally weak and she will die dle of this griet grief if it miracle does not 6 ave her strong aa as her will 1 Is determined as ehe te Is to do her duty at all cost she he has very little physical stamina seel beet here je Is her |