Show I. I LADY bAD Y m e LARK P I M eia r n r ar s JAti JOi CHAPTER Continued IV-Continued IV IV 12 12 Flynn has caught the spirit 1 cried Alice exultingly you Flynn Flynn turning to confirm this caused caused caus cans ed the car to swerve swerve and graze a truck piled high with household goods Wo Ve may elude the pursuing knights I suggested but some village village vil vII lage constable may take It into his head to pinch us Oh that would be lovely cried Alice Allee And well we'll telegraph dear Mr Torrence to come and bail ball us out We reached Barton at nine o'clock and after an Informal supper I listened listened list list- ened to Antoine's solemn reports as asI asI asI I walked to the garage The prisoner had made no sign he lie said and nothing noth noth- in lag ing nh had bad d occurred red during the the day a nut But meres mere's this Mr Singleton which you ought to know sir The Theold Theold Theold old Tyringham people dont don't like the goings on here You'll admit Its It's all nIl mighty queer I dont don't complain sir but some of ot the boys threaten to leave sir And I look at it this wa way that nobody understanding what the spying and bribes offered an and taking prisoners Is all about is most pe pe- culiar We got to know where we stand that's what its it's c come come me to sir And the widow being and Flynn coming home and und saying nothIng nothing noth noth- ing lug but shaking his h head ad when we ask him where hes he's been been been- You see for yourself sir how it t looks to us What he lie said as to the general aspect aspect as as- of things was true but I didn't admit that It was true Alice had converted converted converted con con- me to the notion that I was a character In a stor story a n pIny plaything thing of fate and I lightly brushed aside Antoine's Antoine's Antoine's An- An toine's melancholy plaint I Any man of you OU I said who leaves this property will be brought back and shot Tell that to the boys I 1 Nevertheless the perfect equanimity of the gentleman in the tool house when I visited him the next nest morning shook my faith a trifle In the storybook storybook storybook story story- book features of life at Barton He was an exemplary exemplar prisoner the guards I reported and he had maintained the strictest silence In n my absence He ne ate ate smoked and read courteously thank thanking ng the men for their attentions and that was all When I showed myself myself my- my self at the window he rose and threw down the magazine he was reading and replied reviled good to my Inquiry Inquiry In In- as to how he was getting alongI along I have no complaint except that the guards snore outrageously The poor old chaps will sleep you know If It youre you're so 50 badly guarded why dont don't you escape I asked tartly It would relieve your mind a lot lotIf lotif lotif if I should disappear he be asked In In- You are Impertinent I replied irritated that he should have surmised that his presence was causing uneasiness ness If you will come to your senses and tell me the meaning of your our visits here we may agree upon terms As it stands youre you're a trespasser trespass trespass- er you tried to bribe a servant to rob the house If It youre you're at all familiar with criminal law in this country you youcan youcan can estimate the number of years' years Imprisonment that will willbe be handed you yon for these little indiscretions If Its It's so plain why dont don't you hand me over to the authorities he asked provokingly cool Im gh giving Ing you a a chance to confess and tell who's back of all this Tell me Just why your confederate Mon Mon- is annoying Mrs Bashford and Ill I'll turn you loose If you OU wait walt for me to confess anything anything anything any any- thing you will wait walt forever he lie re 10 re- re plied I repeat that we are arc Impelled by the same same motives motives you and f L I think I needn't enlighten you as to what they are I shall be glad t to hear your Idea of my motives I answered feebly I shall be frank be he replied read ily fly The reason you dont don't turn me over to the police pollee Is the very simple one that you yon dont don't want to embarrass the mistress ss of the house yonder by causing the light of publicity to beat bent upon her very ery charming head You wish to save her annoyance and possibly possibly pos pos- sibly something much graver I can see that you OU are Impressed h but it ought to please you OU to know that I share your feeling of delicacy she Is concerned Aid let me add that the Count Montana Is animated by like feeling So there w we e are exactly on the same ground I 1 It 1 t You ha haven't vent answered my ques ques- 1 I I blustered to hide my annoyance annoyance an an- at being thrust further Into the dark You dont don't understand Mrs Bashford I went on hurriedly It Is Inconceivable that anyone should wish to Injure her or that she could have committed any act that would cause her to be spied upon She's tremendously tremendously tremendously tre tre- Imaginative she Indulges In little fancies that are a part of her charm I Little fancies I 1 he repeated hiding a yawn awn Its Us deplorable for a pretty woman to have an Imagination i theres there's danger there ther I Your philosophy bores me I said and left him He had lied about the snoring of the guards guards Antoine satis- satis fled me of that that but but I gave Instructions Instructions Instructions to double the watch CHAPTER V. V I Alice I wanted to he be alone and struck oft off for a wood that lay on the northern end of ot the estate This was the most picturesque spot on tho the property a n wild confusion of trees and boulders On a summit In the midst of it Uncle Bash had built a platform round a majestic pine from which to view the Sound I moun mounted ted the ladder and was brushing the dead leaves from from the bench when somewhere below below me and farther on I h heard ard voices Try It from that boulder there Alice said Mrs 1 Farnsworth Its It an Ideal place created for the very ery purpose I could see them moving about and hear the swish of shrubbery and the scraping of their feet on the rough slope How will that do asked Alice Beautifully replied Mrs Farnsworth Farns Farns- worth Now go ahead from the beginning beginning beginning be be- ginning of the scene Cautiously drawing back bacle the branches I espied Alice striking aI al a n I l 1 i- i When I Showed Myself at the Window Window Win Win- dow He Rose pose on a n mammoth rock She bent forward clasping her knees and with an occasional glance at what appeared to be an open book beside her she shebe be began an You ask me who I am my ray lord It matters not at all who or what I Iam Iam am nm let it suffice that berries are my food and the brook that sings behind me gives me drink To o be one thing or another is weariness Would you ask yonder oak for a name or trouble the wind with like foolish Coolish questions No It Is enough that a tree is strong and fine to look upon and that a wind has healing In Its wings With her head to one side and an nn arresting gesture and und throwing Into her voice all Its charm and ond a new v compelling innocence and sweetness s she continued 0 But you OU would have a II name nume Then Oh foolish one so much I 1 will tell you Yesterday I was Helen Belen who launched a thousand ships and shook the topless towers of mum Ilium Today I am Rosalind in the forest of ot Arden and tomorrow I may be Antigone or Ariel Arlen or Viola or what you OU will wUl I Iam Iam Iam am what I make myself or choose to be I pray you let that suffice My face was wet with perspiration and my heart th thumped wildly For either I was stark staring mid or these thC were lines from Searles' Searles Lady Larkspur the manuscript of ot which was carefully locked In my trunk That should be spoken a trifle more slowly and with the best air of I you can put Into It Mrs 1 Farnsworth was saying You can work It out better when youve you've memorized the lines Its It's Immensely immensely Im im- im effective having the last scene come back to the big boulder on the tho mountainside Let me look at nt that a minute She took up the manuscript there manuscript there was no question of the blue cover of my copy of Lady Larkspur Larkspur and and turned to the passage she sought souCht I Let Lct me read this over Mrs Farnsworth continued I 1 have played my lord at nt seek hide with the stars and I have ave run races with the brooks You alone of all aU that have havn I sought me are equally fleet of foot toot and heart henrt 1 If It you but touch my hand I am lost forever And this hand handI hand hand- I beg you OU look at nt It- It It-Is It Is as brown asa as aJ asa a n berry and as rough aa as hickory bark A wild little hand and not lightly to tobe tobe tobe be yielded at any mans man's behest Look at me carefully my lord She rises to full height quickly Let me see you do do that Alice Allee Alices Alice's golden head became more morA distinctively visible as she stood erect upon the boulder Oh no You can Improve on that It must be done lightly and quickly Just touching the tips of your fingers to the rock Ah splendid I Now stand with one hand dropped upon th the hip let hip lct let me mc see how that looks Very good now repeat these lines after me This other world of which you speak Shako Shake your head slowly frowning every hint of sincere doubt douht and questioning you can throw Into look and gesture Is It a kind world a place of honest hearts You havo have spoken of cities and crowded avenues of music and theaters and many things thing I have read of but never seen een You promise me much but what should Ido Ido I Ido do In so vast a company I am very happy here Spring and summer fill my hands with flowers and In winter I lay my fa face e to the wind win that carries sleet and snow All An this Is mine A Arms Alms ns stretched out You mustn't make that stiff very stiff very good Earth and sky and forest belong to me Tho The morning comes down the sky In search of ot me me- and the tired day bids blet me good night at the western gate You Yon would change rags for Cor silk You turn your body and catch your skirt In your hands looking down Yes you are barefoot in this scene You'll have to practice that turn Now Now Now- And yet et I should lose my dominion In that world you boast of ot I should no more be Lady Larkspur Alice Allee had repeated these lines testIng testing test test- Ing and trying different modulations modulation Sometimes a dozen repetitions hardly sufficed to satisfy Mrs 1 Farnsworth who herself recited them and postured for Alices Alice's instruction Please read the whole of ot the second second sec sec- ond act a again aln said U l Alice e seating herself on the boulder I waited for fora a few minutes enjoying the beautiful flow of Mrs 1 Farnsworth's voice then thE mystified and awed I crept down the ladder and stole away Its Dick Searles' Searles play I kept whispering to myself It was the Lady Larkspur that he was holding hoMing back until he could find the girl that had so enchanted enchanted enchanted en en- chanted him In London and for whom he had bad written this very comedy with Its setting In the Virginia hills Hurrying HurrIng to the garage I snarled at it Flynn who said Torrence had bad been calling m me all morning and had finally left word that he would motor to Barton at eight the next evening to see me on urgent business I unlocked unlocked un un- un locked my trunk and dug out my copy of Lady Larl Larkspur spur Not even the e wizardry of t Alice and her friend could have extracted the script The two women had In some way possessed possessed pos pos- themselves of another copy an exact duplicate even to Its blue paper cover coyer and I sat down and began recalling recalling re rc- re- re calling everything Searles had told me about his efforts to find the ac ac- tress The Thc telephone on the table at my el elbow elbow et- et bow rang until Flynn came In timidly timidly timid timid- ly to quiet It If Its It's Mr 11 Torrence Torrence- I began Its Us the Barton station sir Theres There's a telegram I snatched the receiver spitefully thinking thinking- It only the methodical Torrence confirming the appointment made by telephone But the operator began reading rending Springfield Ohio September 30 1917 Cable from London agent says last forwarding address for Violet Dewing was hotel In Seattle Please ask Harkaway Stein and anybody else elsa on Broadway who might know what companies are on coast or headed that way I find no clew In theatrical papers and und dont don't want to mess things thing by making Inquiries direct If It party can be located will start West Im iw mediately Searles The thought of Searles was comforting comfortIng comfort comfort- Ing and I reproached myself for for- not having summoned him at the beginning begin ping ning of my ray perplexities I Immediately dictated this reply Take first filst train east cast and come tome tome to tome me nt at Barton Darton as quickly quickly- ns as possible Hope to have news for your ou TO BE CONTINUED CONTINIO |