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Show Shelferiiri A Now Romance of Vno Storm Counirtj CHAPTER XII Continued. 12 "You mean just lirunk, don't you? Didn't you try dofn' what I told you lor The hoy nodded and shivered again. "I sure did, but, but " -"But what?" cried Devon. "I put the stuff in the medicine all right, but something happened." Reginald's Reg-inald's voice was low Mid wavering as he finished the statement. "What hapiiened?" repeated Devon hoarsely. "Don't sit there like a d d tfool aud look as if you'd swallowed live eel." "I was going to slip back from the window sill to the tree," faltered Reggie, "and Tony's ghost rose up before be-fore me and shoved me cleioi off the ledge and down to the ground !" Uriah's eyes almost protruded from his head. Then a slow smile ran around his Hps. "Hats I" he ejacuhrted huskily. "Rats, you fool ! There ain't such things as ghosts." "Yes. there Is. Devon," insisted Reggie, Reg-gie, in a dreary mouotone. "I've seen one! I've seen Tony, I say, and many a time she's come so close to my eyes I -could have touched her If she could have been touched. The fall made me sick. I've been In bed ever ince." "And your cousin's still alive, eh?" V rlah's voice had a snarl in It. "Still alive," muttered Reggie. "What you goin' to do about It , now?" demanded Devon. "Try It g.iu?" Brown shook his head. "No, not yet, Riah," he muttered. "Not Just yet. I can't." "You got to get me a lot of money some way," Devon came in with. 'Tve got to get out of this country, or I'll be hooked to jail if those Syracuse Syra-cuse folks find me. You'd better be getting home and back to bed. Best take a stiff swing, too, to settle your nerves.". He watched the tall thin boy walk slowly away in deep meditation. Then he laughed and went below to the cabin. Almost a week after Reggie's futile attempt to poison his Cousin Paul, Tony Devon was sitting In her room, reading, when a servant appeared and told her some one wanted to see her downstairs. Her heart bounded with delight, for she was sure Philip had come again and had sent for her. She rushed to the glass, caught a glimpse of her rosy face, pushed back k' few stray curls and went downstairs to the drawing room. As she stepped Inside, she came to h sudden terrified halt. Her father was seated in a large chair and his eyes, red and swollen, were centered upon her. Then he smiled, that wicked wick-ed smile that always widened his thick lips when he had succeeded In some evil thing. "Hello, Tony," he chuckled. "You've made a fine nest for yourself, huh?" Tony only stared at him. She felt suffocated by his sudden appearance. "I came to talk to, you, kid," he said, the wheedle coming into his tones that always augured bad for the person afldressed. "Sit down." Tonnihel sat, not because he told her to, but because she couldn't stand on her trembling legs. "You don't appear to be very tickled to see your old dad," he threw at her, a frown wrinkling his face. "Get up and come over here." His wicked eyes seemed to be swallowing her whole. In fact Devon could not make himself believe this benutiful creature was the Tony who, he thought, hivd been drowned in the lake. He felt a new sensation within him as his gaze took in every line of the lovely figure. "Come over here," he said once more, "and tell me how you got out of the lake that night. Did you swim ashore ?" Tonnihel shook her head. "I'm not going to tell you anything," she murmured almost Inaudlbly. "Well. ' keep It to yourself, then," snapped Uriah. "When I get you back to the 'Dirty Mary' I know ways which'll bring out of you what I want ro know. So get your things and eoine along home." Tonnihel felt as if the bottom had fallen out of the world. Then a boy's smile, and a boy's words, "Salvation. ' Utile Tony. Is always at hand, for Cod is good." teemed to strike both her vision and hearing. Tony believed every word Philip MnoCaiilov littered. He couldn't speak nn untruth if he tried. If as lie had Raid, Salvation was at hand, then she could be saved at that moment. "I'm busy here, daddy." she man-nged man-nged to say. "I'm doing some nursing, nurs-ing, so I can't get away just now!" "You'll come just the same." replied Devon, getting to his feet. "Divine Love is everywhere." flashed flash-ed through Tony's mind as she too struggled up. She dared not scream, and even if she did, there was no one In the house who would help her. Mrs. Curtis and her daughter would be delighted to have her gone and Dr. John was out among his patients. There seemed to be no escape for her now. She dared not appeal to the weak, sick mau upstairs. Thinking of him made her blurt out : "Did you send that awful Brown feller here to put poison In Dr. Paul's medicine?" Uriah glared at her, went whit and put his hand on a chair to steady himself. "I don't know nothln' About any man or any poison," he growled. "You'd better be comln' along now." " Twas the man you said I had to link up with. He used to cotne to the 'Dirty Mary,' " explained Tonnibel, seeing her words had frightened her father. "I bet you sent him here." "Keep your clack shut," growled Devon, just as the door opened, and Mrs. Curtis entered. Tony whirled and faced her, although she didn't have th courage to utter a word. The woman looked from the girl's agitated face to Devon's, questlonlng- iy. "This Is my kid, ma'am," said Uriah, with n wave of his hand toward Tony. "I've come to take her home. Get vour duds brat !" Tonnihel turned as if to obey, and Mrs. Curtis CMight her arm. "Go as you are," she directed, "I'll send your things after you." Tony's eyes gathenM a belligerent expression. "I wou't go without saying good-by to Cousin Paul," she began. "If she gets up there once," interposed inter-posed Mrs. Curtis, In an undertone to Uriah Devon, "you won't see her again." Tonnibel had heard the words and knew they were true. If she could get upstairs with Doctor Ptrul and then lock the door, no one would dare venture after her. Devon suw swift Intelligence light up her face. Hedidn't intend to allow He Caught Her Roughly. her out of his sight. He caught at fcer roughly as Mrs. Curtis barred her flight to the door. "Let me alone," she cried. "Let me alone." Uriah snntched her hands, Mid Mrs. Curtis buried her fingers in the dark curls. As Tonnibel cried out again, the door suddenly opened, and John Pen-dlehaven Pen-dlehaven walked Into the room. Uriah dropped the girl's hands, and Mrs. Curtis fell back with a startled ejaculation. ejacu-lation. "What does this menu?" questioned Doctor John. "My father's here," said Tony, her voice breaking. "Her father, Cousin John," Mrs. Curtis repeated. "I've come for my girl, mister," said Uriah, plucking up his courage. "And she," Pendlehaven kept his eyes on Tonnibel, "does she want to go with you?" "Whether she wants to go or not, she will," ejaculated the other man. "Nobody can keep a kid from her own father, I'm- ix guessin'." "Tony, child," broke forth Doctor John, "don't look so frightened. No one's going to hurt you while you're Willi me. Come here, .my dear." His voice was so low, so tender, that Mrs. Curtis ground her teeth in rage, anil Uriah Devon felt his power cb'.iing away. Tonnibel walked swiftly to Doctor John's side ami slipped her hand into . his. Those two said I couldn't even say good-by to to " She bowed her head againVt the kindly i.Tin that supported sup-ported her and for a moment was so agitaled she could not proceed. ""Hush, dear," pleaded Pendlehaven. "Hush! Do you want to stay here?" "Yes. oil, yes, sir, I do. indeed, sir!" she cried. "Hut hut " "Then you'll stay." the doctor told her In a voice low-pitched and st?n "If your faiher limn; "I'm goin' lo have- my girl," gritted Uriah. "Then you have the iaw at your hand lo use. Mr. Devon." relumed Hie doctor, "and you, Sarah. I'll ask you to attend lo your own affairs after this." "But, Cousin John," argued Mrs. Curtis, "she's the man's own child. Surely he has a right to to " A sound of a bell pealing through the house cut off her words. Then came heavy footsteps In the hall. Before Be-fore anyone could figure on the cause of this commotion, ihe door burst open and several uniformed men came in. When Uriah Devon caught sight of them, lie made a dash for tl window, but two heavy officers weri on him before he was half way across the room. It took but a few minute for the officials lo explain to Doctor Pendlehaven thnt they had been trailing trail-ing Devon for i long time, that he was wanted for a crime in Syracuse. ' When they were leading him out nu.nacled and deeply enraged, he turned on Tonnibel. "I'll get even with you, miss," he snapped at her, his eyes full of hate, "and I'll get even with you too, mister." mis-ter." He threw the last half of his sentence at Doctor John, whse only reply was a shrug of his shoulders. During the struggle between the detectives de-tectives and Uriah, Mrs. Curtis bad clutched at Pendlehaven's neck, but he had cast her off without ceremony. Now the three were alone, Tonnibel, palpitating and fearful, Mrs. Curtis, sobbing on the floor, and Doctor John, looking at her sternly. 'Sarah," he said haughtily, "I saw the disgraceful way you were pulling this child's hair when I came in, and at last, much as I dislike doing It, I must ask you to leave my house." "Leave?" Mrs. Curtis screamed. "Where would I go? I haven't a place In the world but this." A careless gesture from Doctor John told Tonnibel that that fact didn't interest him. She slipped her hand Into his. , Lifting eyes that were troubled and Jark-clrcled, she begged J "Let er stay, Cousin John. Mebbe she didn't know my daddy would have killed me if he'd got me back to the Dirty Mary." Pendlehaven put his arm around her, and with a ring of fierceness la his voice, said : "There, Sarah, there's pity for you. If you stay, It's because Tony Devon pleads for you, not because I have any sense of duty toward you. I hope you feel properly grateful." The doctor strode to the door, opened It and motioned for her to be gone. Then weeping, she clattered awty, her sobs audible even after the door was closed. For a few moments Tony Devon wept silently In John Pendlehaven's arms. "Oh, it's awful to have daddy tajten away- to jail," she moaned, "but he won't be good, he just won't !" "You're much better off to have him away, little girl," soothed Pendlehaven. Pen-dlehaven. CHAPTER XIII. Good for Evil. Thf.t night for dinner, five people sat about the Pendlehaven table. Reggie, Reg-gie, pale and miserable looking, sat next to his mother, and Philip Mac-Cauley Mac-Cauley was opposite Doctor John. Katherine, silent and morose, wus at her own place. She had heard her mother's version of the afternoon's happening In amazement and anger, and it only added to her discontent to hear Cousin John tell the tale to Philip. "Sarah thinks," went on the doctor, doc-tor, "that we should have tamely given her up without a word to to that hrute !" "I can't see how you can keep a man's child from him, Cousin John," excused Mrs. Curtis, a dull red mounting to each high cheekbone. Pendlehaven laughed. "She wouldn't have been much use to him in prison, my dear Saruh," was his answer. "What're you talking about?" demanded de-manded Reggie, turning red-rimmed eyes on his mother. "Your Cousin John Insists on keeping keep-ing the daughter of a man named Devon De-von in the house here when her father fa-ther wants her home," she replied. Reggie's face grew a misty gray. "Devon," he repeated mechanically. "I didn't know we had any such girl here !" "She's always with Cousin Paul," remarked Katherine, with a sidelong glance at Philip. "It does seem satisfying, sat-isfying, though, to know who she Is. Mother says she comes of common stock." MacCauley's face grew dark, tnd Pendlehaven cast a glance of anger at his young cousin. "Both Kiithle and I," began Mrs. Curtis. "Why, Reggie, my darling, I never saw you look so sick In my life!" "Aw, cut it !" growled the boy, unsteadily. un-steadily. "Tell me what became of the girl's father." "He's going to Jail for a nice long rest." interjected Pendlehaven. "It seems he was mixed up In a theft in Syracuse." Reginald got up from the table. "I don't want anything more to eat," he growled, as bis mother started start-ed to remonstrate with him. "I'm going go-ing to bed." (TO BE CONTINUED ) |