OCR Text |
Show Shadow vm; f$wi ft$yf h grace h i ; M MILLER A - ; ''OCV h WHITE 1 A Now Romance of Tho SlormCountrtj CHAPTER XIII Continued. 13 When he got upstairs, he looked at himself In the gluss. now white and thin he had grown ! He looked as If he had died and was trying to come to life again. He was frightened almost al-most out of his wits too. Then Ton-ntbel Ton-ntbel Devon really was In the house. It hadn't been her ghost that had thrown him bodily from the window sill after all. Uriah, knowing that, had come and made a demand for his daughter and had been arrested. Perhaps he would be arrested also, and for a crime worse than stealing. Had the girl mentioned the fact of his trying to poison Paul Pendlehaven? If she hadn't, would she? When Mrs. Curtis Cur-tis came In to ask how he felt, he was crumpled In a big chair, shaking as If he had been attacked with ague. "My goodness, Reggie, you look awful," she said, coming to his side. "Tell me, child, whit's the matter?" "There's matter enough," faltered the boy. "If you don't want me arrested ar-rested like that man today, then give me some money to get out with." He dropped his head, and for a moment mo-ment she stood staring at him. Then her' mother-heart relaxed, and she Bank beside his chair. "Darling," she crooned, "daTlIng boy, go to your Cousin John and tell him all about It. He will forgive you and help you " The boy bounded up, maddened beyond be-yond endurance. "Great God," he cried, "he'd box me up for ten years ! No, no, you've got to help me get away from Ithaca. I must have money !" "Walt," said Mrs. Curtis, and she hurried from the room. When she appeared before Doctor John In his office, he arose hastily. "What's the matter, Sarah?" he asked. "John," she entreated, forgetting to raise her handkerchief to wipe" away her tears, "I must have some money tonight. A lot of It!" "For Reggie?" boomed forth Pend-dlehaven. Pend-dlehaven. "Yes, he's sick, and I want to send him away, John. Oh ! You can't refuse re-fuse me this, you simply can't." "Going away doesn't seem to help your son any, as I see," answered the doctor. "He might better stay home. Walt till I tell you something, Sarah," he went on with a wave of his hand to stop her plea. "You are 'ruining that boy. Three-quarters of the time you don't know where he is, and he drinks like a' fish." The woman knew what her cousin said was true ; but the money she had to have. Yet she dared not confess what made it necessary. "But this time, John," she wept brokenly, "he'll go to a place I send him. He's promised he would. John, you must help me." Pendlehaven sat down and took up the book he had been reading. "I refuse to hand out any more money for that boy," said he. "Let him stay awhile,- Sarah, and see how that works out. . ... No. no, there's no use of your begging me, I refuse absolutely." Mrs. Curtis fled away almost distracted. dis-tracted. If she should see her son taken to 'prison like Devon had been that afternoon, it would kill her. And "My Goodneses, Reggie, You Look Awful." how could she face him without a means to help him escape! If she could only gain admission to Cousin Paul ! He had always been the more tender hearted of the two. For a while she walked up and down her room, wringing her hands. She was In a state of terrible anxiety when Katberlne es.me In. "He's got to go." repented Mrs. Curtis, Cur-tis, after she had told the whole story to her daughter. "He says he'll he arrested if he doesn't and has made ne promise not to tell John. Oh, If I nuld only gei to Paul." "No one hut that girl Is allowed near him," flashed hack Kaiherine. "By John's orders," supplemented Mrs. Curtis. Katherlne's lip curled. "Then why not appeal to her, mamma? Perhaps she'd reach the ears of his majesty, the Lord Almighty," Al-mighty," said she. "Oh, Kathie, don't be horrid," sobbed her mother. "You know very well I couldn't ask him through her." "Then what will you do?" demanded demand-ed the girl. "You say Cousin John won't help Rege, and you refuse to ask the girl to ask Cousin Paul. Then what will you do?" "You ask her, Kathie," said Mrs. Curtis, In coaxing tones. Katherine tossed her head. "You've got a nerve to send me to her for anything," she shot back. "I will not !" Mrs. Curtis came forward with trembling footsteps. "Not for your brother's sake? Oh, Kathie, do !" "No, I won't," said the girl. "So just don't ask me. Reggie's not my son, and I haven't any sympathy for him." With that she made for the door and was gone. For over an hour the anguished mother walked up and down. Then as if she had at last reached a conclusion, con-clusion, she went to the servants' quarters. There she sent the maid to ask Tonnibel to come out to Doctor Paul's conservatory for a minute. Tony silently stared" at the white woman when they came face to face. Mrs. Curtis swallowed her pride, gulping gulp-ing at the lumps that rose in her throat. "I'm sorry about this afternoon, Miss Devon," she said. "I really didn't understand." Tonnibel thought In a flash that Mrs. Curtis must have gotten religion re-ligion ; nothing but a softening of heart could account for the apology. "Never mind," she choked. "I'm awfully sorry about my daddy, but If he will be bad, then I suppose be must go to jail." This statement renewed the-dread In Mrs. Curtis' heart about lier son. "Could you take- a message to my Cousin Paul for me?" she ventured. "What Is it?" asked Tonnibel, thickly. "My son Is 111," Mrs. Curtis explained ex-plained tearfully, "and he must go away. I haven't any money, but if Paul knew about it he'd help me. Will you ask him?" Tony thought ix minute. "Not tonight!" she replied. "Mebbe Doctor John " "No, he hates my son," the other cried passionately: "Oh, you mustn't say anything to him about it." Tonnibel Devon was awfully tempted to refuse the haughty woman who had pulled her around by the hair only that afternoon. But she remembered re-membered Philip, remembered his love for her, and relented. "Come along back tomorrow looming, loom-ing, and mebbe I can get you some," she answered, walking away. ..Then over her shoulder she flung back, "I'll try, anyhow." With this last statement Mrs. Curtis Cur-tis had to be satisfied. Reggie suffered suf-fered dreadfully the night through, his mother sitting at his bedside. Tony Devon also had been awake most of the night. In the morning after breakfast, she set about gathering gather-ing courage to approach Doctor Paul. ' With Gussie Piglet In her arms, she sat down beside him, and now the minute was there to speak, Tony didn't know how to begin. But to begin be-gin meant to begin, Tony had learned, so she coughed and blurted: "Your cousin, Mrs. Curtis, Is kind of pretty, ain't she?" "She would be if she didn't cry so much," responded Doctor Paul. This gave Tony the opening she wauted. "Her boy's awful sick, so she says," she broke out, "that's why she cries. If he don't go away, he'll die, mebbe." The lovely gray eyes grew darker as they searched his, and Doctor Paul leaned over and looked keenly at her. "Did Cousin Sarah ask you to come to me, little girl?" he questioned in a kindly tone. Tonnibel nodded. "She says Doctr-r John don't like her boy, and mebbe you'd help her," said the girl, blushing. Tiie man cous'dered tfce red face a moment. "Would It please yon to have me help her and him?" he then queried. "I should think you'd be the last person per-son to ask St. My brother told me she's always very unkind to yon." "She don't know any better," replied re-plied Tony. "She's never learned what lovln' awful hard means, and mebbe she's so worried over her boy she's got to he horrid to some one." Paul Pendlehaven laughed, then he grew grave. "Perhaps that's It. Now do you think you could find my cousin and bring her here?" Tonnibel looked ot him doubtfully. "She might make you nervous," she said dubiously. "I don t think so," repliei ttp doctor, doc-tor, smiling. "I'm so much better. We won't speak of this to John, and I won't gel nervous." lie. made the last promise because the girl's face was troubled and anxious. Tonnibel nodded and hurried out. She knew whieh room Mrs Curtis occupied oc-cupied and sought" the other wing of the in. use. When she knocked at the door, a woman's voice called a low: "Come in "' Tony stepped inside and, turning, shut the door before she took a survey sur-vey of tiie room. When she did, she almost fainted. Reggie Brown, the awful man she had known in the canalbojit days, ilie man who had dropped the poison into Paul l'endle-haveu's l'endle-haveu's medicine, was seated very near Mrs. Curtis, and Katherine was by the window, wearing a very bored expression. An exclamation came from each one of ihe three as the girl faced them, looking as If she were ready to collapse. "You didn't get the money then, girl," demanded Mrs. Curtis, sharply. "Reggie dear, I didn't tell you last night, but your Cousin John refused me when I asked hlin for help, and I had to reach Paul thiough " Tony's eyes were on Reginald, who was crouching lower In his chair. Her forward, staggering step broke off the speaker's explanation. "You want the money for him?" she cried, pointing u finger toward the cringing hoy. Mrs. Curtis nodded. j "Yes, he's my son," she answered. I Tony drew a long breath, letting It hiss out through her teeth. "If he's your son, ma'am," she said falteringly, "then you got a murderer for a son. He tried he tried to poison Doctor Paul." Mrs. Curtis got up slowly, a cold rage rising In her pale eyes. Katherine Kath-erine came forward to her mother's side, but Reginald remained silent. "You lie," snarled Mrs. Curtis. "I don't lie," crie4 Tony, hoarsely. "I don't lie, either. Look at him, and "You Want the Mony for Him?" She Cried. see If he ain't guilty. He did put poison In Doctor Phil's medicine, and I pushed him off the window. But I didn't know he was your son." By forcing her eyes around, the mother caught sight of her boy. "Reggie," she screamed, "for God's love, don't look that way. Why don't you tell the huzzy she lies! Tell her you'll go to your- cousins and let them know of her accusations. I'll go myself my-self !" She darted across the room, but Reginald's husky voice called her back. "Don't do that," he wailed. "Don't do it, mater I What she says Is true. I did exactly that thing. I I tried to kill Cousin Paul." Mrs. Curtis sank down with a groan, and Katherine uttered a cry. "I thought you wanted me to, mater," ma-ter," went on the boy, wearily. "I thought you said, if he died, we'd get money " "But, my God, I didn't want you to kill him," moaned Mrs. Curtis. "I didn't," said Reggie. "But you tried," thrust In Tonnibel. "And you've told my cousins, eh?" he asked hopelessly. "No, I didn't," denied Tony. "I 'spose mebbe I would have, but I didn't know you belonged here. I knew you used to steal with ray daddy and do all sorts of wicked things " Mrs. Curtis cried out again.- "But I didn't know you'd try to kill a poor sick man,," Tony went on, "and then send your ma to get money of him." "l'ou'll tell him, I know you will, you terrible girl." screamed Katherine, no longer able to restrain herself. Tonnibel thought quickly. . Cousin Paul Pendlehaven lived in the house with an enexiy who had tried to take his life. This same enemy had fried to dest ivy her, too. "You said he was going away?" she questioned Mrs. Curtis presently. "Didn't you?" "If I get money," put in Reggie, drearily, "I will." "Doctor Paul wants to see you, ma'am." said Tonnibel, her dark gray eyes fixed on the woman, "and if be goes," she pointed at Reginald, "and stays a long time, I'll keep mum. See?" Completely overlooking Katherine. Tony ran out of the room. The next day she didn't look up when she heard Doctor John tell Doctor Paul that Reginald had left Ithaca. When she peeped at Doctor Paul, lw ;Uled at her. (TO BE CONTrtfUKDJ |