Show Z ra A L vp T 0 R Y P THAT HAT WERL 15 el I 1 ALED A 11 by alma martin estabrook author of my cousin patricia PICTURES BY A WEIL bv copyright by J 33 lippincott co SYNOPSIS the story opens with a scene at a box party arty miss henrietta sis er ei of bishop overheard panker banker ankony propose to barbara hem egray whose brother dan was in ills his mcloy dan was one of the towns pop istir alar young men lie he showed some asness when attorney tom twining told win lin barbara refused ankony ankony the following day summoning twining accused accused dan of looting the bank twin tig ng refused to prosecute barbara persuaded ankony to postpone starting starting prosecution twining learned of tile ati gement ca ra of ankony and barbara he congratulated both he visited miss Rem hemingray ingray and found her almost in ih tears lears ile he told her lie he had loved her but feared prematurely announcing his af lection faction tec fec tion by actions alone she told him ohe he reciprocated mrs anson dine wealthy althy widow proposed a marriage by proxy with bishop the lat ter ler consulted with twining the bishop had been paying attentions to miss streeter dan consulted twining mg aig ills his sister waa was determined to marry krik ankony ony declaring she actually loved the banker though he biot h elrA Velie tag sho she w as m ald a sacrifice to save him from jail miss finding a pressed rose in the bishops book scented a love affair mrs dines sailed for america miss informed raining that mrs airs din dines vs was intent upon stopping the marriage of barbara and ankony mrs dines arrived and ankony immediately set about to sail with barbara for europe the following day in 0 orter it seemed to avoid mrs airs dines Z CHAPTER IX continued she regarded me curiously there in the dlin dim light of the old doorway door way then bent her lead head distractingly until I 1 could see only lier her lips and her rounded chin that the lips trembled a little I 1 could have sworn but her voice was steady although it was so tow I 1 could scarcely hear it f tile the seal was set long ago she said and for just an instant we stood her fingers in mine then she with i drew them and went in and left me I 1 hailed a cab and went at once to henrietta I 1 found her going over her charity accounts in her brothers study looking miserable and down spirited havo have you heard I 1 demanded at once nothing not a word what is there tolivar to toli ear she cried with kindling excitement she sent you a note too I 1 suppose it must have been delayed who sent me a note do try to be a little lucid wont you what has happened nothing yet it all happens tomorrow ankony isto is to marry many barbara at noon and sail with her by the deutschland Deutsch land in the afternoon I 1 have just seen her plow how is mrs dines dinesh dare we hope she caught me by the arm and shook it in her agitation dean has warned him dont you see I 1 told hannah that lie he was anthonys Anh onys friend before he became her agent exactly what lie he has dong done you see she sent for jilin him yesterday and made him bring a packet of papers that she went over with him those papers incriminate ankony and dean lias has warned hini him if lie ho marries barbara lie he knows that mrs dines will not prosecute jilin him hell be safe forever as as barbaras husband and so lie has the double motive in carrying her off he wants her and lie ho wants to stop hannah but well see whether lie ho can do it or not well see walt wait for me I 1 must tell her at once she ran from the room and pattered up the stairs I 1 heard the excited babble of their voices from a room above and her brisk steps as she paced the floor over my head I 1 was as excited ds as she and impatient of any delay but they did not keep me waiting long and when she came again her cheeks were burning like a girls OR shell stop him she declared in a high pitched voice that trembled in its own cla elation flon she says she can do it you leave it to her shell attend to it but is she able she abed she laughed out sharply my dear if she were dead shed send her spirit back to outwit him what shed do what has sh she e come armed with I 1 mused she shook her head smiling something that will do the work slie she declared you may rely on that and she put her hands in mine and smiled a flashing smile up at me with her assurance ringing in my ears and all my nerves throbbing I 1 left her and went home and tried to dine and then to E sleep leep but could do neither CHAPTER X at an unearthly hour the next morning ankony sent fent for me to go over some soine last company affairs with him he looked as if lie he had bad r slept as little as I 1 and was exceedingly nervous miss aliss hemingray wrote you that we ve are to be married at noon he said we sail by the deutschland Deutsch land this toils business bushiness which is taking me will admit of no delay itis it Is awkward coming just at this time there are sev jiral eral aff affairs tir L I 1 shall have ao to leave un se afe d here but ill explain them to you and you can keep an eye on them while im away we expect to get back as quickly as possible I 1 tried to find you yesterday but you were out H however however I 1 have as much time now as I 1 had bad then which a great deal you will understand you came to this decision yesterday I 1 asked looking at him with deliberate inspection he nodded annoyingly sudden all round but fortunately miss hemingray can make herself ready to go with me nothing but this very necessary business in london could make me change her plans so completely I 1 looked at him curiously and giving me 0 4 quick glance he moved to his desk we must get to business lie he said by all means I 1 answered throughout the consultation lie he kept looking at ills his watch and glancing toward tile the door as if lie he feared an interruption ter and wanted to put himself out of reach of it I 1 expected it too but hardly so soon as it edme came mrs airs dines and miss aliss the office boy announced my aly eyes fixed eagerly upon ankony anhony he went as white as chalk as lie he turned toward the door and saw them there and ills his jaw took an ugly set mrs airs dines was as pale as she had been when she came down the gangplank of the cambria but she was quite composed beside her little miss looked like an agitated moth beside a placid robin I 1 was nearer the door than ankony and in sweeping me with her glance mrs airs dines bowed curtly then lot let her eyes travel on at once to him silo she overlooked the hand that ho he e extended rather hesitatingly and sitting down where I 1 had sat beside his desk motioned him to ills his chair 1 I have heard of your engagement to miss aliss hemingray she said at once he mur murmured inured a conventional reply and I 1 took up my hit hat dont go if you please mr air twining she said without so much as turning to me we shall probably require quire D your services if you will be so good as to remain tile the scent of battle was thick in the air ankony had lost its ills pallor and wa s tu turning riling gray lie he Is always gray or choleric under emotion I 1 began to believe in mrs airs dines ev ev as henrietta did dd thel as aa that about her which seemed to denote tain victory poor miss W ns however looked decidedly uncomfortable li in spite of the fact that she felt she was about to witness tile the culmination oi of this engagement which she held to be so monstrous she too was a general and a good one one whose record none could assail but her mode of attack differed widely from that of her friend mrs airs dines she was a state strategist gist pure and simple while one could see with half an eye that mrs dines had been born to tile the hammar and tongs method she scorned strategy as aa some illustrious generals scorn latter day war tactics she leaned toward ankony across ills his wide desk 1 I have come comb from africa to tell you that you must break the engagement af el 1 mrs dines turned her chair till she faced him at once she said making no pretense at lowering her full steady voice a over the gray of his face a dull red spread and ills his lip curled slowly into an ugly downward curve the statement is amazing as well as amusing madam lie he observed meeting her eyes steadily enough but she refused to skirmish pier her attack was to be open and direct with no foolish beating about in the bushes you know precisely why I 1 make it and how I 1 can compel you to comply with it she said he answered her with a smile of bravado it t has been a long time since this thing happened to which I 1 refer mr air ankony anhony she went on quickly but the sense of injury is not short lived I 1 may seem to have forgotten as did my husband no doubt but he remembered and so do 1 I sh shall 11 I 1 go further we must speak in private he said miss and I 1 arose at once but mrs airs dines motioned us to remain miss is equally interested with me in the establishment of justice she said to him and mr air twining may be required to distinguish for you between the illegal und and the merely dishonorable they must both remain I 1 should have been glad to spare you this as I 1 think my continued in inaction action in the mauer matter must prove to you but you have forced me to act you have violated all sense of honor and right andt and you have brought upon your head precisely the thing you boule would post eagerly have averted if you thought I 1 would stand by and see you marry barbara hemingray knowing you to be bc tile the sort of man you are you greatly misjudge me but I 1 am inclined to believe that you did not think me to be my bus bands confidante and that you felt falk ak yourself secure your ignominy burled buried with him ankony arase arose and held open mhd door into tile the inner office 1 I must insist upon discussing thia V matter in private he protested hotly in a voice that quavered mrs airs dines sat still an impera tiva hand hold held out detain ln gly to us tile the time Is past for that she told him if you yon had sought nia me out long ago it might havo have been very different but understand that I 1 mean to make no public disclosures it if you accede to my demand it remains with you to decide whether or not tile the very un unpleasant facts go forth he continued to stand across the room from her ills his hand still upon tile the door he did not reply and I 1 could feel rather than see that i he was terribly shaken mrs dines turned her chair till she faced him that we may come to an under standing at onca once I 1 think I 1 should tell you in tile the beginning that I 1 know that when you were my husbands agent some years ago you hypothecated ted securities curi ties that were lils his not yours you were liard hard pushed then and lie ho knew it to be the crucial period 0 of your whole business bu career so 80 he waited believing that hl his confidence in you had not been entirely misplaced and that when you could you would make good the amount you had stolen but you did not and after two years when you had become am ply able to do so and did not lie he realized that you had grown secure in the belief that your peculation was not discovered and that you were without even the semblance of lionor honor he admitted thi this with singular reluctance mr air ankony for I 1 think jv you know that I 1 he trusted you as not many men trust their fellows she paused her eyes on his face his muttered reply was not coherent oh erent I 1 ands and she went on at once when he saw you at last fast 41 you really were lie he to prosecute you but there came his last long illness and ills his death and afterward V my heart had softened a little to you and I 1 had not tile the mind beside to put shame and sorrow upon your mother mothe r so I 1 did nothing but when I 1 heard the amazing news that you had proposed to marry a girl gill like ithe barbara hemingray I 1 came back to america to toll tell you that you must give her up or the delayed prosecution will begin at once thon then he spoke you understand what this is you ask of me he said thickly perfectly ahe nodded and her tone was vas less unkindly it if I 1 did not know just how sweet and lovely and full of grace and innocence she is I 1 might perhaps have havo stayed away and left you to your wooing 1 you demand del nand large interest mrs dines lie ho said 4 there was a long sli silence enee accumulated interest is always large slit she retorted but I 1 do not wish to humiliate you any more than is necessary you must of course iring bring to an immediate end this unfortunate engagement I 1 believe you were to have been married at noon were you not silo she glanced at ali the clock you have not much time some part of the truth miss aliss hemingray must know but you may make your own explanation aside froni from that I 1 only exact that silo she jaha shall I 1 I 1 be I 1 made i la dt P to 0 understand that whatever sense of obligation she may have entertained for you is dissipated ankony colored painfully and mado made no reply TO BE CONTINUED I 1 |