Show car K K AR H 0 14 1 4 f dy by ANNA KATHARINE GREEN 1014 by dodd mend mead A company el el 4 SYNOPSIS A curious crowd ot of neighbors invade tho the mys m glorious erious li honic of judge r county judge and re i centric recluse fol 01 ol loank a veiled woman who hn hi gained tri entrance trAnCe nt rance through the gates of the high double barriers rounding tho the place tho the woman lias hns haipt bi the ho judd Is in falina in a stats notates II 11 in III ills servant Ker vant appears in a dying cont Nion ani prevents i events ent entrance ranco to a secret lour door uela bela alem tit thi judge abates alaa explains to what linn ham occurred luring ha his sel seizure zure lie hn secretly discovers tho whereabouts of th the e caled veiled icik hla guarded house lit at night he ROCS goo dark hollow to the Cl claymore inn tp if v visit isit lie lier r I 1 CHAPTER ill III continued Alean meanwhile while judge ostrander was looking about him for mrs airs yardley dley the quiet figure of a squat little body blocked up a certain doorway 41 1 om am looking tor for mrs yardley be ventured the little figure turned he was eon con eklous of two very piercing eyes being raised to his and heard lu im abating accents which yet were not tho the accents of weakness the surprised ejaculation judge dorl next minute they were together in ft a small room with the door shut behind them the energy and decision of this mite bilte of a woman were ft ere surprising 1 I was vas going to you in the morn ing 7 she che panted in her excitement to apologize she respectfully finished than said he it was your child who visited my house today she nodded her large head was somei somewhat afat dis proportioned to her short and stocky body nut but her glance and manner were not unpleasing there was a moment of til lence which she ehe ha hastened steed to break peggy la Is very young it was not her fault she is so young she know where she went she was found loitering around tho the baldi birdsa e a dangerous place for a child but weve been very busy all day aad she was found there and taken along hy by by the other person I 1 hope that you will excuse it air what lie he had to say came with a decided abruptness abrupt nesB who ts Is the woman mrs yardley what hat I 1 have come coma to learn and riot not to complain of 0 your child the answer struck him very strangely though ho he saw nothing to lead him to distrust her candor 1 I dont know judge ostrander she bhe calls calla betseff bet averill Averl ll but that make me sure of her you wonder that I 1 should keep a lodger about whom I 1 have any doubts but there are umea when mr yardley uses hla his own judgment and this Is ie one of the timex the woman pays paya well and promptly she added in a lower tone tier her status la Is sho she maid wife or widow w oh she says she Is a widow and I 1 see every reason to believe her ter A slight grittiness in her manner the emal smallest lest possible edge to her voice led the judge to remark pretty 7 not like a girl sir air ashes old enough to show allow fade but I 1 dont behave 1 you no nita lda who this mrs mr Aarl ll 1 Is lieve that a roan man would mind that she has a look a way that women feel eel you may judge sir air it if we old stagers at the business have been willing to take her in and keep her at t any price a woman who wont show her face except to me and who will not leave her room without her veil and then only for walks in places where no one else wants to go sho roust must have some queer sort eort of charm to OVeT overcome COMO lill all scruples but gone too far today she shall leave the inn tomorrow I 1 promise you that sir air whatever samuel says but oft lit down sit alt down you look tired fudge la Is there anything an thing you ou would lff dball I 1 call samuell no im not not much used to walking De besides sides I 1 have had a great loss today my aly man dela bela then with hit his former abruptness have you no idea who this mrs airs averell Is or why she ahe broke into my houi fc theres but ono one explanation sir air ive been thinking about it ever since I 1 got wind of where she took my peggy the woman Is not responsible she lias has some borne sort of mania why else should who title go into a strange gate just because she abw eov it open you speak of iier hur as a stranger aro are you quite sure auro that sho Is a st stranger to shelby lelby Sl you have not been so HO very many years here and her constant wearing of 0 a veil indoors and out Is very suspicious auspicious so im beginning to think and there to la something elie judge which makes me suspect you iou may be quite correct about tier her not being an all entire stranger here sho bile knows title this house too well the judge started the strength of ills his self control had relaxed a bit and lie he showed in the look bo be rast cast about him what it had cost him to enter these doors it lanot la not the same of 0 courve courtie con linued mrs yardley affected in a peculiar way by the glimpse she alle had caught of the others emotion unnatural and incomprehensible as it appeared to her the place has been greatly changed but there is a tain portion of the old house left which watch only a person who knew it as an it originally was would be art apt to lind an and yesterday on going into one of these remote rooms I 1 came upon tier her sitting in one of 0 the windows looking out ilow how she ehe got there or why she went I 1 cannot toll tell you sho she t choose to tell me and I 1 ask hut but ive not felt real easy about tier her bance excuse me mrs yardley it may be a matter of no moment but do you mind telling me ine where there this room Is its on oil the top floor sir air and it looks out over 01 er the ravine perhaps a she lie was waa spying out the path to your house the judges face hardened ile he felt baffled and greatly disturbed but he spoke kindly enough when lip he again addressed mrs alra yardley 1 I am as ignorant as you of this womans comans personality aad of her reasons for intruding luto my presence this morning but there Is something so BO peculiar about this presumptuous attempt of here hera at on an interview that I 1 feel impelled to inquire into it more fully even it I 1 have to approach the only source of information capable of giving me iole what I 1 want that Is herself mrs drs yardley will you procure me ins tin an immediate interview with this woman I 1 am sure that you can be relied upon to do this and to do it with caution you have the countenance of a woman unusually discreet the subtle lattery flattery did its work site she was not blind to the fact that ho he had introduced it for that very purpose but it was not la in her nature to withstand any appeal from so eo exalted a source however made lifting her eyes ees fearlessly to his bis she responded earnestly 1 I am ain proud to serve you I 1 wit will I 1 see what I 1 can do will you wait here judge ostrander had just time to brace himself to meet the unknown when the door fell back anil and the woman of the morning appeared in the opening CHAPTER IV unveiled on the instant he recognized that no common interview lay before him she was still the mysterious stranger and she still wore her vella vell veil a fact all the more impressive that it was wap no longer the accompaniment of a hat but flung freely over her bare head ile he frowned as he met her eyes through this disguising gauze this Is very good of you judge ostrander she ho remarked in a voice i both cultured and pleasant tant 1 I 1 could hardly have hoped tor for this honor such consideration shown to a stranger argues a spirit of unusual kindliness or perhaps I 1 am mistaken in my supposition perhaps I 1 am no lie stranger to you you know iny cay name Ay Averl erill ll T no she paused showing her disappointment quite openly then drawing up a chair she leaned heavily on its back saying in low monotonous tones from which the he former eager thrill had departed 1 I see that the intended marriage of your son eon has made very little impression upon you aghast for the moment this was such a different tofe fron from th the u ono one he expected the judge re iari dod d d herin her in silence before remarking 1 I have hae known nothing of it my sons concerns are no longer mine if you ou have broken into my course of life for no other purpose than to discuss the affairs of oliver ostrander Ost randor I 1 must beg of you to excuse me I 1 have nothing te tc say in his connection to you tr to aadne Is ON dreach breach between you so BO deep as that 7 I 1 entreat but no you are a just man I 1 will asly upon your sense of right U I 1 jar our happiness alls to to appeal to you let lei that of a young nold innocent girl lovely as few are lovely either cither lit in boily body or mind yourself madata madam no my daughter oliver ostrander Ost iander tins lias tone us iia that honor sir air ilo flu had overy wish nish and had made every preparation to marry my child when shall I 1 go on you may it was shortly said eald but a burden to fall from tier her shoulders nt at its ita utterance tier her whole graceful form relaxed swiftly into its natural curves and an atmosphere of charni charm from tills this ent enveloped tier her which justified the description of mrs airs yardley even without a sight of the features she still kept hidden 1 I am a widow sir air thus she begun began with studied simplicity with roy my 0 one ne child I 1 have been living in detroit these many years ever since my husbands death in fact we are not there nor have we lacked respect when somo some six months ago your son bon who stands high in every ones onea regard as an befits lie Us ills his parentage and tits hit varied talents met my daughter and fell seriously in love with tier her no one jo 10 far as I 1 know criticized its taste or found fault with his choice I 1 thought my iny child safe and she was safe to all appearance up to the very morning of tier her marriage the mar marriage ringe of which you say you had received no intimation though oliver seems seem a a very dutiful son madam Alala ml I 1 the hoarseness of his tone possibly increased its peremptory diameter character 1 I really must ask you to lay aside your veil it was a rebuke and sho she felt it to be so but though sho she blushed from behind tier her veil she did not remove it Par pardon dout me ine she begged and very humbly but I 1 cannot yet let me reveal my secret first arst judge der the name under which I 1 had lived in detroit was waa not my real one ne I 1 had let him court and all but marry my daughter without warning hill him at I 1 in any way of whet what tills this deception on my part covered dill but others one other I 1 have reason now to believe had detected my identity under tinder the altered circumstances of my new life and surprised hini him with the news at that late hour we are judge ostrander you know who we are this is not the first timo time you vou und I 1 have seen each other face to face and lifting up a hand trembling with emotion site she put aside tier her veil you recognize me too well the tons tone was deep with meaning but there was no accusation in it nor was there any note of relief it was more as it if some hope deeply and perhaps unconsciously cherished had suffered a sudden and complete extinction put back your veil trembling she complied murmuring as she tumbled with its folds disgrace to an durl I 1 know that I 1 was mad to riak rip it it tor for a moment forgive me for the attempt tempt ct and listen to my errand oliver was willing to marry my child even after he knew the shamo it would entail hut but reuther would not accept the sacrifice judge ostrander I 1 am not worthy 0 of such a child but such she la Is it if john we will w not speak his name broke broka in judge ostrander assuming a peremptory bearing quite unlike his former ono one of dignified reserve 1 I should like to hear instead your explanation of how my son became inveigled into an engagement of which you it if no one else knew the preposterous nature judge ostrander rander you do right to blame roe me I 1 should never have given my consent never hut I 1 thought our past so completely hidden our identity so entirely lost under the accepted name 0 of averill Averl ll you thought though tl lie towered over her in his bis anger lie looked and acted as in the old days when witnesses cowered under his eyo eye and voice say that you know knew madam that you planned this unholy trap for my son judge ostrander I 1 did not plan their meeting nor did I 1 at first encourage his addresses not till I 1 saw flaw the extent of their mutual attachment did I 1 yield to the event and accept tho the consequences ilat I 1 was wrong wholly holly wrong to allow him to visit tier her a second time but now that the mischief Is in done judge ostrander was not listening 1 I 1 have a question to put you said hp he when he realized that she had ceased speaking oliver was never a fool when lie ho was told who your daughter was waa what did lie he say of the coincidence which made hirn him the lover of tho the woman against whose father his hie father f ther had uttered sentence of death ho he marvel and call it extraordinary the abe work of the devil possibly but it if he did it was not I 1 in n any conversation he had with me and your daughter was he as closemouthed close mouthed in speaking of me to her as he was to you 1 I have no doubt of it it reuther betrays no knowledge of you or of your habits and has never expressed but one curiosity in our regard As you can imagine what that Is I 1 will not mention it you lire are at liberty to I 1 have list ened to much and can well listen to t a little more judge she la Is of a very affectionate nature and lier her appreciation of 0 houi sons virtues Is very great though tier her conception of yourself Is nati naturally trally a very vague one it la Is only to be b expected that she should wonder how you could live so long without a visit from oliver ula ills lips took a strange twist there was self belt contempt in it and some borne other very peculiar and contradictory emotion hut but when this semblance of 0 a smile had passed it was tic no longer olivers father she saw before her but the countes coun tys judge even ills his tone partook of the change as he dryly remarked what you have told me concerning your daughter and my son Is very interesting te but it was not for the simple purpose of informing me that this untoward engagement was at an end that you camo to shelby you have another purpose what Is it itt I 1 can remain with you just five min utes longer five minu minutes teal it only takes one to kill a hope but five are tar far too few for the reconstruction of one dut but she gave no sign of 0 tier her secret doubts as she plunged at once into her subject 1 I will be brief said she as brief as any mother can bo be who Is pleading tor for her daughters life as well as L 1 can well listen to a little more reuther keuther has no real ailment but her constitution Is abnormally week weak and she will ollo dlo of this grief it if some miracle does not save her strong as tier her will Is determined a as she aho Is ie to do tier her duty at all cost she has very little physical stamina seel see liere here Is her photograph taken but a 11 short hort time ago look at it I 1 beg see what she was like when life was full of 0 hope and then imagine tier her with all hope eliminated excuse me what use I 1 can do nothing I 1 am very sorry tor for the child but ills very attitude showed his disinclination to look at the picture TO nn CONTINUED |