Show r ilg eg AND S SYNOPSIS the th youthful and comely marcia barcla howe has as her sliest guest her late husbands niece sylvia hayden A stranger exhausted finds his way to marceas Mar clas home secretly he asks her to tilde hide a package containing jewelry she bhe does so winslow t town w 1 l roblee sheriff brings news new of a jewel robbery ry nearby tho the stranger gives elves his name as stanley heath sylvia discovers the jewels and naturally believes heath Is a robber but tor for marcias Mar clas g sake ako decides to say nothing marcia reels feels she bhe has altogether too deep an interest in her guest but Is powerless to overcome it heath wires mrs S C heath new york saying he Is sate safe lie he also orders a man named currier currie r to come at 0 once nee sylvia in her room bedecks bedecki I braell with the jewels at marcias Mar clas approach she hides fildes them there heath asks marcia to bring them to are bonol sono ile he makes light of the loss sylvia restores the jewels to their original hiding place elisha winslow discovers discover them and has no doubt they are tho the stolen gems and heath Is a thief leaving the jewels he makes plans for arresting heath currier arrives marcia overhears heath descar describe lb e how h he e acquired the gems and 1 la forced t to believe him guilty of theft at heaths deaths suggestion currier investigates the hiding place and finds the gems ile he returns to new york with them but his references to mrs heath have convinced marcia her tender dream has been a foolish one ellsha and eleazer come to arrest heath marcia Is indignant and unwittingly reveals to sylvia the secret of her love the jewels of course are ara not to be found to sylvia marcia admits admit s she loves heath and has faith in his innocence she tells him she believes him innocent but urges him it if he Is guilty to confess ile he admits nothing CHAPTER IX continued 13 not your real life you tou would of course lose standing among your supposed friends but you would not lose it among those whose regard went deeper even it if you did what would it matter but to be alone friendless who would help roe me piece together the mangled fragments of such a past for I 1 should need deed help I 1 could not do it alone do you imagine that in all the world there would be even on one e person whose hose loyalty and affection would survive so add acid a test do you know of anyone she leaped to her feet why do you ask me she demanded the gentleness of her voice chilling to curtness you have such a helpmate near you or should have 1 I dont understand pleaded the man puzzled by her change of mood perhaps wed better not go into that now was her response 1 I must go walt wait just a moment 1 I 1 cannot I 1 must get dinner dennier never mind the dinner sometimes there are things more important to think of a man saying sayin that I 1 the ring of the telephone chimed in with her silvery laughter ill go sylvia she called with a promptness that indicated indicate the interruption was a welcome one its long distance she called to neath heath sirs mrs heath wishes to speak with th you slip on your bathrobe ant ami come leeah heah took the receiver from her hand band joan this certainly Is good nod ot of you dear yes I 1 am much better thank you bless your precious heart you worry currier will be back late tonight or early tomorrow morning and lie he will tell you how bow well I 1 am progressing yes he has the jewels put them in the safe right away wont you 1 I cant say when nhen I 1 shall be home something has come up that way may keep me here some time I 1 cannot explain lust just now it Is the thing you have always predicted would happen to me sometime well it lias has happened do you get that yes I 1 am caught hard and fast it Is a bit ironic to have traveled all over the world and then be taken captive in a small cape cod village ill let you know the first minute I 1 have anything definite nite foteh to tell goodby good by hy dear take care ot of yourself its done nie me a world of good to hear bear your voice if heath returned the receiver to its book and in high spirits strode back into his room marceas Mar Alar clas chair was vas empty she was nowhere to be seen CHAPTER X the days immediately following were like an armed truce marcia watched sylvia sylvia w watched a t e b e d marcia heath watched them b both 0 t h when however no further reference to the me events of the past week was made the tension slowly began to lessen and life at the bowe homestead took on again its customary aspect stanley heath warmly wrapped in rugs now sat eat out on the sheltered veranda where he be reveled in the sunshine sometimes when he be lay motionless in the looking seaward beneath the rim of his soft felt hat or following the circling gulls with preoccupied gaze marcia Sl arcla peeping at him from the window wondered of what lie ile was wag thinking that the fancies which intrigued him were pleasant and that lie enjoyed his bis own company there could be no DO question no attitude lie he might have bare assumed could have been better calculated to dispel awkwardness and force into the background the seriousness of the two women whose interests were so sn inextricably entangled with his own man the merry bantering one he looted ahen with them thein by sara ware bassett copyright by the th penn pub co service lie ile was a brilliant talker one who gave unexpected original twists to the con conversation versa alon twists that tadej ones power of repartee here indeed was a hitherto undreamed ot of stanley heath a man whose dangerous charms had multiplied a hundredfold and who it if he had bad captivated marcia before now riveted her fetters with every word he spoke every glance he be gave her of she struggled to escape from the snare closing in on her then finding combat useless ceased to struggle and let herself drift with the tide after all why not enjoy the present in loving this stranger of whom she knew so go little she had set her heart upon a phantom that she knew must vanish the future grim with foreboding was constantly drawing nearer there were alas but two ways of 0 life the way of right and the way of wron wrong and between them lay no neutral dentral zone this she acknowledged with her mind but her rebel heart would play her false flouting her puritan codes and defying the creeds that conscience dictated meantime while barcla thus wrestled with the angel of her best self sylvia accepted the si situation tuition with characteristic lightness she knew more already about men than did much move more long ago they had ceased to be gods to her she jested fearlessly with heath speaking a with which he was fa familiar millar and one that amused him no DO end marcia barcla felt jealousy clutching st at her heart hearl one day passing through the hall she siw saw sylvias gefded gelded golden head bent over the table as she dashed oft off page after page ol of a closely written letter it was a pity the elder woman could not hive read that letter for or it would not only have astonished but also have enlightened her and perhaps quieted the beating of her troubled heart hearl it was nas a letter that astonished sylvia herself nevertheless much as it surprised her her amazement in no way approached that of young doratio ratio fuller when he read it now horafios Ho ratios mother was a woman of colorless vaguely defined personality indicative of little gulle guile and still less determination she litt listened ened well never interrupted never offered comment or advice never promised anything and yet when she said as she invariably did ill talk with your father dear there was always infinite comfort coia tort to in the observation that was nhat she said today after a conversation with horatio junior accordingly that evening after horatio senior had dined and dined well mrs horatio gently lr imparted parted to alton cites leading citizen the intelligence that his big son horatio junior dunlo wished to go east that he was in love that in short he wished to marry horatio senior raged he tramped the flour floor he be heaped on the head bead of the abs absent ent horatio junior every epithet of reproach his wrath could devise the phrases driveling draveling dri idiot and audacious puppy appearing to afford am him the greatest measure of relief at last when breathless and panting horatio senior like an alarm clock ran down and sank exhausted into his chair sirs mrs horatio ventured the irrefutable observation that after nil all horatio junior was its their only chi child id and sylvia hayden was a nice little thing this drew fire horatio senior sputtered something about nothing but a penniless schoolteacher a very deliberately then mrs horatio murmured pleasantly that if she remembered rightly this had been the very objection horatio seniors father had bad made to their own marriage at this horatio senior flushed scarlet and said promptly that his marriage ala e had bad been ideal that his jennie had been the one wife alfe in the world for him that time had bad prot proved ived it even to his parents tint she was the only person on earth who really understood der stood him after this nothing was simpler than to discuss lust just when horatio junior had better start east easl 0 0 0 dream had d tsivia dreamed ed when she licked the envelopes flap with her small red tongue and smoothed it down with her pretty white finger she was thus loosing alton cites thunderbolts she might perhaps have bave hesitated to send the letter she had penned and perhaps would not have started off so jauntily late that afternoon to post it toward six sh she telephoned she was at the doanes and henry and his bis mother the little old lady she had anet on the train the day she arrived u anted her to stay to supper he would bring her home early in the evening there would be a moon marcia need not worry marcia had not thought of worrying until that minute hut but now in of knowing sylvia was safe and in good hands she began paradoxically enough to worry madly timidly as a girl she summoned stanley heath to the small round table Syl sylvia vitt cociu coming oi she explained all blushes she telephoned she was going to stay over in town they seated themselves it was the first tinie time they had bad ever been alone at a meal my hut but you are a inar cook ileath heath remarked during the progress of the weal meal oh not bealls youre hungry chai ill all things taste wil when you tire it that everything you put your hand to rs is well done youre a marvelous person marela you are talking foolishness every man talks foolishness once in his bis life I 1 suppose perhaps I 1 am talking it tonight because our time together Is so short I 1 am lem leading ing here tomorrow morning stanley 1 across the table he caught her hind band 1 I am well now and have no further excuse for imposing on your hospitality pita lity J 1 have accepted eiery manner ner of kindness from you dont call it that she interrupted what else can I 1 call it I 1 was a stranger and you took me in it was sweet of you especially when you knew bothin no nothing thin about me now the time has come fr for me to go tomorrow morn morning ingI 1 um am giving myself up to the wilton sheriff oh no no it Is t the he only square thing to do it I 1 ue he rose and came to lier her side slipping an arm about her Mar barcla cla Dear estl I 1 am doing what you wish am I 1 not you wanted me to go through with it she covered her face and he be felt a 0 shudder priss over her yes but that was then she whispered at the words he drew her to her feet and into his arms 11 il arcla belov beloved edl 1 I 1 love you love you with all my heart my soul all that Is in roe me you know it know that aery eiery moment we have been together has been heaven tell teh we me you love me dear for you do love me dont deny it not ton tonight glit ow our last night together say that you love me you know she faltered her arms creeping about his neck ile he kissed her then her hair her eyes her neck her lips long burning kisses that left her quiver quivering lu g beneath the rush of them their passion brought her to her self and she drew away what Is lt it dear he asked we cant we must not something thin stands between us we have no right forgive me but my dear we have no right she repeated we must not love but we do sweetheart was bir triumphant cry we dol we must forget can you forg forget etl he reproached 1 I 1 I can try ah your tongue Is too honest mar cla you cannot forget neither con can alf 6 of t vw 71 I 1 I 1 0 f you know she faltered her arms creeping about his neck L our pledge Is given we belong to one another I 1 shall not surrender what Is mine never tomorrow let us not talk of tor tomorrow we must we shall be parted then only for a little while I 1 shall calme back to you our love will hold absence distance nothing can part us not really tell me you love me so I 1 tay may leave knowing the truth front from your own sweet lips giove 1 I love you stanley god help met mel ali ah now I 1 can go it will not be for long it must be for ever dear heart you must not come back tonight must be the end 11 you mean you cannot face tomorrow the disgrace 1 I mean tonight n must u s t be th the end n she reiterated through narrowed lids he be looked at her ber scanning her averted in face ce then she heard him laugh la ugh bitterly discordantly 1 I have apparently expected too much of you I 1 might have known it would be so all women are alike they desert a wan man when he needs them most the prospect of sharing my shame Is more than you can bear again lie he laughed well tonight shall be the end tonight now dont think I 1 blame you it la Is not your fault I 1 merely rated d you too hagli marcia the mistake was mine not yours he left her herchen hc rhen Ahen stunned by the torrent of his tf ri arouch she stood motionless without a backward glance h passed into the lial hall and up the stall irvn after he was out of sight sh sl remained immovable her eyes riveted on the doorway through which lie he lind and e TO HE BE |