| Show idle X d 11 11 4 T BY TOL ETHEL HUESTON copyright 1927 b by the dobbs merrill co service CHAPTER XI continued 15 oh you monster the poor dobir trusting heart she muttered all in the same breath flushed and radiant with will excitement was the first to tir nr rive for tire party sh slie ans na joy joyously busly pleased at the unusual tenderness oi of alice An dovers greeting tint aind took her till nil about the room to point out to her with shy pride how cleve ay she I 1 haftl rd managed filings lings ti explaining all tile the little eco economies nondes site she hit had used the ruses to which she hart had resorted ftc n her desire to ronke anke least thoney money go fart heti alice was sympathetic so 1161 tous warmly approving hut but kept kepi ni always dilys one sharp and terrt ten hied fled ey eye e upon 0 gay fly both off of th em m na a paric of fear lest tile creature tip upstairs stairs regain ills his sober senses and spoil the party for which Aunt almIry had worked so J h hard a rd at gays direct direction lorl tool up her position by the then window with alice alac andover and booy either tilde side and pressed the electric electro button which set the solitary pine sparkle a ti with colored lights from frim top to bottom flashing a brilliant holiday greeting all over that end of the island it Is tile the last invitation she cried and tier her thin little voice quavered with excitement come ome to my party come to my christmas party 1 everybody can see it it t will guide them up the hill iv flow the children alu laugh I 1 it Is very nice gay tire the island trooped to tile the party in a body a long stream pouring up the hill through the snow so that nil all in a moment it seemed the lone pine was a surge and throb a with it there was wn much laughter much shrill squealing the piercing staccato oi of childrens voices the he high nervous I 1 in laughter of young girls and deeper older voices calling loud and cheery greeting jf this ilits babel wake him up he might as well be dead whispered alice andover iligo ril Ill go and haave n look said gay it Is enough to bring the trees to life gay listened outside the bedroom door d a moment hoping to hear bear the snuffled heavy breathing that presaged the sleep s of their unwelcome guest but with the din from below she could hear bear nothing so she opened the door quickly and stepped in the room was ft as wr wrapped tipped in all atice utter and heavy and in the darkness she could not nota distinguish the he shadow by the endow seit eat that was nas buddy bridges she pressed the button bufton that flooded the alie room with light and showed in a flash its emptiness the rugs lay in a rumpled heap beat upon the floor but buddy bridges was not there the window ava nas open oben gay ran over oer and looked out but in the shadow of rods and trees by the house she eluid distinguish nothing her eyes swain giddily such a christmas slie site stam tife red already with that V vividly creative mind of hers site she could see him lying on the rocks a bleeding wangled mangled shupe shape son sud denly she wits ans afraid to he alone arid and ran downstairs alice andover her bee coming at the not foot of the steps sherena she rend fear in gays eyes ala what t now good heavens what now no lie ile ls Is gone lie he Is not were 11 go bonol nol gone where gone how come lets look in tile the joyous confusion thill reigned about lie christmas tree t cc with ath sunta asunto claus clans nol nulley effly the pretty gifts with the burble of his hells bells the laughing wires vo 1 s the cri tekle of tl tissue sue paper and the treble ol of childrens voice nil all they aki vent out unno ticen and with will an arfe I 1 looked the window for ahr th crushed and bleeding yes he tind had dropped down into ille the billil annu of snoie anuw themi were ninny many signs of it luping footprints white snoie snow bore no stains of red and buddy was not there tile the outraged il joe uitlene pi tlene still Is had guarded boy that hat night so they went bach with non they hey could th uster and joined tile lie merriment within but gay ay was sick at heart everybody had find come to the party parly tile the avns there tile the two to ministers rs we were r there I 1 e ven fiti buildt llly Bri figes had find lome come home but annd not well veil ell boomed santa alati R mell weil I 1 items another anoff ier present for little old I 1 aunt al saintil claus pw powerful erful young atam chut beans he ans caught tier her up bedl bodily ly into it ills Is arms fro vint she was waa quite io in tho the shaggy fur of tits ills big coat I 1 chorused tl the children gully and then on oa the wave of thit that lov 9 alt ing joyous call the door opera opened and lie fie stood there soft hat crushed low on his forehead over the big dark eyes collar turned up about his chan tall tail thin and weak very pale bud dy bridges santo santa claus with will little Aunt almiry still in his arms burned turned as tile the others did to look loo at this one who came so unceremoniously into the party his face alone unsmiling set and grim lie he crossed without a wore into the center of tile the room walked swagger angly perhaps to tilde hide the fact that he could nut not stand erect without swaying weakly and stood before sauto claus with in his arnis arms it was site she who moved first moved vaguely slipping to the floor and then not seeming to walk seen seeming ling to lont float anther she was bessiee him tier her eye eves riveted to his eyes haggard h find and dark lined and her fingers mir ers crept softly up tip ills hla coat toward tits fare face touching the curve of hl hi chin uncertainty uncertainly inquiringly as though it were by feeling site she would he be convinced almiry come awny broke in alice andover harshly hut it was pity fly that hardened her voice come ol lle awny lips drunk its buddy suld said ly its buddy it Is buddy IV come away I 1 tell you lies hes drunk drun k then suddenly liuddy buddy III bridges adges laughed drunk he shouted weakly hut but with derision dorl sion in his ahls voice oil its you yon alice andover up tip to your old trIe list drunk 1 so go hints what you thought I 1 thought you were itzy arnzy the lie pair of you kt stuffing uffing me up with cognac locking me in im not drunk mom im sick they tell tile difference dir ference 11 ever eye in the lie bright disordered crowded was intent upon buddy bridges alj who 0 held tits his mother in hi fit arms and laughed with tier her wept with tier her and tin talked to her in a fond weak voice salol sick as a 8 dog ta 0 9 in the hos pital weeks weak as the dickens I 1 was in tile the hospital when cheb tiler they told me you here I 1 got out of bed knocked two interned In ternes down sick as I 1 was came on here cleur clear from california mom twice I 1 fainted way and mien I 1 came to they had 11 me e oft off tile train rna ana in hospital again but lut as soon as I 1 got my wind I 1 heat beat it again came on drunk 1 that the like tier her morn mom id know in a minute it was alice andover Ando verJ you changed much mom a little g low how his eyes caressar caress cares sal ml lierl twenty five years rears mom not a word from you in twenty five years 1 I 1 have believed it mom it was not nit just like yon was it hem because use they sent me to the pen room morn the the pen buddy the pen oh hush you toot fool begged alice andover in jersey twe n oty bearg buddy you dont mean the he penitentiary buddy hiom siom you know knew it you ever know it buddy worn mom I 1 youve just fd forgot hot Y you ou knew it you must have bare known it it it was in the papers Is 18 Is site she all right he asked falteringly of all alf the room you must have known it ILI alice andover was tall and fine in her dignity yes buddy bridges we knew it we all knew it but nobody told her almiry never knew to this day nobody told her alice An dovers dignity was simply killing on our island mr air BrId bringus gus she said greatly we tell one another no news unless its good news there was nobody here lowdown low down enough to tell that her son had gone to jall jail buddy voice was pleading aw mom it much A roughhouse a row over a gome game you know I 1 was always quick in a scrap it much but a man was hurt hurl so they sent me ale up for it but mom since then everything fine arid and drin dandy dy no nonsense since got a fine wor woman corrinn rinn got three nice kids made a lot of money grent great mom and then suddenly mercurial man as he had find heen been a mer mercurial curini boy ne he glowered glowered with sudden finger anger around the lie room ai see here lie he demanded sharply who sent me that paper marked portland paper that told me morn was dead twenty five years agol ago one of you sent me a paper that tied lied the allence throbbed everybody looked at alice andover andev er she was vita the administrator tint and this was ns a terrible charge he brought alice andover did not much flinch she turned directly on the captain john christian wallace do you mean to tell tel tile me that you dared to take it upon yourself without consulting me the natural administrator the captain removed ills hla pipe and ambled anilli bly into tile the menu arena a gen ge a tie fie dignified little old figure he fie put an ion ite liand on arm ills voice e was wavering with age and with exel excitement but he be was not dau daunted buddy I 1 anys to myself jailbird or no jailbird hes son soil lies iles got a right to know she ashes pone gune we said plenty of hard things against you thides enough ellough tit but it nobody ever suld that buddy bridges love ills his mom N no 0 sas 1 I lies got a right to know ow it so I 1 marked the paper and sent it right off to you buddy in jall jail ur or alint not for I 1 dont hold field to them as says but gramp lie he interrupted for everybody called tile lie captain Gral grallis lip Gral giamp lip she was not deada slie site was not deada bend I 1 no but we thought she was it sold said in the paper she was we know till next net day or tiny day after that she pulled through after nil all no I 1 says 1 I lies her son api is as soon us as I 1 read in the paper slie site was deal dead I 1 marked 1 it 1 wid and mailed it and but gramp my god you found out that she dead N ar e I 1 here in the jlove she was at the mercy of W whoever oever might magh t comi come M rr C that she td had pulled th through rough why in gag gods S pame name you I 1 let le me kno know w 71 the captain was crestfallen taken aback but he rallied slowly wh what say he asked feebly hand t to ills his ear wily why you send me word s let me know when you found out that it was a mistake and she had not died I 1 never knew when I 1 got out I 1 lend head ed west and never came back never wanted to come back if morn mom was gone why you let me know god bless my soul ejaculated the captain fee feebly lily you know site she dead just think of that now ills his own mother not dead and he even know it hear dear dear buddy I 1 never thought of it from that day to this I 1 supposed of cour course seta a boy would know it if tits his own mother dead when the last tired but happy voice had sent its binni merry christmas ringing back across the snow when i with buddes buddys weak arm about her had disappeared beyond tile the are arc of light that underlined the solitary pine gay cay turned hark back into tile lie bright disordered rooms and closed the door slowly she was very sad the brightness of tile the room in all its gay con confusion fadon depressed her and she phe stood a tired dejected figure in tile lie midst of it and pressed it her burning face into her cold clasped hands tears came to her eyes A sob swelled in her throat site she wept noiselessly what was atio We success of till nil tho noisy merry pa party arty to her when hand had not c come me and site she 0 knew kleiv not whom where lie he was in her heart she k knew now that rand mud had not remained away of ilia his own volition that something had kept him film against tits ills wilt will lie he had pledged her to solemn secrecy in n regard to ills his movements but ills prolonged absence without word or reassurance terrified tier her greatly she sank down into tile the window sent seat and looked out the tall gayly galy lighted pine was hateful garish to tier her swid eadd eyes impatiently she pressed the button and the hill slope was plunged into darkness it its that d d old clubhouse slie site said bitterly 1 I have a big notion to to burn it don with the passionate wet words As ennie came sudden determination suo she could riot not benr bear this anxiety y the she must know tile tie worst however hail had it ii be site she would slip into the forest and reconnoiter recon hand had sternly ordered tier her to keep entirely out of the woods arid away from the little club but gay in an emergency like tills this arid and goaded by tier her fears for him was not one to be balked by obed obedience lence if site she found tit the gang in ane ne little club she would cull call tile the police immediately have tile the place raided and demand hand of them in tier lier thoughts vividly she saw the slim worn face the shapely strung strong hands of who find come to tier her on oil tile the naves in tile the little cove alin almost ost slie site saw hands face like that with lie file fuerry eyes closed the mocking lips set hard swept by salt water oil no ake sli e cried faintly then she sprang to tier feet arid and pounded hotly tit up the alie stairs site wits feverish with excitement now tier her face naming flaming tier her lips parched her eyes tingling hot but tier her slender strong hands were ith like e tee ice if they catch roe me I 1 do not care she told herself hotly ive got to find him she could not bear that recurring evanescent vision of hands face on the winter sea the cold fingers tore tier party dress rom tier her pulled on heavy SIM silk arid and woolen undergarments tier her thickest woolen stockings stout boots site she donned her warmest blouse beneath the fawn colored suede windbreaker wind breaker and bloomers beneath tier her heaviest knickers tile the leather leat lier cap she pulled down to her ears caught up tier her leath er fur lined lice d gloves and then her dark colored slicker enveloped all if they see roe me think im a man she said sturdily to her stout reflection in the glass with tills this cap this slicker those these boots led by the experience of six months on the island gay slipped a flashlight into 06 one pocket and her pistol pistol in the other she was trembling all over but im tilt not bald afraid she said farm ly y she pressed jat electr elect rc jc button ili ton and fhe the cottage b arged ged into the darkness darkness that covered all the coast sho opened tile the door gingerly tin an inch at a time lime listening intently tile the island was nas asleep in the darkness there was no moon the stars r re lote ante and cold were aln of lee ice she se did not hesitate she quite confidently fi believed that flint she would ratler rather die than endure tire the suspense of uncertainty not daring to use tier her hash flash site she made hw her way through the snow slowly from tree to tree toward the little club chib stumbling often running into unsuspected pines falling over hidden shrubs but she went on when she cume cattle at last to the row of trees that circled the clubhouse she stood for a long moment as rand nd had taught her flattened against the bark listening neither sound nar nor sigh ii from with within I 1 n sealed she thought hermetically sealed scaled she crept cautiously around the corner feeling her way inch by inch until she reached tile the spot where hand hall taken out the rocks to get under the lift piazza it had seemed simple enough its as she alad watched him and gay mit she could easily do the lie same tiling thing and thus obtain a view of |
