Show shifting SANDS SAN t by sara ware BASSETT 4 copyright by 1 the penn pub co service SYNOPSIS the future of the still youthful and comely marcia howe recently released release dby by death fromherz from her idling husband la IS a conversational tit bit among hous housewives e 9 of the little t a hamlet of wilton eligible bachelors and widowers also are interested barcla Is lonely find and has hab invited h her r late husbands sile niece a sylvia hayden whom she h had ad never see seen to visit felt her A stranger on the ve verse go of exhaustion finds hla his Afar way to marceas Mar clas home secretly he ask asks S mar barcla a la to nizo lile a package containing g jewelry she does so ellsha elisha winslow OW town sheriff brings news of a jewel robbery nearby the stranger cives alves g his name as stanley heath sylvia by chance discovers the jewels and naturally rally believes heath Is a robber she realizes that marcia must have hidden them and decides to say nothing p putting u eting the gems back in their hiding place CHAPTER V continued prince came bounding into the house from some distant pilgrimage of his own almost knocking lier her down in his eagerness for breakfast bieak fast she glanced far up the shore and saw serenely rocking with the tide my unknown lady As she whispered the name she was conscious of hot blood rushing to her cheeks how hoft ridiculous I 1 stanley heath was simply a stranger of a night he was nothing to her well indeed was it it too that he was not hotl during her hours of sleeplessness the ardor of her faith in him had to a degree cooled true she still maintained her belief in his innocence but that belief she now realized was only a blind unfounded intuition both the he circumstances and sober second thought failed to back it up the mans impatience to be gone his complete silence with regard to the jewels although perfectly justl justifiable flable did not strengthen it marcia conceded he had every right to keep his affairs to himself had he started to confide hi its secret to lier her she would have held up her hand to stay him it was the fact that through the dim hours of 0 the night while site she sat at his elbow trying to make the disc comforts 0 he suffered more bearable he talked of almost everything else but the thing uppermost in both their minds that was was what hurt she did not want to know she wanted to be trusted to to help to feel his dependence upon her instead he held her ber at arms length he spoke with appreciation of the crew who had dragged his boat off the sand bar appearing to consider them tremendously kind as undoubtedly they were still they had not begun to come into the close contact with him that she had marcia caught herself up with a round turn here she was being sensitive womanish how detestable I 1 why should stanley heath pour out his soul to her she had never laid eyes on him until yesterday in a day or two he would be gone never again to corns come into her life she was glad of it il it was better so this decision reached she drew diew in her clien lifted her head a wee bit and began to get the breakfast even doctor stetsons arrival and his subsequent verdict that the patient hall had bronchitis and would take his life in his hands should lie he leave his bed afforded her only scant satisfaction so she was to keep stanley heath under tinder her roof after all but against his will it was not a very flattering battering natt ering situation she sent sylvia sylla up with his coffee and toast and began her usual round ot of morning duties and then just as they were finished and the clock was striking eleven he called she went up cheerful but with her head still held high and paused on the threshold glancing at her he smiled you look like a bird about to take flight wont you sit down she went nearer nevertheless she did not take the chair he indicated 1 I see you are busy he e said 1 I thought perhaps your housework m might be done by this time and you not might have a moment to spare well I 1 interrupt forgive me for coiling calling 1 I 1 ba venta a thing in the world to do marcia burst out good I 1 then you can stay a little while he coaxed now answer this question truthfully please you heard what doctor stetson said about my mv returning to new york today I 1 dont want to be pig haderli and take a risk IL it it 1 I 1 imprudent that Is neither fair to others nor to myself still it Is important thit 1 I RO 0 and I 1 airi am anxious to IWI at Is your Rd adrice adil rice cp I 1 I 1 hink you are too ill A frown of wrinkled his forehead pe chure iri ure right yet for all that it I 1 tim 1 I w wan int very takli to 10 iro irn it is ll 11 cant anything be done from here queried she such stich as le letters letter telegrams whatever you wish I 1 can telephone or telegraph anywhere or I 1 can write 11 surprise stole over his lace face then deepened to admiration fayou ded you would do that for or me blindfolded why not ia I 1 simply imply want to help I 1 always like to help when I 1 can even when you do not understand 6 t and piercingly hla big eyes rested on her face 1 III I I 1 do not cot need to understand W was as her proud retort for the fraction of a second their glances met when lie spoke his bis valce was low imperative il arcla como come here berel she went she knew not why W by give me your hand h again half trembling half reluctant she obeyed ile he took it in his and bending kissed it 1 I will stay and you shall telegraph was all he said she sprang to fetch paper and pencil CIL as it if welcoming this break in the tension im afraid I 1 cannot write plainly enough with my left hand he said will you take down the message certainly gifts S 0 heath her pencil so firm only an instant before inhered cred have you vou that yes the biltmore BlIt more new york tork city yes everything safe with me do not worry marooned on cape cod with cold nothing serious home soon love stanley got that yes had something gone out of her voice the monosyllable was flat colorless heath looked at her even her expression was different or did he merely imagine it perhaps I 1 would better just glance over the message before you send it simply to make sure its right let we me copy it first firs ll 11 she objected copy it Non what for Nob odys going to see it he reached for or the paper still she withheld it the trouble it written well enough id rather copy it why its wobbly I 1 I 1 perhaps my hands were cold youre not chilly no oil oh no it the room Is cool you sta stay I 1 V here it im not cold at all will you let me take the telegram she placed it in his hand it Is shaky however of f no consequence since you are to pho phone no western union now if you truly are not cold id lilie like to dictate a see ice ond end wire all right this one Is for currier he said mr james currier the biltmore new york city safe on cape with my lady shall return with her later motor here herd at vice nee bringing whatever I 1 need tor for indefinite stay stanley C heath got that 0 K nodded marcia this time without hesitation she sh passed him the paper this I 1 see is your normal hand writing he be commented as he placed the messages side by side taking up the sheets he be studied them with interest Hild nt I 1 betterto bet better so and get oft off the messages suggested marcia rising nervously the station might be closed often it Is at noontime it matter if they dont go until afternoon but there might be some slip 11 he glanced at her with his keen eyes the matter matter yes with you ou all of a sudden youve turned easterly have 11 I 1 lightly she laughed 1 I probably have hae caught the habit from the sea environment does influence character psychologists say nevertheless you are not fickle how do you know you know an amazing amount about me seems to me considering the length of our acquaintance she observed with a tantalizing tal ta smile 1 I do was vas the grim retort 1 I know more than you think more perhaps than you know yourself shall I 1 hold the betraying mirror up before you the mirror of truth god forbid who of us would dare face it she protested still smiling but with genuine gennine alarm now do let me run along and send off the messages I 1 must not net loiter here talking you are forgetting that youre ill the next nest you know your temperature will go epand up and doctor stetson will blame me my temper temperature alfir has gone UN up growled stanley heath turning his buck back on her and burying his face in the pillow with the touchiness of a small boy sylvia meanwhile had heard stanley heath call barcla and hailed her aunts departure from the kitchen as the opportunity for which she had a so anxiously been walting waiting no sooner was the elder woman upstairs and out ot of earshot than she tiptoed from her roond room the monogrammed handkerchief in her pocket site she had pried olit out the brick find and had haa the file jewel case IS in her hand wrapped and ready lendy fo for r its return when conversation overhead oel llen suddenly ceased and she heard marcia pass through the hall and start don clown stairs it sylvia ga sped was no chance to nut the back and undre olace the brick which fitted so no tightly th lit its adjustment was wag a process requiring ln g patience care and time flustered frightened she jammel the jewel case into her dress and frantically restoring the brick to the yawning hole bole in the hearth as best sh she could she fled up the back stairs at the same moment marcia descended the front ones once in her room she closed and locked the door and sank printing panting into a chair to recover her breath well sit at least she had not been caught and in the meantime the jewels were quite e ife ate she took the case stealthily froni from her pocket now that the gems wera in her possession it certainly could do no harm for her to look at them even try them on as she had been tempted to do when she first discovered ere d them probably never again tn id all her life would she hold in her hand so much wealth and beauty accordingly she unwound the handkerchief and opened the box there lay the glistening heap off of treasure resplendent in the sunshine a far more gorgeous spec spectacle than she had realized going to the bureau sylvia took out the jewels one by one she clasped the diamonds about her neck fastened the emerald brooch in place put on the sapphire pendant then added the rings and looked at herself in the gold framed mirror what she saw reflected dazzled hor her W who ho would have believed jewels could make such a difference in ones appearance pe arance they set off her blond beauty so that she was suddenly transformed into a princess slowly and with conscious coquetry like a preening bird she turned her head this way and that delighting la in the creaminess of the neck the gems gema encircled and in the fairness of her curls she really ought to have jewels she was born for them and could carry them off there were myriad women in the world on whom such adornment would be wasted good and worthy women too then a voice interrupted her reverie it was stanley heath calling she heard barcla reply and come coma hurrying upstairs guiltily sylvia took off her spar sparkling kUng regalia tumbled it unceremoniously into its case and slipped it into the tha drawer underneath a pile of 0 night dresses drs ses then she softly unlocked the tha door and sauntered out it was none too soon tor for marcia was speaking to her sylvia yes how would you feel about going over to the village for the mall mail and to do some errands the tide Is out and you could walk prince needs a run id love to go fine here Is a list of things we need at the store youre sure yott yoa dont mind going no indeed I 1 shall enjoy being out then suddenly sylvia had an inspiration which she instantly acted upon why dont you go she inquired you sleep much last night arid and a walk might do you good oh I 1 objected marcia with haste ive a hundred arid and one things to do thanks just the same well you know your own business best Is this the liste list yes there are quite a few items but they wont be heavy nere here Is the basket prince will carry IL that Is his job and very proud he Is of doing it goodby good by dear ashes dreadfully anxious to get us n out of the way she prince commented young sylvia as she and the setter started out over the sand now what do you suppose she hair ha on her mind ashes up to something marcia a bit of an actress ashes too genuine marcia standing at the window watching the girl would have been as toni shed enough had she heard this astute observation she did want sylvia out of the way the girl had read her correctly she must telephone the messages to the stationmaster at sawyer falls the adjoining town where the railroad ended and the nearest telegraph station was she got the line and had no sooner dictated th the telegrams than she heard heaths deaths voice during the interval that had elapsed since she li ad left him both of them had experienced a reaction and each was eager to make amends barcla regretted her flippancy it had been childish of her to give way to pique and punish heath simply because it was proved he had a wife why should he not be married no doubt the absent mrs stanley heath was a dashing sophisticated beauty too who lived in luxury at the great city hotel to which the first wire had bad been sent heath had bad been quite frank about the message and its destination on thinking matters over it occurred to marcia ke he might have 6 considered this mis the easiest way to inform her of things he found it embarrassing to put lint into words and she instead of appreciating his honesty chivalry gentlemanly conduct as site she should have done and receiving it graciously cious ly surprise had bad betrayed her into displaying resentment site she was heartily ashamed of herself no matter how much it humbled bombl e d her h er pride she must put things right fortunately tuna tely it was not too late to do so TO BE CONTINUED |