Show uy Z to ct 14 OSTEN S mabtha by so Z 0 MARTHA MARHA SERVICE THE STOUT STORY THUS FAR lovely Independent Autumn dean returning home to british columbia from rom abroad without her fathers father knowledge sto stops atthe home of hector cardigan art an old family friend he tells her th that at x she e should not have come home that things have changed arriving home at the lie castle of the morns she Is greet greeted e d lovingly by her father jarvis dean who gives her to understand that she Is wel comedor come for a short visit her mother former belle named millicent odell has been dead for years autumn cannot understand her fathers attitude though gars gives him to un understand ersland that she Is 13 home tor for good she has grown tired of life in england where she lived with an aunt her father gives a welcoming dance at t the be castle autumn meets florian parr dashing well educated young man of I 1 the he countryside late in the evening autumn leaves the dance rides horseback to the n neighboring g ranch where she meets bruce landor friend and champion of hex her childhood days CHAPTER 11 II continued 4 it was only when they reached the long avenue of lombardy poplars leading to the landor house that their voices ceased bruce seemed suddenly to have become preoccupied with something apart and re mote as he rode slowly forward his eyes fixed upon the house that alood stood among the shadows at the farther end of the avenue A cool ripple of apprehensiveness passed down over autumns body a feeling ominous 1 and totally strange to her exper experience i she recalled now that as a girl she had always been afraid of jane landor lander though she had never known the reason and naw now within a room there beyond that glowing window lay the helpless form df the woman whose forbidding manner had often caused autumn to shrink from her it was not tear fear that overcame her now but pity deep pity tor for the woman whose staunch fortitude had been reduced to frailty by a life that bad beaten her at last when bruce finally dismounted before the doorway and stretched his hand up to her she laid her own slender one within it and got down for a moment she clung to his hand and hesitated walt wait bruce she whispered whisper eX and the thought struck her that she should not have come like this to see jane landor he smiled down upon her and folded his other hand band over hers you look frightened he be said leaning close to her she followed him into the house the large room was in darkness but a light from the open doorway ot 01 an adjoining room cast a soft glim mer over the old fashioned furnish ings of the place immediately a womans comans voice small and nervous to the point of sp spoke oke from the inner room Is that you bruce yes mother ive brought a visitor visit it or to see you there was a moments silence then A visitor Who ill let you figure that out for yourself bruce said and led autumn into the room jane landor was in a half sitting position among the pillows a light attached to the bed above her thin colorless face autumn had expected to find her changed from the woman she remembered but she was not prepared tor for what she saw there under the soft light of the bed lamp she drew back instinctively before the look from the fierce black eyes that were turned upon her as she stepped through the doorway come coffie in where I 1 can see you jane landor ordered and struggled to draw herself up for a closer look at her visitor autumn stepped into the light and stood for a moment smiling down rt at the frail woman dont you remember me she asked ina soft voice that was n one none too steady jane Lan lenders dors race face twisted suddenly as if in spasm she lifted her thin hands to her wasted cheeks and drew her breath in a quick gasp you youl she cried milli cent odeill what brings you back here take her away brucel take her awall her voice was a hysterical shriek now she covered her eyes with her hands bands as the she lay back sobbing among the pillows bruce was beside her instantly his arms about her s shoulders boulders mother mother its autumn dean he ried to reassure her dont you remember autumn she has come back his face under the tight light was shocked and bewildered take her away I 1 bayl say I 1 jane landor insisted vehemently nothing but death follows in the way ot of the Odell sl sh she e clung to bruce who tried in vii vain in to soothe her and autumn stole in a trembling daze from rom the room and out of the house CHAPTER III breakfast in the dean household bad ad always been a ritual in his busiest season jarvis dean nevertheless attended his table of a morning with the leisurely grace grace of a country gentlemen gentleman if a man could not begin the day becomingly the laird maintained he had better remain in bed he was in good spirits this mom ing as he sat in his place his daughter on his right and old hannah op him st at the end eld of the table nearest the kitchen hannah stew art had since the death deat hofher 0 her mis tress twenty years before been ac customer cus tomed to eating with the family unless there were guests this ar ran je gement ment had seemed to jarvis to be the most sensible ien one while au biron was small smal and had to bi be at al tended to and later hannah was a so 0 much one of the family that it was unthinkable that she should eat cat alone hannah had seen to it that the paper streamers and other decorations that had festooned festoon ed the dining room tor for the dance of the night before had been cleared away and the place restored to its wonted homely austerity she would give her attention to the drawing room and the rest of the house as soon as the meal was over here in this room however life had returned to its accustomed way to autumn it seemed that some perverse fate had ordered the quiet scene so that she might find it impossible to seek an answer to the questions that had bad assailed tier her mind throughout an almost sleepless night she had bad ridden home from the landor place and had returned to her fathers guests with a feeling that some curse had been laid upon her she had bad moved about under a black spell that was as unreal to her as a delirious dream and when it was all over and the last guest had gone she had hurried to her room and lain awake until dawn her father turned his bis eyes searchingly upon her as she seated herself at the breakfast table it was a little too much for you that business last night he be ob lk 10 I 1 you look frightened he said leaning close to her served gently you look stale this morning 1 I sleep well autumn ad bitted ill be all right when ive had a little rest she had permitted her father to know only that she had indulged an impulse last night to get away alone for a ride in the moonlight it had been impossible to tell him of her frightening lightening visit to the Lan dors 1 I dont know wrong with the women nowadays jarvis continued in my time a young woman could dance au all night and go to work the next day and be none the worse tor it but the women today have gone to pot old hannah sniffed 1 I dont see that your men nowadays show much to brag about the laird smiled aye a feckless lot and have hava a mighty high opinion of themselves its hard to judge the present by the past da autumn ventured aye my girl theres something in that too its the times that make the difference it was a hard life we lived when I 1 was a youngster and it made hard men of us and hard women too Au autumn tuil thought her mind upon jane lan dor take more than a hard life to make anything 0 the like 0 that thai parr lad im thinking hannah suggested theres no telling that jarvis countered theres good blood in the boy his father comes of a good line the worlds full of tools fools who can boast of good fathers before them then said hannah stoutly right enough Jec declared lared jarvis chuckling to himself it takes two to breed even a flock of culls will you be using the car today da autumn asked abruptly no ill be down at the pens till supper you done enough traveling to be content for or a while 1 I have somi some to do in town she said ill leave right away and be back early therell be no call tor for haste the 1 laird cautioned caution ed her you drive that car like something that thal had lost her hei wits autumn smiled at him id lose them completely do da it if I 1 tied had to sit and watch you drive it her father grunted theres there no taming you im afraid well you you get that from me no observed old hannah that she t ashes her own mother over again slid aad theres little fault to find with her for that silence tell fell upon jarvis dean as hannah told of how millicent dean had bad ridden to the hounds in the days dayi when the cornwallis Corn walls of ashcroft manor were still famous disciples of the c chase base autumn listened eagerly and would woul d have ventured a question hire here and there but that her fathers brows grew darker and his countenance clouded the more as the garrulous old housekeeper proceeded chatwill Th atwill be enough now ja jarvis jarvia r interrupted finally in a vol voice that quieted hannah at once and ce the breakfast was finished a almost imos t in silence better be getting away the laird advised autumn as they got up from the table and autumn felt that her father had no desire to leave her alone with H hannah annah get your things together s and nd ill have the car brought out for you and while autumn autum was in her room preparing for the trip to town she could hear her fathers voice in stern admonishment to poor old hannah hector cardigan possessed a horror of glaring daylight and the rays of the late morning sun that filtered into his drawing room between the heavy drapes of the windows suggested to autumn the curious fingers of the present prying into the crypt of the past she sat in one of hectors hectora Hec tors armchairs a glass of iced tea in her hand her lids half closed upon that searching beam of light from the window hector she said glancing up at him with sudden directness 1 I came to have a talk with you do you mind hector actor smiled at her we used to get on very well with our talks if I 1 remember 1 I was a child then hector yes so so I 1 really considered that aspect of our our friendship may I 1 say 1 I am no longer a child hector very true my dear I 1 recognize the tact fact and I 1 am forced to confess that I 1 have never been a spectacular success in conversations with women you dont have to be on this occasion hector I 1 am not here for small talk hm m m well of course 1 11 I want to ask you some questions 1 I cannot promise a ah definitely you know to answer any question a young yoman woman might put to me ine can I 1 nowel now autumn could not tell whether his manner was becoming evasive or merely apologetic you can answer the questions I 1 have in mind hector I 1 am sure of that I 1 well we shall see perhaps what for example are you going to ask autumn drained her glass and set it aside 1 I went over to visit jane landor last night she began 1 I thought you were giving a dance 1 I left it tor for an hour or so sd td and rode over to the landor place I 1 met bruce and he took me to the house to see his mother 1 I see rather singular conduct tor for a hostess I 1 should say ill admit it was tor for the time being in any case I 1 saw jane landor you spoke to her im not sure perhaps a word I 1 forget it was what she said to me that I 1 have come to ask you about hector moved uneasily poor jane landor is not to be held to account tor for anything she says these days my dear I 1 understand she is no longer coherent 1 I am not going to hold her responsible s pon sible tor for what she said hector I 1 went want to know the meaning of it all hm m well my dear what did she say when I 1 stepped into the room with bruce she became hysterical Shei she declared to bruce that I 1 was millicent odell and pleaded with him to put me out was that all not quite As I 1 turned to leave I 1 heard aheard her hei say that death followed in the way of the odelas anything else nothing I 1 hurried out and rode back home as fast as I 1 could for several seconds hector remained standing with his back to the fireplace his hands folded behind him his eyes at gaze across the room well now he said at last it was a somewhat curious greeting you received I 1 confess and one likely to give you pause but as I 1 said before the poor yoma woman the poor woman hector has lost her sense of time and place but there Is no use in your attempting to convince me that there was nothing significant in what she said allm hrom m well perhaps you had haal better ask me your questions my dear and I 1 shall consider them what sort of woman was my ni mother other Hec hector tur autumn asked asked him bluntly he looked at her quickly a star tied expression in his eyes your mother she was the most beautiful woman I 1 have ever known my dear 11 1 I have heard that years ago from hannah was she in love lobe with my father hector smiled how can one kno know w what Is hidden in a womans comans heart 1 I know my father loved her and loves her still after twenty years did anyone else love her my dear child we all loved her hector replied with a sigh he turned slightly away from her then and picked up one of the yellowed owed dice on the mantelpiece she was the only woman I 1 ever loved the simplicity oi of the statement b brought ro aught a momentary silence to autumn she was aware suddenly of an awed thrill as though some haunting fragrance of the past had for a fleet instant possessed the room but then as she glanced covertly up at hector it seemed to her that she had always known that the elderly soldier had cherished a romantic and hope hopeless lesi passion tor for millicent autumn made an effort to reaz regain her composure did geoffrey landor love her she pursued 1 I dont see how he could help it really please hector I 1 want the truth you know exactly what I 1 mean I 1 mus must t know hector cardigan stepped slowly from his place and seated himself in a large chair opposite autumn Z 2 partly as far as it goes autumn replied he spread his feet before him and slowly brought his hands together the points of his fingers meeting in my time my dear he began we were accustomed to living our lives in the best way we knew how without giving much thought to the past this country was settled by men who had left their past behind them in the old country and were eager to begin life anew in this it is only natural if I 1 should feel a bit embarrassed perhaps in the presence of a young woman who demands that I 1 tell her what manner of mother she had I 1 have not grown used to the ways of young people today it happens however that I 1 can be just as direct in my answer as you were in your question you say I 1 know exactly what you mean I 1 do and I 1 tell you that millicent odell who became millicent dean was a woman of honor and integrity and would have gone to her grave before she would have broken the vows that bound her in marriage to jarvis dean he paused for a moment and gazed unflinchingly into autumns eyes Is that an answer to your question my dear he asked finally partly as tar far as it goes autumn replied 1 I think it goes quite tar far enough hector said 1 I confess I 1 let me come to the point at once hector autumn interrupted behind what jane landor said to me last night there exists a lifelong life long hatred or tear fear of mother A wo woman m ordinarily hate another wom woman an without reason and somewhere at the bottom of it all if you take the trouble to search you find a man it isna isn t reasonable to s sup u P pose that father is the man to in qu question es we know him too well tor for that what I 1 want to know Is whether geoffrey landor is the man 1 I think I 1 have answered that my dear please hectorl autumn was losing her patience do you think that at geoffrey shot himself because he loved mother too |