Show 41 it N G SA N f 1 I aa arc re B r a 4 c SYNOPSIS tha youthful and comply comely marcia howe has hag her late husbands niece sylvia hayden living with ier her A stranger exhausted finds hla his way to marcias Mar clas home ills his powerboat ran aground in the fog secretly he asks aska marcia to hide hid e a package containing jewelry she does so there comes news of a jewel robbery nearby the stranger gives his name as stanley reath heath sylvia discovers the jewels and Is su eura heath Is a robber marcia feels that the has too deep an interest in her guest but Is powerless to overcome it heath wires mrs 3 C heath new york saying he Is safe he also wires a man named currier to come coins at once sylvia in her room bede bedecki bedecks elca herself with the jewels at marcias approach she ehe hides bides them there heath asks marcia to bring them to him they are gone sylvia secretly puts the gems back ellsha winslow the sheriff by accident finds the jewels and has bars no doubt they are the stolen gems and heath Is a thief saying nothing but replacing the jewels he makes plans with dealer crocker tor for arresting heath currier arrives marcia overhears heath tell h how 0 w he got the gems and Is forced to believe him guilty currier with marcia hinves the hiding place and finds the gems he returns to new york with them ills fits references to mrs heath convince barcla that her tender dream has been a foolish one ellsha and eleazer come to arrest heath the jewels of 0 course are not found CHAPTER IX continued to 10 1 I shall not soon forget that sylvia nor tle splendid loyalty youve shown today I 1 shall aldays remember it whatever happens b apkens please realize that I 1 am grateful ileath heath said earnestly atun un along now and fetch Al arela it was some moments before barcla answered the summons and when at last she came it was with downcast eyes and evident reluctance tell roe me please exactly what happened don down n stairs heath smiled she related the incident tersely without comment and that Is hit all he inquired when convinced she had no anten antea tion of speaking further that la Is all thank you now what do you think Is best for me ale to do I 1 should like your opinion but how can I 1 give a just coln I 1 cannot judge she burst out as it if goaded beyond her pa tience 1 I know none of the facts A radiance swift sort ns as the passage of a meteor flashed across stanley keaths heaths face and was gone suppose you yourself had bad taken those jewels jenels and were placed in this dilemma pressed he the case would not be similar at all I 1 do not believe you took the jewels was the quiet answer barcla Mar cla marciai why dont you bellee I 1 took them have I 1 ever told you I 1 did not ta take lethem them eier eer led you to suppose suppo seme me innocent I 1 you have never told me anything thin about I 1 it t the man restrained an impulse to imprison her hands in ills his suppose u ilose I 1 did take them he went 0 on 13 in an even coolly modulated voice suppose tu the case stands exactly as this s shrewd it eyed wilton sheriff suspects it does what am ita 1 td dor do ile saw the color drain from her face f 1 I only know what tat I 1 should do were I 1 in your place I 1 should go through with it clear my soul of guilt and afterward start over again that would be very difficult the stigma of crime clings to a man sly my life could be ruined were I 1 to pursue such a cour course se not your real life you would of course lose standing among your supposed friends but you would not lose it among those whose regora vent deeper even if toli you did what would it matter cut but to be alone friendless 1 who would help me piece together the man mangled led fragments of such a past for I 1 f should need help I 1 could not do it alone do you on imaging imagine that in all the be world there would be een enn one person whose loyalty and affection would survive so nold a test vo do you know of arr anyone anc she leaped to her feet why do you ask me she ds da banded the gentleness of her voice chilling to you have such euch a help Tale near you or should hilie 1 I dont understand pleaded the mau man puzzled by her change of mood perhaps Irr haps wed better not so go into that now dow was her response 1 I r must a 1st ast go walt just a moment 1 I cannot I 1 must get dinner neet mind the dinner I 1 some times there are things more eiore important tant to think of aman a man saying that I 1 the ring of the tel telephone ephone chimed calmed in with her silvery laughter ill go sylvia she called with a promptness that indicated the interruption ter was a welcome one its long iong distance she called to heath mrs ileath heath wis wishes hes to speak with you slip on your bathrobe and come heath took the receiver from her ha hand n d jonn joan this certainly Is good of you dear yes I 1 am much better thank you elm bless your precious heart you worry currier will viii ile be back bach late tonight or early tomorrow morning and he will tell you how well I 1 am progressing yes ne e has the jewels put them in the site right away wont you 1 I cant say when I 1 shall be home something has come up that may keep me here bere some time I 1 cannot ex exploit lain just now it Is the thin thing you haie always predicted would happen to me sometime well it ins his happened do you get that yes I 1 am baug caught lit liard hard and fast it Is a bit ironic to have traveled all over the alie world and then be taken captive in a small cape cod village ill let you know the first minute I 1 nae aDy anything thill definite to tell goodby good by clear take care of yourself its done me a world of good to hear your voice ileath heath returned the receiver to kg its hooli hook and in high spirits strode back into ills his room Blar clas chair was empty she was nowhere to be seen CHAPTER X T THE HE days immediately following were like an armed truce marda marcia watched sylvia sylvia watched marcia heath watched them both warmly wrapped in rugs lie he noi now sat out on the th sheltered veranda where he reveled in the sunshine sometimes when he lay motionless la in the steamer chaIr looking seaward beneath the rim out of his soft felt hat or following the circling gulls with preoccupied gaze mar cla peeping at him from the window wondered of what he be was tb thinking Inking no attitude he be might hive have as fumed could have been better calculated to dispel akward awkwardness ness and force into the bach background round the seriousness of the two women whose interests intel ests were so inextricably I 1 entangled with ills his own than the merry bantering one he adopted when with them lie was a brilliant talker one who gave unexpected original 0 I 1 01 1 ta 11 I 1 3 wei ar V 4 A you know she sha faltered her arms creeping about his neck twists to the convers conversation atlon twists that ta macd ced ones of repartee here indeed was a hitherto un dreamed of stanley heath a man whose dangerous charms had multiplied a hundredfold and who if he be had captivated barcla before now riveted her fetters with ith every word he spoke every glance he be gave her she struggled to escape from the snare closing in on oil her then finding cono brit useless ceased to struggle and let herself drift with the tide after ull all why not enjoy the present lit in loving this stranger of whom she anew so little she had set tier her heart upon a phantom phin tom that alint site she knew must the fai fu titre cirp grin with foreboding nas constant ly drawing nearer there were alas but two waya of I 1 life the way of 0 right and the way of arring and between them lay no neutral zone but tier her rebel heart w would play her false flouting her puritan codes and defying the creeds that conscience dictated meantime while barcla thus wrestled with alth the an angel get of her best self sylvia accepted the with characteristic lightness she knew more already about men than did barcla much more long ago they had ceased to be gods to tier lier she jested fearlessly with reath heath speaking a language with willi which he was familiar and one that amused him no end marcia felt jealousy clutching at her heart one day passing through the hall she saw sylvias golden head bead bent over the table as she dashed off page after page of a closely written letter it was a pity the elder cider woman could not have read that letter for it would not only have astonished but also have enlightened her and perhaps quieted the beating of her troubled heart hearl it was a letter that astonished sylvia herself nevertheless much as it surprised tier her her amazement in no war approached that of young horatio fuller when he read it now horafios Ho flo ratios mother was a woman of colorless vaguely defined personality indicative of little guile and still less di tion she listened well ne never ve r interrupted never offered comment or advice never promised anything rod and yet when villen slie she said as she invariably did ill talk with bour father dear there was always infinite comfort la in the ob atlon that was what she said today after a conversation with horatio junior Accord accordingly ln gly th that at everill everi evening ln after horatio senior had bad dined and dined yell well mrs horatio gently in im parted to alton cites lenden leading citizen the intelligence intel luence that ills his son horatio junior wished to go east that be was in love lore that in short he wished to marry Il horatio oratio senior raged he tramped the floor he be heaped on the heid bead of the absent horatio junior every epithet of reproach ills his wrath could devise the phrases plira ses draveling driveling dri idiot and audacious puppy appearing to afford 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 mrs horatio ventured the irrefutable observation that after all flor horatio atlo junior was their only child and sylvia bloyden was a nice little thins thing this drew fire horatio senior sputtered something thin about InD thIng but a p penniless nut schoolteacher school teacher a nobody very deliberately then mrs no ratio murmured pleasantly that if she remembered rightly this had been the very objection horatio seniors father had made to their own irr marriage arriage at this Ifor horatio atlo senior flushed scarlet and said promptly that his marriage had been ideal that his jennie had been the one alfe in the ilia world for him that time hii had proved it even to ills his parents that she wag wa the file only person on earth who really understood him after this nothing was simpler than ban to discuss just when Ilo horatio ratin junior had better start east cast had sylvia dreamed when she licked the en envelopes enve lupea elopes flap with her small red tongue and smoothed li it down with her pretty white finger site she was thus loosing alton cites thunderbolts she might perhaps have hes hesitated hated to send the letter she had penned and perhaps would not hive have started off so jauntily jaun lily late lale that afternoon to post it toward six she telephoned she was at the doanes and henry and his mother the old lady slie she had met on the train the day she arrived wanted her to stay to supper ile he would bring her home early in the evening there would be a barcla need not worry barcla had not thought of worry ing until that minute but now in spite of knotting sylvia was safi safe and th corid hands bands site she began para paradoxically d ox I 1 cally enough to worry madly timidly asa girl she surn sum boned stanley aleath to the small round table sylvia lint coming site she ex pla ined all blushes she tole telephoned she was going to stay in town they seated themselves it was the first time they had bad ever been alone at a meal my but you are a marvelous marve loiis coote cook ileath remarked during the progress of the meal oli oil not really youre hungry thang all things taste good when you are it that everything you pu your hand to Is well done youre a canelous ma nelous person you are talking foolishness ivery 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 an am leaen leaving here tou tomorrow lorrow morning stanley I 1 across the table he be caught her hand 1 I am well now nov and hive have no further farther excuse for on your hospitality I 1 hate areep accepted ted every manner of undress kindness from broin you pont dont call it that site she inter erupted rup teil what elp run ron I 1 cill call it I 1 ahl a stranger and iou tool took uie lit in ii 1 was sweet of you especially when you yon knew nothing about roe ale now the time has come for me to go tomorrow morning I 1 am giving ay self up to the wilton sher sheriff lff oh no nol do it Is the only square thing to do igat it she made no answer ile he rose and came to her slipping an all arm about her ll 31 arcia arcla Dear dearest estl 1 I 1 am doing what you wish am I 1 not you wanted we rne to go through with it she covered her face and he felt fell a shudder pass over her yes rut but that was then ft the ibe whimpered at the words he drew her to her feet and int into 0 his arms marcia Mar cla beloved I 1 love lore you love lore you with all my heart ray my soul all that Is in me you know it know that every moment we have been together has been heaven tell me you ione ioe me dear for you do loe me dont deny it not tonight our last night together say that you love me you know she faltered her arms creeping about his peck neck lie ile kisded her then her hair her eyes her neck her lips long iong burning kisses that left her quivering beneath the rush of them their passion brought her to hersell and she drew away what Is it dearl dear he asked we cant we must not dot something thin stands between us we have no right forgive me cut but my dear we have no right she repeated we must not love but we do sweetheart was his bis triumphant cry we do dot I 1 we must forget can you forget forgety he rep reproached roache 1 I 1 I can try ali ah your tongue Is too honest bones ll Al arcla you cannot forget neither can 1 our pledge la Is given we belong to one another I 1 shall not surrender what la Is mine never tomorrow m let us not talk of tomorrow we musts must we shall be parted then only for a little while I 1 shall come bad back to so you vou our love will hold absence distance nothing can part us not really tell me you love me elie so I 1 may leave knowing in the truth from your own sweet I 1 lipsi 1 I love you stanley god cod help me ale ah now I 1 can got it will not be for long iong it must be for ever dear heart you must not come back tonight in must list be the end you mean you cannot face tomorrow in the disgrace 1 I mean tonight must be the end she reiterated through narrowed lids he be looked at her scanning her averted face then she heard him laugh 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 man when he needs them most the prospect of sharin sharing my shame Is more than you can call bear again he be laughed well tonight shall hall be the erid end tonight now dont think I 1 blame you it Is not your fault I 1 merely rated you too high barcla the rals take was mine not yours lie left her then stunned by the torrent of his reproach prone h she stood motionless w watching ahching while without a backward backma rd glance he passed into the hall and up the stairs even after he was out of sight she remained immovable her frightened ebes riveted on the doorway through which lie he had alsap pearel pc ired then slie she swayed caught at a chair and shrank into it her hotly body shaking and her breath breit li coming coaling in gasping hysterical sobs 0 flading no DO inkling of a change in the delightful relations that had for hie elie past week |