Natalie Sumner Lincoln

“ Kitty struck her hands together in impotent wrath at the thought. Why had she not realized immediately that the speakers were outside the house, and not wasted precious minutes trying to light the lamp in the library and thus given them time to slip away unseen!
Who was the woman? Vainly, Kitty tried to identify her voice. Strive as she did to recall where she had heard it before, it eluded her memory. Why should any woman bribe old Oscar to steal papers which had belonged to her aunt? ”

“ Could it be that Trenholm suspected her of having recognized Paul and seized the opportunity of being alone with her patient to kill him and recover the Paltoff diamond?
The thought was torment! Miriam brushed her hair back from her forehead. She was suddenly blinded by tears, and paused in uncertainty, unable to go on. In that moment she realized what Guy Trenholm had grown to be to her. Love—had she given her love to a man unasked—unsought? Her face flamed scarlet. Had romance come into her life only to be bitter-sweet? ”

“ He could not believe—would not believe Lloyd's charge against Nancy. After all, she was not the only girl, or woman, with red-gold hair in the world. Lloyd had nothing to go upon but theories—no absolute proof—and an innocent act might easily be construed into a guilty one by a suspicious mind. Perhaps Lloyd's wish had proved father to the thought; he showed extraordinary animosity toward Nancy. All the chivalry of his nature revolted at the Secret Service officer's cold-blooded scheme to ensnare her, and Goddard determined in his own mind she should have fair play. ”

“ Outside the porch the beautiful trumpet vine, its sturdy trunk and thick branches reaching almost to the roof of the club building, rustled as in a high wind, and the branches swayed this way and that as a figure climbed swiftly down from the porch until, reaching the fence separating the club property from its neighbor's, the man swung across it, no mean athletic feet, and taking advantage of each sheltering shadow, darted into the alley and from there down silent, deserted Nineteenth Street. ”

“ Quickly Potter aroused Janet. She shivered, and turned and stretched out her hands to Tom.
“Take me away,” she said. “Oh, Tom, I asked you at dinner to protect me from myself. I’m not well—I tell you, I’m not well,” and she shook as with an ague.
Utterly regardless of the others’ presence, Tom gathered her in his strong arms. “I shall always guard you, my darling,” he promised tenderly. “No one shall come between us, and you will never be tormented again. Come with me.”
Barnard staggered to his feet and tried to intercept the lovers. Janet cowered back at his approach. ”

“ Dressed in her white pegnoir and the unnatural pallor of her cheeks enhanced by the deep shadows under her eyes, she appeared, in the uncompromising glare of the early morning sunlight, like a wraith, and the men halted involuntarily. Before any one could stop her, Anne stepped to the side of the stretcher and drew back the sheet. A shudder shook her at sight of the bloodstains. With a self-control little short of marvelous in one so young she mastered her emotion and laid her hand, with caressing tenderness, against the cold cheek. ”

“ Mrs. Burnham sighed. “The perversity of life!” she exclaimed. “Why do you pick out the one man I could not welcome as a son-in-law?”
“But why can’t you welcome him?” asked Evelyn impetuously. “René is all that a man should be—tender, true, and brave. Look at the record he had made in that gallant army of France. You have every reason to be proud of René, mother. Why, then, are you so absurdly prejudiced against him? He has never done anything to you.”
“Not to me perhaps——” began Mrs. Burnham, but Evelyn gave her no time to finish. ”

“ Bruce Brainard lay on the once spotless white linen in a pool of blood which had flowed from a frightful gash across his throat.
Wyndham passed a shaking hand before his eyes and turned blindly toward the door and collided with Vera.
“Don’t come in,” he muttered hoarsely. “It’s no spectacle for a woman.” And as she drew back into the hall again he burst out almost violently: “God! Brainard can’t be dead, really dead?” He glared at her. “Why didn’t you go for Noyes instead of me? He’d know what to do.” ”

“ With a quiet masterful gesture Miller stopped her. "We are living in the present," he said. "I repent the past. Come"—with deepening earnestness, "you are warm-hearted, impulsive, generous—be generous to me—give me a chance to make good. Before God, I will not fail you."
Kathleen scanned him keenly. Could she place faith in his sincerity? As she met the penetrating glance she knew of old, now softened by the fascination of his winning smile, she came again under the old personal charm.
"I cannot be friends with a man whom I do not respect," she stammered. ”

“ Kitty nodded an affirmative. Wallace wavered a moment, glanced at the bunch of keys which Kitty produced from her muff, then cast a fleeting look at the walk which skirted the mansion. “Kitty,” he stepped closer to her side, his hands fumbling awkwardly with his hat. “Did you and your aunt really quarrel about me on Sunday?”
Kitty stepped back as if shot. “What an egotistical question?” she stammered, with a brave attempt at a laugh. “On the contrary, Leigh, Aunt Susan and I had words over a matter of no importance; as was our habit. Good-by.” ”

“ Latimer bowed. “Joe is no fool,” he remarked dryly. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Hale, I guarantee that Judith is quite right in the stand she is taking, and”—again he bowed—“I admire her for it.”
“You have always approved of woman suffrage,” grumbled Mrs. Hale, as she rose and led the way down the aisle to the entrance to the dining room. “But take a word of advice from an older woman, Judith; it is not the wife who asserts her independence who gains her wishes, it is she who concedes the little things of life who controls the big issues. To rule, a woman must never show she rules.” ”

“ Rodgers thought, with a tightening of his heart-strings, of Kitty’s brave endeavor to keep up the old home and provide her aunt with every comfort within her means. And her aunt had been murdered. Murdered! He shook his head in bewilderment. What possible motive could have inspired such a crime? Who would murder a poverty-stricken old woman? Avarice—where was the gain? Revenge—for what? Hate—why hate a feeble old woman? ”

“ Once outside the Ogden house Barclay turned blindly toward the country. An instinctive desire to reason his troubles in the open guided his footsteps, and how long he tramped, and where, on the outskirts of Washington he never knew, but when he again reached the down town section of the city he had recovered his composure and decided on his future actions. Too long he had drifted with the tide; whatever the consequences to himself he must take his place in the affairs of men. As to Ethel—he winced and bit his lip; other and better men had had to renounce their heart’s desire. ”

“ A murmur of voices reached Rodgers, then a firm tread sounded down the uncarpeted hall, and parting the portières Charles Craige walked into the library.
“Hello, Rodgers,” he exclaimed in hearty greeting. “Mandy told me that you were here. Have you seen Kitty?”
“Not yet.” Rodgers shook Craige’s hand with vigor. He had grown to like and admire the brilliant lawyer whose many acts of kindness had added to the enjoyment of his visit. Besides, and Rodgers’ eyes glowed, was he not Kitty’s godfather!
“Trust Kitty to keep a man waiting,” and Craige smiled as he spoke, then grew grave. ”

“ The clock was just striking half past five when Dick, after an eventful day at the Capitol, reached Mrs. Macallister’s hospitable mansion on F Street. The old house with its Colonial architecture looked like a relic of antebellum days, for standing as it did well back from the sidewalk, with two fine old elms on either side of the brick walk, it had an individuality of its own. A central hall ran through it, the drawing-room and dining-room being to the left of the front door, while the large library and billiard room were on the other side. ”

“ Meredith’s voice was low and earnest. “I have been to your uncle this evening, and he has agreed that this marriage with David Curtis is to be a marriage of convenience only; and yet, ungrateful girl that you are, you forget all that I have dared for your sake.”
Anne recoiled. “For me?” she said bitterly. “Oh, no. You love luxury, wealth, power, and by sacrificing me you can attain your desires. You wish to force me to marry this blind man—to make a mockery of the marriage vows by assuring me that the ceremony is all that is required of me. Do you think God smiles on such vows?” ”

“ Back to Maynard’s memory came Evelyn’s words: “Mr. Burnham hates to be made ridiculous.”
“Hump! It looks as if your sense of humor had cost you a bride,” he remarked dryly. “Burnham has apparently brooded over your untimely mirth until he has exaggerated it into a capital offense.”
“But then he is of unbalanced mind!” exclaimed La Montagne, astonished. “To think of a laugh seven years old and charge me with an attempt to kill because of it—Mon Dieu!” He shook his head. “Are such things possible? But yet Madame Van Ness believes Burnham’s enmity is of the past, and she is discerning.” ”

“ She had never thanked Senator Warren for all his kindness; all that he had tried to do for her, and all that he had accomplished. At least she was not branded as a murderess. And yet Goddard had thought her capable of such an act!
Nancy's eyes burned with hot, scalding tears that fell one by one; bravely her white lips hushed their moan. She must not lose her self-control. Resolutely she turned and straightened her few belongings. She was so absorbed in trying to forget painful thoughts that she did not hear the sentry open the door, nor a hesitating footstep that crossed the threshold. ”

“ As gently as she could she told her aunt of her financial loss.
“Thee means, child, that my money is gone?” asked Madame Yvonett dully, as Marjorie came to a breathless pause.
“Yes. The bank has failed....”
“The Lord’s will be done!” ejaculated Miss Rebekah in devout resignation.
“Thee is wrong, Rebekah; thy God and mine had no hand in the bank’s failure,” retorted Madame Yvonett, her keen sense of humor dominating her impulse to cry as the realization of her loss dawned upon her. “The devil who tempts men to wickedness has wrought his will in this. ”

“ The hall clock was chiming six when Mrs. Whitney and Kathleen reached home. Not waiting for her mother, Kathleen ran upstairs and shut herself in her own room. Without troubling to switch on the electric lights she made her way to a chair by the window and flung herself into it.
Love, the all-powerful, had conquered reason. Against her better judgment she had pledged her faith to Charles Miller. Her heart throbbed high with hope, and with dreamy, happy eyes she stared out of the window into the darkness. ”

“ THE KNAVE OF HEARTS The death of Austin Hale under mysterious circumstances had created a veritable sensation in Washington, and the residents of the National Capital read with avidity every newspaper account. To the indignation of the city editors and the staffs of newspaper men few details were forthcoming from either Police Headquarters or the Hale residence. Thus thrown upon their own resources, imagination played a large part in their “write-ups” of the tragedy which, headed by display type of the most sensational character, had but served to whet the appetite of the reading public. ”

“ In the light thrown out by the open fire on the hearth he could see Ethel fairly distinctly, and he frowned as he detected the effect of her sleepless night. The light and shadow of the room, the high-backed brocaded chair in which she sat, her perfectly fitted, simple evening gown, made a quaint picture, and Norcross’ bottled-up indignation found vent in a muttered curse. It seemed criminal that a man of Julian Barclay’s caliber should have it within his power to cause her suffering. ”

“ The noise of the opening and shutting of a door which had reached Wyndham, contrary to his deductions, had been made not by the one giving into the library, but by the front door. Vera Deane all but staggered out on the portico and leaned against one of the columns. The cold bracing air was a tonic in itself, and she drank it down in deep gulps, while her gaze strayed over the sloping lawn and the hills in the background, then across to where the Potomac River wound its slow way between the Virginia and Maryland shores. ”

“ It was approaching noon when a timid knock at her bedroom door brought Miriam Ward into the corridor and face to face with the caretaker’s wife.
“If you please, Miss, the doctor says do you feel better?” The question came in a gasp, characteristic of Martha Corbin. A gray ghost of a woman, timid to the verge of cowardice, she seldom spoke unless addressed.
“Much better,” replied the trained nurse. “Where is Doctor Roberts?”
“In there,” with a jerk of her thumb over her shoulder. “He wants to see ye.”
“Very well.” Miriam Ward closed her bedroom door with a firm hand. ”

“ Say, Kitty, why don’t you go to a hotel?”
“Do what?” Kitty’s astonishment was obvious.
“Close up your house,” with hurried emphasis. “You ought not to live there alone. What is Craige thinking of to let you do it?”
“But I am not alone,” she pointed out. “Oscar and Mandy are living with me now. Besides—” it was her turn to hesitate. “The police wish the house kept open.”
“They do, eh?” Wallace turned and scowled at the mansion. “Have you heard anything, Kitty—any new theories about your aunt’s death?” ”

“ You know, dear Mrs. Macallister, he is such a delightful man to have around. He always looks after one so attentively. I never want for anything when he is in the room; and then he is so handsome, so cultivated! It is a dreadful blow having him in mourning.”
“I wasn’t aware he is in mourning,” said Peggy, surprised. “Has he lost a relative?”
“Oh, no. But of course he will accept no invitations now, on account of his engagement to Beatrice Trevor.”
“What!” Peggy nearly overturned the urn in her excitement. “Miss Gleason, you are entirely mistaken. Beatrice never was engaged to Mr. Clark.” ”

“ No one had questioned him as to his having gone to John Meredith’s bedroom instead of his own, and he had not mentioned the presence of a woman in the dead man’s room. Could it be that she was the “female” of Herman’s story, and was that “female” Anne Meredith, as the butler evidently believed? If so, what then did the parrot’s cry, “Anne—I’ve caught you—you devil!” signify? Had the parrot repeated Meredith’s death cry?
The lines about Curtis’ firm mouth tightened. His creed in life was simple: to live straight, never forget a friend, and never go back on a woman. ”

“ Suppose we leave Cause and effect to our Maker; He knows and will not judge our errors harshly, for God is love. The fighting is practically over. Dear child, are you willing to trust to me to heal the war-hurt, and to accept the protection of the flag again, the flag your forefathers died for?"
"Yes," said Nancy, brokenly. It hurt most cruelly to renounce her Cause; and Lincoln, ever quick to detect suffering, spoke to Goddard in an undertone as Nancy walked to the window to regain some hold on her composure. ”

“ His feather duster, wielded with unusual vigor, struck against some papers lying on a desk by the window, and the topmost sheet sailed out. The wind carried it to the gutter where a small stream of water from the recently flushed street swept it along to the sewer opening, where it poised for a moment on the brink, then disappeared into the dark depths beneath. The servant, leaning half out of the window, breathlessly watched the paper’s progress with eyes and mouth wide open, and his ludicrously agonized expression drew a faint chuckle from the traveler as his taxi started down the street. ”

“ Casting a hunted look about him, he spied a closed closet door. He doused his light while making his way to the closet, and jerked open the door, at the same time throwing out his right hand, the better to judge the depth of the dark closet. His groping fingers closed on cold steel. His heart lost a throb, then raced madly on, as he clung weakly to the metal. An elevator shaft, and he had mistaken it for prison bars!
For a second his chilled body was shaken with hysterical desire for laughter; then his strong will conquered. He had not forgotten the advancing footsteps. ”

“ As the taxi-cab threaded its way among the vehicles filling Seventeenth Street below Pennsylvania Avenue, Evelyn gazed in wonder at the congested sidewalks. It was the noon hour and clerks from the immense Government buildings in the vicinity were hurrying to lunch rooms and cafeterias [77] which had sprung up like mushrooms to meet the demands of hungry humanity. Evelyn mentally contrasted the scene with that in the same locality six months before and shook her head in bewilderment; the once peaceful old-time residence district had been electrified into life by the iron hand of war. ”