TIE The Dark Mirror by Louis Joseph Vance iH [FET Author of “The False Faces,” «The Lone Wolf,” Etc. Illustrated by IRWIN MYERS B (Copyright, 1920, by the Author.) CHAPTER EIGHT The Day of Grace. I. TEMPTATION. — Bornes she is dead . . . " “Dead Leonora is dead The words, barely audi ble, hardly more than moans, breathed frome«the lips of the woman lying in hypnosis, Fosdick, sitting by her side, on the edge of the couch, bending over her, conned her face intently, The long lashes were fluttering, tears welled from under lowered lids, the lips writhed with grief. She moaned again, en inarticulate pure note of woe pass- ing speech, and shuddered in her trance. He captured her two wrists as her hands twitched up, groping as one's hands will who walks in darkness, and Imprisoned them gently in the clasp of one of his own.. The other he pressed again upon her forehead. “Priscilla!” he called in an even but urgent voice—*come out of it! For- get vour vision. See nothing Do you hear me?” The anguish of the face of the sleep- er grew transiently then faded as he repeated the unanswered question: “Do you hear me? time the girl responded dully: “You understand what I ing? “Yes, Philip.” “You are to see nothing more , . Do you see anything now?” There was a slight pause; sleeper stated without see nothing now.” more acute, am 8ay- Now you will sleep, without drea “Good, sleep quietly, thirty mifnutes. Then you up rested, refreshed, calm, Do you understand?” “Yes, Philip.” “Repeat what you In a tonel cited without you will ming will wake rational are ge ir less voice “1 am gol dreaming, ng to deco for thirty mir Then I am going to wake up rested, re ed, rational.” Do so” calm, fresl Fosdick 1 She mide no response than The upon those exquisite ready DOW grew a breathing and deep rosy ber Fosdick sighed countenance care, brows pressed, the pain, What was his duty? It was in his power to renew in Priscilla the condition of hypnotic sus. ceptibility long enough to erase suggestion all waking memory vision. By so doing he might spare her much suffering, much distress; the pity and horror of that lonely death, and the mystery of it, would not prey more profourd sigh. stamp of sorrow features had al- been modified ; thelr The ag mssed into the steady, tated, gusty slow siration of natural sium his with lips ¢om- in relief; but continued grave knotted, the eyes harboring a look of the of her ture. And, believing Leonora still to be living happily with the man Mario, her husband, Priscilla might in time grow reconciled, school herself to re- nuneciation, forget, and ultimately re build her life upon the foundation of a saner, surer love, But if Priscilla were permitted to come back to herself with full knowl- edge of what she had seen in her trance : believing Leonora dead, what would the effect be upon her life? She wonld be sad, she would mourn, it would be long before her days would be undarkened by shadows of dread and distrust, But she would not dream, there would be no more journeys of the spirit through the hollowness of night and space In futile search for that af- finity which had gone out of life. Against this the consideration warred that, no longer needing to reckon with the claims of Leonora, Priscilla would less readily disem- barrass herself from the tolls of an fnsane and impossible infatuation. With Mario free, no reason existed why she should seruple to give him all her love ' Dared one risk perpetuation of that passion? 11, THE LINK. Yosdick pressed a call button on his desk and put the telephone recelver to “his ear. His assistant responded promptly. Fosdick asked: “is there anybody waiting to see me?” “Mr. Andrews, I told him you couldn't possibly see him today. He sald he'd walt till the cows came home.” Fosdick fastructed: drews in.” When Andrews came in, a folding gereen shut off the couch and its occn- “Send An- pant from the rest of the room; Fos- dick was behind his desk, amiable, keen, composed, “Well, Andrews?” “@Q'daft'noon, doc. Just blew In from up state—Dutchess county,” he announced, “The party you're inter- ested in—" “Mother O'More?” “Yeah: she's up there in a private inst'ution for the aged. Bought her way In 'bout ten years ago. Seems she gets an annulty from some insurance company, enough to pay for her board and keep. Must be a sick Insurance company; the old dame’'s a hunner- daneighty if she's a day and ain't so much as thinkin' of kickin' out.” “Did you see her to talk to?” Mr. Andrews corrected gravely: “I seen her to talk to her, but that's as far's I got.” “Is her mind elear? I mean, do you think she remembers—1 “Remembers? Say, that old lady remembers more'n you and me'll ever forget, Her mind's as clear's con- summy soup in a French table de hote.” “Won't she talk? Why? “Cussedness,” Mr, Andrews opined —*or else she's been paid to keep her trap shut. I got a hunch she bought that annuity with hush money.” “Will anything make her talk, you think?" “Jack might™ “Jack who?” “No, not Jack anybody—just jack— colin, yunno—money." “Oh!” Fosdick's smile swiftly faded into a look of: thoughtfulness, “Pre- sume. I'd better see her myself.” “Would, if I was you. She hasn't got no use for me atall—spots me for a detective at sight and spits like a mad cat every time I opens me mouth.” “Where do you say she is?" “Place near Pawling—there's the add-ress,” Mr, Andrews gave Fosdick a &lip of paper. “Visitors' hours every afternoon, three to five,” wil her tomorrow,” - Fosdick do Ree sald. “Meanwhile, you can be work- ing on another lead. There's reason the girl I'm looking for- is or has been for sev- | living in the Catskills vate probably rented, | of Kingston. Her down to New York to- i according to my Information and | and Is returning tonight” i run up thes » first thing tomorrow.” eral days pri somewhere up camp, back husband came be on the | eT ‘TH jot J re tonight, AFTERMATH, himself off. watch, the folded and set it aside. Priscilla had not yet moved, by every sign the subconscious monito i, Andrews took need at his sCreen, Mr. fturne was reminding her that the half hour had elapsed. Her breathing the sliken less upon her ches watched lifted, was less inshes were rest While Fosd disclosing con ns, they Rec him, she sm! k uttered he her tting positior ©, took feel now You--3 “Yes, "Cills “Was it difficult “On the the mos contrary, you proved one of | t willing subjects I've ~=went like a the first suggestion.” ] He filled a glass of water from the i silver pitcher on his desk; but he took it to her she was on her feet, her eyes desperate. “Philip!” she cried dead—Leonora-— 1" } “I know; that is, 1 know you think | $0; you told me.” She did not answer, she was heed | less of the meaning of his words; but it intolerable i ever had | iY $i 1¢ 0 off shot, practically at when | gustily—"she iz | brushed aside the glass of wa- ter, and with a stricken face stumbled past him into a wide and deeply re- cessed window, For several minutes she stood there, her back to Fosdick, looking out blind- ly, slender shoulders shaken with si- lent sobs, a hand with a handkerchief dabbing at her eyes, A wise physician, Fosdick offered no phrases of false comfort. That the storm of her emotions spent itself swiftly, that it was not long before she was able to talk calm- iy, was no revelation of heartlessness, but largely the work of the suggestion implanted in her while she was in hyp- nosis. “The pity of it,” she said after a little time: “oh, Philip! the pity of it! She was so happy-—and now she is dead.” “Perhaps.” Priscilla swung sharply round. “Why do you say that? I know-I saw her—1 saw her lying drowned in a pool—" “I know, you told me.” “But how could I?" She was star. tied out of her sorrow. “I haven't had time, I've only just remembered" “You told me while in the hypnotic trance, 1 questioned you and you told me gll you knew, everything you ex- perienced. You were talking almost continuously until I threw you Into normal sleep. So I beard about your vision.” “Strange!” she said in a stare of ing of that.” “Not so strange; your speech was something purely automatic; once started, it went on, just as your heart went on beating and your lgngs inhal- ing and exhaling alr, while your atten tion was absorbed in other matters. It's like the automatic writing that people produce, believing themselves under the influence of disembodied spirits. Not necessarily even under the hypnotic Influence; their attention is elsewhere, they may be talking or reading on utterly immaterial subjects, while their hand, without thelr knowl- edge, writes and goes on writing—just so you went on talking" “I don't understand. It's—it's In- comprehensible, Not that 1 doubt what you say. I must have told you what I saw, there in the forest. . . ."” Her eyes filled again, tears ran down her cheeks. She averted her face. “Oh, the pity of it?’ she repeated. “Just when life seemed about to com- pensate her for all had never had... ." “Don't let go like this, 'Cilla. member, nothing Is certain.” “No—you are wrong. I saw her, 1 know." ’ “You think so.” “Why do you persist in saying that? Have my dreams ever proved ground- less 7” “We don't know, yet; perhaps some of them were, But this wasn't one of what you call your dreams; it was a vision, possibly a hallucination, in hyp- notic trance. It may have been a true phenomenon of telesthetic communi- cation: assuming that Leonora was really dead, your spirit may have found some means, by some extraor- dinary effort, to surmount the obsta- cles, whose very nature is unknown to us, that stand between the lving and the dead, prohibiting communica- tion . . But we don't know.” He argued earnestly, with Intention, seeing he had already engaged her interest to such extent that she was forgetting to grieve, “On the other hand, we do know it's easy to fool ourselves, Remember, you have gone about all day fretted by a feeling that something was wrong with Leonora, some danger threatened her happiness, You passed into the hypnotic trance already prepared to see the worst, You saw it. But the question remalos unanswe eq, the time being unanswerabl truly, did you by by 14 only th try? ut he was she Re- ROE or seée a fantasy your own imagination fear?” “If I cou ink that 1 “Shy not hilip— 1" arg gainst his own his arg lacked con- oe aw wg Giving Me a Lift" viction. Her drooping head described a movement of rejection. “No,” said, “the I know But the she trouble ig mystery and the Philip: who could have kil ” “If she is dead, as you think—need we accuse anybody of murder? It might have been sulecide—" “Oh, no,” she Interrupted almost scornfully—“never! Why should she do such a thing? She was 50 happy, she loved Mario, he loved her de votedly.” “Or an accident, perhaps She seemed to try to adopt theory, she pondered it at length, in the end conld not accept it “No,” she declared; “it was neither suicide nor accident, it was what she had been afraid of all along, death by violence . , J” ied her? his but IV. DEFIANCE. Late In the evening the telephone interrupted the supervision of her packing, with which Priscilla was on deavoring to divert her weary thoughts and with no great success, Her maid being busy at the moment, I'riscilla answered In person, and suf- fered a slight shock when she heard the studied accent of Mr. Harry Chil- vers-—s0 completely had she forgotten the man. Mr, Chilvers chirped briskly : “Oh, hello, Nora! This is Harry. What happened to yon this afternoon? Forget our date for tea? Or did some thing get In your way?’ Quite evidently Mr. Chilvers was prepared to be a good fellow and over. look that slight. But Priscilla replied with an apathy nothing short of cyn- eal: “Migs Maine is not at home.” An onth of reséntful incredulity was cut In two as she clicked the receiver into its hook ; but the picture suggest. ed, of the Nut raging at a mute and unemotiohal telephone, failed to excite even the ghost of her smile. The death of Leonora had bereft the man of all claim upon her considera: tion, rendering him hopelessly incom petent for harm, He had become noth- ing to her, less than nothing. The incline served merely to rerind her that she had neglected to tell Fosdick nbout the fellow, his effrontery, the insolence of his ill-velled threats, Now the bitterest melancholy ope pressed her, a desolation Indeserib- able; the vision of the pool was cons stant In her imagination, obscuring even material objects that passed une der her regard ; the sense of loss, a liv. ing anguish from which thére was no escape, . Only in sleep did she find surcease; then there was oblivion of a sort in a sleep heavy and hot and thick, in which she lay Inert like something submerged in a tepid, black, viscous fluid, from which she emerged with throbbing head and sluggish pulses, unrested, enervated, despondent, Fosdick called up about mid-morn- ing and, hearing her report on thé effect of the drug, told her to discon. tinue it, promising to bring a sub- stitute when he called In the evening. She promised to be at home to him alone, Later her maid summoned her to the telephone a second time. Mr, Chil vers was on the wire. “Tell him I've left town for the summer,” Priscilla said, too depressed to feel annoyed by his persistence. But when she was leaving Altman's in the afternoon after an hour or twe of perfunctory shopping, Mr. Chilvers waylald her in the carriage entrance He saluted with a wide his beaming topper and a poisonous amiability. “Saw your car up the street,” he smirk you wouldn't She shrewd, mind givin’ stopped, readiog narrow, rat-like me a darkly face, binck, close-set without a public no escaping the manded. She shrugged, to the waiting across chauffeur surmising scene there could be interview he de eyes, alk. Her car was the way. Seeing her, pulled round the sidew fo Mr. Chilvers = gallant hand in, but be Priscilla lipped a he follow door to mediately his mam ger, he idea?” Know bel gyDp without “What's the “You hig shit ean oug {to you me struggle.” “There replied will be no y quietly. tall for of before vesterday, i eho iy You see, reasons {ante think These voy bell 8OM you to of ¥ - ig DOW « And bef again, out the truth put her Luger Vise ) Priscill on let me ads about She bution “Let go of th doer, looking calmly into his “Will yo I send my chauffeur to man over there gf moment?’ Mr. Chilvers opened his mouth, but shut ft without speech. A vecond at fempt was successful. “If vou think you can put me like this—1!" But Priscilla into the telephone: “All right, Arthur; please.” rinted ask the police to step this inare it over already Was to the that Mr. Chilvers was a foose his hold, Satisfied that she had seen the last of him-bhe would hardly find a sec ond opportunity to annoy her day, she had advised and tomorrow would see her well beyond his reach tn Southampton-=she sank back in her sent and once more delivered up body and mind and soul to melancholy. At the mouth of the alley she dis missed the car. “Mrs. Trowbridge will nse you for the rest of the after noon,” she told Arthur. “I'll call a taxi to take me home when I'm ready.” Her business In the studio proved mare exacting and fatiguing than she had anticipated. Weary to start with, she worked steadily, heedless of the passage of time. It was something past six, when pausing to survey the result of her labors, she discoveren there was little more to do, At once she realized her weariness like a drag. ging weight, and felt that it would be utterly Impossible to continue before she had rested for a little, The invitation of the divan proved too tempting. She lay down, sighing Sleep possessed her without any warning, without an instants grace . . ATO BE CONTINUED) “Scot Free” To get: off scot free is to escape without payment of tax, Scot was a tribute or tax levied upon all subjects according to their ability to pay; lot means the allotment or portion al jotted to you, so that to pay scot and jot is to pay the ordinary taxes and also the personal tax allotted to you. If you succeed ln evading the tax you got off scot free. ATE The Kitchen Cabinet 7i™ HHHIRNNINnnaannnmnnus There 18 no other happiness In the world except that of a soul! content with its pwn cindition., This is the way to carry heaven about with you. Alphonsus de BHarasa Fumi. | finn A MORE THINGS TO EAT, Rarebits are emergency dizhes which are liked -by almost everybody and make a hot dish which may be pre- pared in a short time, Mexican Rabbit --Melt one table spoonful of but. ter; in it cook one green pepper cut ju When softened a little add one pound of common cheese, cut i2 small bits, and stir constantly until melted; add two-thirds of a cupful of fresh or canned corn, one-half tea- spoonful of salt, one half teaspoonful of paprika, two eggs well beaten and two-thirds of a cupful of tomato. Stir and cook until smooth and well and when thoroughly hot, rounds of toast, toasted on Serve the rabbit on the un- squares, serve one on ide, wi | of nan onion finely minced tablespoonfuls of butter until Add four tablespoonfuls of flour, cupfuls of milk after the been well blended, salt, one-fourth of a teaspoonful pepper and one or two boull provided they are not ninety-nine cent salt; if so, add no salt until after the cubes are added, Sad ex- perience with bouillon cubes mf Cook until the thickens and add pint put through nder. whole boll up and croutons, Green Cheese ~—Take two © fresh in of on cubes, ike us wise, mixture Ofer of sweet a cols once serve noes of parsiey, ane ounce of fresh water Dry the we fire erisp so be crumbled, its add with four Season with ea put through a col all che not until color. Chop the the crumbled parsley UNCes enne and ander, ito Bm wes to pass with cheese mixture which is a ‘ { ES Fas ile Is OCream upfal or two of cheese m Amer and caven grated ne, mixture in. ¥ 3 MNGi pats, DNecorste wit lives, your back not to ax wir think abou aigh er Citron or iemon Meared easily ing an few water, tl the meat When ters with and a reel by wn put through grinder, baking broken spoonful of fill the con bils honey. A long handled toaster furnace corn or broiler. and broil Use in the Gilt frames may be of turpentine, Rub ifter dusting well, Celery salt may home, cleaned with oll on with be prepared ery seed, add ten times the stir and mlz well and put into fn bottle, A dark blue cover made of denim or gingham is good to slip over the ironing board to save It when press ing sults or dark clothing. A child's small sadiron is useful in ironing baby's dresses, Very pretty and dainty baby shoes may be made from old glove tops Take the long white kid gloves, have the wrists perfectly clean and press out carefully with a warm iron to re move all wrinkles, Cut the soles and gides In one piece, making the soles wide enough in front to come up over the toes. Put a seam In the back and gather the fullness where the sides do not meet. Line with soft silk: eyelets may be put in or they may bo worked by hand. Trim with a shirring or hind the tops, lace with ribbon and the shoes are ready. Cooked dried apricots, cottage cheese and mayonnaise makes a most delicions salad, Keep lemons for several weeks by putting them in a fruit jar and sealing them tightly. When warming over coast meat place in the oven with slices of bacon over the top. Dake until the bacon is crisp. For eciaire shape the paste Jour and one-half Inches long and ona ach wide. Bake, split at the side snd All with coffee, vanilla chocolate or whipped cream filling, For Bavarian puffs brush the puffs just before taking from the oven with beaten ogg and sprinkle with chopped nuts, Newie Mag wert | “BX En HE most Catarrh Can Be Cured Catarrh is a local disease greatly influ. enced by constitutional conditions, It therefore requires constitutional treat ment, HALLE CATARRH MEDICINE is taken Internally and acts through the Blood on the Mucous BSurfages of the System. HALLS CATARRH MEDICINE destroys the foundation of the disease, gives the patient strength by improving the general health and assists nature in doing its work. All Druggists, Circulars free. A aa ‘& Co., Toledo, Ohlo, in a Tignt Corner. Jud Tunkins says it's so hard for a man to keep from joining many societies that he finds hi in- dorsing both sides of the same ques tiom. 80 imrelf ymportant to Mothers Examine carefully every bottle of CASTORIA, that famous old remedy for infants and children, and see that it Bears the Bigoature of In Use for Over 80 Years. Children Cry for Fletcher's Castoria A man until fight is “just as young as ever” he begins to puff on the third of stairs. Hands Yongh? Mystte Cream, that's the What foned man of the cn old-fash- his knees to has become who got Weak, Nervous, Following Influenza Montrose, W. Va.—"“Last spring after having the flu 1 was very weak and nervous. 1 got one bottle of Dr. Pierce's Gold- en Medical Dis covery and two bottles of Favor- ite Prescription and they. helped me so much i am 67 years oid and did lots of work last summer and am doing my bousework and washing this winter for four in family.”"—MRS IL R. WILMOTH, R. FD. 2 Dr. Pierce's medicines have been sold by druggists for the past 50 years. Send 10 cents to Dr. Pierce's Invalids’ Hotel in Buffalo, N. Y., for a trial package of any of his med- leines. S.Pat Off Carb olated where there are chi n AVOID SUBSTITUTES LOND ATEO} MFG. co. State Strect New York 16799 DIED in New York City alone from kid- ney trouble last year. Don't allow yourself to become a victim by neglecting pains and aches, Guard against this trouble by taking GOLD MEDAL The world's standard remedy for kidney, liver, bladder and uric acid troubles. Holland's National Remedy since 1696. All druggists, three sizes. Look for the name Gold Medal an every bem and accept no imitation When You Need a Good Tonic Take BABEK THR QUICK AND SURE CURE FOR Chills, Fever and Grippe CONTAINS NO QUININE All druggists, or by parcel postprepald trom K bpp Bh of & Co. - Washington. D.C — GENUINE BULL DURHAM tobacco makes 50 &ood Sgarettes for 10c Berae
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