The Brussels Post, 1926-4-14, Page 7s
Jrnappoinumeopmmi..14
Love,
be Tyrant
,try." She stopped at the jacob's
door, and -hurriedly inserting a /WY,
looked round furtively and anxi•ous-
ly, and :awing Sack ('lose behind her
she uttered a little exclamation, a
mixture of fear and recognition, and
stood with a nervous deprecatory
smile on her faded face. In Inc hur-
ry she had stuck the key in crooked-
ly and could not open the door, Of
course Sack opened it for her; and
with many thanks she took the key
:from him and went upstairs, holding
the balustrade as she had done on
the first night he had seen her., He
noticed that she had kept her left
.arm under her cloak, which was
loose and grey in color. She closed
the bedroom door quickly, so that if
he had desired to get a glimpse of
the room—which he certainly did
not—Jack could not have done so.
In the morning Jack told Mordy
Jane of his second happening on the
guileful widow. 'Wordy Sane nodded
knowingly.
"I thought there was some take -
in in it," she said; "widoWs, as a
reg'lar thing are too sharp to be 'ad
even by pickpockets. That court
you saw her go down is called Pip-
er's Slick; and they're 0 reglar bad
lot down there.'
"I wonder what Miss Woods was
doing there 461; night?" said Jack,
half to him•self; but Mordy's sharp
ears heard him.
"Did you see her there?" she ask-
ed. "I shouldn't have thought it of
her. That's ruin! Well, that makes
'er more of a 'idden mys'try than
ever."
Jack laughed as he lit his pipe and
went out; there seemed to him so
very little of the mysterious in his
fellow lodger, excepting that she car-
ried beneath her cloak a bundle
which she evidently desired to con-
ceal, but which probably contained
nothing more mysterious than some
dress materials upon which the work-
ed during the day.
For all his hard work, time drag-
ged very slowly for Jack, and he be-
gan to think more seriously of Aus-
tralia. Though now and again he
held short conversations with his
fellow -laborers and smoked a pipe in
O shady corner with some man who
happened to be engaged on the same
job with him he made no friends or
acquaintances, and always returned
from the docks to the Jacobs' direCt-
ly his work was over. One evening,
however, he wont up to the Lambeth
baths and had a swim; and after his
bath, feeling rather hungry, he turn-
ed in at a coffee house and had some
supper; then he lit his pipe, and pre-
pared to walk home to Chase street.
He was crossing Lambeth Bridge
in the faint grey light which comes
from the •pallid moon which shines
above London in the summer, when
he saw a girl leaning against the
side of the bridge.
Her attitude was one of utter
weariness and dejection, he head
was leaning on her hand, ha elbow
on the bridge coping; the other hand
hung limply by her side, and her
head was drooped, and her eyes fix-
ed On the pea -soup river which flows
beneath that most squalid of bridges.
. There was something in the at-
titude, th•e drooping of the figure,
that appealed to jack. She looked
so lonely, so dejected, such an em-
bodiment of the great city, that
*eeriness which every Londoner has
felt some time or other.
. Jack paused and, affecting to leek
over his side of the bridge, glanced
at her. A shaW1 concealed her head
and her face, as it was turned from
him; but suddenly the shawl slipped
slightly, and even in that murky
light Sack caught the glimpseof
gold -bronze hair—a golden bronze
'Which, recalled to hire the marvellous
color of Kato Transom's; just as the
canary hue of the.hair of the woman
emerging from the court had recalled
Miss Woods.
"That turned out to be my mys-
terious lodger," said Sack to himself;
"but, thank goodness! this girl,
Letterheads
Envelopes
Billheads
And all kinds of 'Business
Stationery printed at The
Post Publishing House.
We will do a job that will
do credit to your bUsinces.
Leek over your stock of
Office Stationery and if it
requires replenishing call
us by telephone V..
The Poet Pobeehing eouge
though she's got the same colure,
1 hair as Kate Transom, can't la
I Nate."
At that moment the girl drew a
long breath—it was almost a sob—
and clasping her arms, let her head
fall upon them with a gesture of in-
: finite despair; then she raised her
head and looked from the water I.o
the railing of the bridge and back
Instinctively, Sack knew what that
glance meant; she was thinking about
throwing herself over. He strode
across the roadway and laid his hand
upon her arm without a wad.
She uttered a low cry and recoil-
ed from his touch; the shawl fell
from her face,. and to his am"eement
he saw that it was Kate Transom.
Neither of them spoke for a mom-
ent, but gazed at each Othez with
mutual wonder and incredulity. Her
face was deathly white, her lips liv-
id, and there was a pinched look
about her cheeks and nose which
Jack knew well; for he had been one
of 0 party that had lost its way in
the bush and had been three days
without food. If he could believe
his eyes, if he were not dreaming,
this was Kate Transom whom he had
left at Vancourt. Kate Transom al-
one in London, and apparently starv-
ing.
She continued to gaze at him, as
if she indeed were in a dream, what-
ever he might be, as if she were look-
ing on a vision. Then Sack spoke
her name. .
"Kate!" he said, wonderingly. "Is
it you?".
At the sound of his voice, a look
came upon her face as if she were
awakening, a long low cry broke
:from her parted lips, her eyes closed
for a moment, then opened upon him
at first with infinite tenderness and
then with a look of fear and appre-
hension which completely transform-
ed her face.
"Youl You—at last, at last!" she
breathed; and she dropped "back a-
gainst the rail of the bridge and
grasped it with one hand while the
other was pressed to her heart.
"Yes, it's I," said Jack. "This is
O strange meeting! How do you
come here? Why are you here alone?
You are alone, are you not?"
"Yes," she said, almost in a whis-
per.
She was trembling now, and the
hand with which she tried to draw
the shawl round her head shook like
a leaf; but her eyes were still fixed
upon him steadily; eyes that seemed
to burn, in thir agony of anxiety and
apprehensron, 'from the haggard pal-
lor of her face.
Jack saw that she was very ill, that
she was scarcely able to speak, eith-
er from weakness ot agitation.
"Take my' arm, Kate," he said;
for the "Miss Transom" seemed too
formal and inappropriate at such a
Moment. "Let me help you. , You
are ill, I am afraid."
She shook her head.
"I can walk," she said.
She moved forward, and mechan-
jcally he moved with her.
- "Where are you going?" he asked.
"Is it far fronr here? Are yor stay-
ing with'friends? If it's for I dont
think you ought to walk, and we will
take a cab.' -
She lookell at him dreamily and
shook ha head slowly.
"Lhave no friends; I am not stay-
ing anywhere," she said. "1 nave
nowhere to go."
The answer Was given quite grave-
ly and simply; and to say that jack
was at first struck dumb by amaze-
ment and horror only :faintly de-
scribes• the effect upon him.
"No friends! .Nowhere to go!"
he exclaimed. "Surely you must be
mistaken, Kate! Where aro you stay-
ing in London—what lodging—?"
She. shoolelet head again, and het
eyes drew slowly from his face, as if
reluctant to leave it, and gazed
straight before her,
"I am not staying at any place; I
have no friends," she said; and she
spoke the words in a low monotone
not of despair or even of complaint,
'but a monotone which had -now some-
thing of restfulness and peace and
contentness.
Jack took her arra and pressed it
gently, for it Seemed to him as if
she were only half awake or in a
kind of stupor.
"See here, Kate," he said, "try
and explain. I find you here, on a
London bridge, late at night, and
yon say that you are alone and that
you've no pladb to go to, I eat scar-
cely b.elieve My eyes ot my ears. I
left you at Vandeurt eomfortable
and happy.—"
She turned ha white face upon
him, and, with a strange smile, echo-
ed the last word,
"Heppy—not happy.4 ah! not hap -
Jack drew hat arith: toMPletely
within his. • .•
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o
paid.
• See me ot Phone No, 2x, Dims-
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Bides.
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Yollick
44,41).0.404.64•644.4•Ori,e4.1S+4,1•0+4,4re
"Tell me all about it," he said,
gently, soothingly. "When did you
come up?"
"Nearly a week ago," she said. "I
can scarcely reinember—I do not
know. The days have passed--"
She shuddered. "But it doesn't mat-
ter now."
She did not look at him, but a
faint smile crept over her faze mak-
ing it wierdly beautiful.
"And why did you come up?" ask-
ed Jack. "Why did you leave Van -
court?"
"I came because—." she began
dreamily; then she stopped with a
slight flush.
"And where have you been—what
have you been doing—since you
came up?"
"I don't know," the answered, in
the same low voice. "I could not
tell you. I have been walking all the
time, through the big streets and the
quiet ones, resting at night in a door-
way or on the seats by the river -
1 slept there last .night—a woman
gave me some food—it was a Piece
of bread—she shared it between her
child and me—"
"Good God!" exclaimed Jack. "Do
you mean to tell me that you've been
wandering about London for days
and nights, with nowhere to sleep,
nothing to eat?"
She, listened with the same smile
on her face, as if his words, his
voice, were bestowing upon her a
consolation which effaced all the
memory of those awful days and
nights, and dulled her present pain
and sense of weakness.
"I had a little money at first," she
said, almost inaudibly, "but I soon
spent it; and I didn't know where to
go, so I just slept where I saw the
other poor people sleeping."
"Put I don't understand!" ex-
claimed Jack. "Have you quarrelled
with your father, has anything hap-
pened to cause you to come up to
London like this, in this, helpless,
solitary fashion? At any rate, what-
ever is the matter, you must go back
to your father, to Vancourt, at
once!"
She stopped and her lips moved as
if sbe were repeating his words, as
if she were trying to master their
meaning. Then suddenly she turn-
ed to hint and grasped his arm, her
large eyes dilating with fear, her
pale lips trembling.
"No, no!" she panted, "I cannot,
I will not! I dare not! I left be-
cause they might ask me questions,
might get the truth out of me, might
ask me why—why you had left Van -
court."
Jack stared at her; then Ile chang-
ed color and bit his lip.
"You—you know why I left Van -
court?" he said, with a frown.
She glanced round cautiously as if
she were afraid they should be over-
heard.
"Yes. Hush!" she replied, and her
grasp tightened on his arm, her eyes
flooded his face with infinite tender-
ness with the protective expressinon
of the woman. "Yes, I know!" Iler
eyes wandered, her lips parted, the
dreamy expression settled on her
face. "I shall find him," she mur-
mured. "London is a large place,
but I shall find him!"
She took her hand from Jack's
arm, and, with a sigh, drew her
shawl about her head, arid seemed
about to move away as if she had
forgotten him; then suadenly she
swayed to and fro. and would have
fallen if he had not been near
enough to catch her.
They had turned down a side
street, ono of the quiet streets of
Lambeth, and they were alone. She
lay in a dead faint in Jack's arms,
and as he held her he wondered what
on earth he should do; can a police-
man, get her di -Ito a cab, take her—
where?
CHAPTEn XXX/.
As he was holding her in his arms_
and wondering what �n earth he
should do, by the merest chance a
rickotty four -wheeler came down the
street. Sack hailed it as a shipwteelc-
ed mariner might hail apassing ves-
sel, and lifting Rate into it, told the
man to dtive to Chase Street.
For some time Kate remained 00-
0085010015, but the current of air
threegh the open window at lest
re-
vivdd her, Site opened' her eyes
and Meted heavily; thee she looked
at ,Tarlt at first woncletingly,.aud then
With an expression of relief and
conteutment whieh touched him not
a little,
t'Are you better?" he asked, refs-
ing his voice above the rattle of the
shalty cab.
She smiled upon lihn dreamily and
her lips formed a "Y,s,"
"That's all right!" said Sack,
Own -fully. "Better not talk now,"
She obeyed his injunetion Tor some
time, but presently she managed to
make herself heard with the ques-
tion;
"Where are we going—where are
you taking me?"
Jack was posed and did not ans-
wer for a moment or two. Where
on earth was he to take her? He
knew Moray Jane too well to imag-
ine that he could take a young and
good-looking female to the Jacobs'
without a scene from Moody Jane,
and a demand for an explanation
which he was not prepared to give.
He might take her to a hospital or
to a workhouse; but the idea was
repugnant to him; and besides, she
would feel degiaded all her life by
an acquaintance with a workhouse.
"I scarcely know," he said at last;
"but I'll find some place for you.
And clon't you be afraid. Of course,
I must let your father know in the
morning that I have found you; you
must go back as soon as you are able
to make the journey."
She turned to him with a strange
look, as if she were puzzled and sur-
prised at the calmness with which
he made the statiment.
"Oh, no! you know I can never go
back," she said, her lips necessarily
close to his ear, "You must not let
them know. 1 would rather die than
that they should know I' was with
you. Promise me that you will not
send word; or stop the cab and let
me get out and go!"
Jack was puzzled and mystified,
but he could not withhold the re-
quired promise.
"All right; don't you worry!" he
said. "I won't let than know until
you give ine leave."
She drew a breath of relief and
lay back in her corner of the cab
with her oyes closed. The man pull-
ed up at the top of Chase Street,
and Jack, though he had come to
the conviction that, after all; he
should have to appeal to Mordy.jane
felt that it would never do to drive
up to the house in a cab.
"Can you walk a little way?" he
asked. "It is not very far, and of
course I'll help you,"
She made a gesture of assent, and
Jack paid the man and helped her
out of the cab, and, supported by his
arm, she walked a few paces; but
even these few paces taxed her
strength too greatly, and presently
she looked at Jack piteously and col-
lapsed. As before, there happened
to be no one in the street at the
moment, and Jack was about to pick
her up bodily and carry her to the
house, when d. woman came round
the corner, walking quickly. She
was dressed in black and wore a
veil on her widow's bonnet. Jack,
having a fainting woman on bis arm,
man -like, was quick to appeal to one
of her sex for aid.
"I beg your pardon," he said, as
the woman came abreast of him,
"this lady is ill; would you mind--?"
Then Ile stopped lead short, struck
dumb by the fact that the woman
was the widow whom he had twice
seen working the stolen -purse dodge..
She paused in her hurried walk
and looked at him, and then at Kate,
and seemed to hesitate; but at that
moment a policeman came to the
corner, and she sped away quiddy
and disappeared down Piper's Sack.
Jack swore under his breath, and
again gathered Kate in his arms with
the intention of carrying her bodily;
but she recovered consciousness and
stood, supported by his arm, strugg-
ling for breath.
"It's not very far now," saih Jack,
encouragingly; "wait until you are
quite able to walk."
A minute or two passel, and than
they mo-ved slowly down the street;
they, reached the door, and Jack tvas
feeling for the key when he heard a
light step behind him, and Miss
Woods came up. Jack turned upon
her eagerly, struck by a sudden idea.
"Good -evening, Mies Woods," he
said. "I am awfully glad to meet
you to -night, and just at this mom-
ent; for my friend and I are iti a
little trouble."
There was a flush on Miss Woods'
fatted face, and her eyes looked an-
xiously and half suspiciously front
one to the other.
"What is it?" she asked, with a
little catch 141 hor breath and a glance
over her shoulder.
Jack began, feeling that the wom-
an would not believe a word he said:
"This young lady is a friend of
mine, and I met her by chance to-
night. She has come up to London
from the country, and has lost her
way. She is 111-5110 fainted not
very long ago—she has no friends
in London, excepting myself, and no
place to go."
Tha woman, with the faded fate
end the Canary colored hair looked
at I(e,to With a kind a tired share -
nos at Xat&..who laitt against Ow
WEDNESDAY, APRIL lith, 1/2
door -frame, her face (11.•wncast, her
hands hanging loosely—and then
nodded, as if she were satisfied.
"Miss Jacob hasn't it vacant
room," she said.
"Quito so," assented Tack, signii-
eantly, and looked at her with an ex-
pression In Ids eyes which filW
C0111(1 resist. "I thought perhaps"
—he hesitated ---"you might be 00
very good ita to id ller share ymer
room to -night." Kate Transom
shrank, but ho put out his hands and
touched hers encouragingly. "We
only ask shelter for to -night, and
shall feel immensely relieved to place
her in the charge of some good wom-
an like youreeli."
Bliss Woods flushed and her eyes -
W01'(, devsnctist for a moment; then
she looked at jack with a kind of
timid steadiness.
"I know what you mean," she said.
"You'd like me to take her in to-
night as my rriend—"
Jack nodded quickly; and she re-
turned his nod by way of acquies-
MICE!.
"I am more than grateful to you,"
said Jack, as he opened the door,
and, still helping Kate, followed Miss
Woods up the stairs.
When she reached her bedroom
door, she said, with her flickering
and weak smile:
"Excuse me one moment;" and
entering the room, closed the door
after her.
Jack heard the sound as of a draw-
er being unlocked and opened, clos-
ed and relocked again, and in a
moment or two Miss Woods reap-
peared and drew Kate into the room.
"I'll get a little brandy," said
Jack; "she needs it."
He got some brandy and some milk
and biscuits from the public -house
at the corner, and, returning to the
house, keocked gently at Miss
Woods' door. She opened it a lit-
tle way and smiled at him reassur-
ingly.
"She's faint with hunger, poor
girl!" she said; "she'll be better
when she's had some food."
"Give her some milk with some
brandy in it," said Jack. "And then
you might venture on a little biscuit
soaked in the milk."
"Yes, I know," responded Miss
Woods, in a low voice, and with a
glance over her shoulder. "It's not
the first case I've seen," she added,
wAh a touch of bittetness, which
seemed strangely incongruous with
her rouged face and canary hair.
"I'll sit on the frtairease outside
my bedroom ilopr end eee how elle
gete on; I should like to know how
she is before I go to bed."
He smoked and pondered for near-
ly hall an hour, wondering what had
happens! te ceuse Kate's night from
home, and what he ought to do in
the matter. He felt that lie had been
very foolish to give her hie promise
not to communicate with hor father;
but he consoled himself with the re-
flection that no doubt she would trill
him in the morning what was the
matter, and permit him to $00,1 word
of her whereabouts to Vancourt.
Presently Miss Woods' door opened,
and she came on to the landing to
meet him.
"She has taken -the brandy and
milk,' ehe said, "but I can't get ber
to touch the biscuit. I'm afraid
she's ill and going to be worse.
I had a sister once—" She stopped
suddenly, and looked sideways with
Cockney sharpness and suspicion at
Jack.
- "I am afraid you're right," said
Jack, gravely. "If so, if she's going
to be ill, I hope you'll stand her
friend --she hasn't any other in Lori.
11011 except myself."
The woman glaneed at hirn with
covert scrutiny, and then lowering
eyes with the flicker of a smile.
"Only a friend?" she asked.
"Only a friend." repeated Zack,
with grave emphasis, "but one who
is anxious to do all he cart for her..
Perhaps I ought to tell you Bilis
-
Woods that her name is Kate Tran-
som, that her father—that sne—are
Perfectly respectable-13ut there!
you are a woman of the world and
need no such assurance from me.
Sh has run away from her home in
the country, for some reason or oth-
er which I don't' know, and can't
guess—"
"Can't you?" said the woman,
again glancing at him sideways.
"No," said Jack. "Perhaps she
has quarrelled with her father—she
seemed unhappy—" He stopped; he
had no right to speak of Kate Tran-
som's affairs. "If you will help to
take charge of her until she can re-
turn to her friends, Miss Woods, I
shall be extremely grateful."
She nodded,
"I see," she said, with a sharp
glance of comprehensiee, tell
the Jacobs that she belongs to me.
Pli say that ehe is my cousin, and
that siw's staying with me on a Vis-
it, !Wordy Jane may belleVe 1„ or
she may not."
"I should say, from what / know
of her, that she certainly will not,"
remarked Jack, with a grim smile.
(To Be Continued),
ROSINESS CARDS
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Ontario. are prepartd to advance money on
Mortgages on good Jamie. Parties dewing
money on farm mortgagee will please apply to
James (Iowan. Sonforth, Ont., who will fur.
nieh rattle and other particulars.
The InduatrIal Mortgage
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.1.4,4adto kaatoxr
AGENT FOR
Fin, Automobile and Wind Ins.
!COMPANIES
For Brussels and vicinity Phone 647
JAMES N1' FADZEAN
Agent Howick Mutual fire insurance Company
0,18.
Hartford Windstorm anci Tornado Insurance
Phone 42 Box 1 Turnberry Street, Brussels
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Forrern=nultany person
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Office at residence, opposite Melville Church,
William street.
DR, WARDLAW
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&MCLain
BARRISTER, SOLICITOR,
CONVEYANCER, NOTARY PUBLIC
LECKIE BLOCK - BRUSSELS
•J‘
• 777 ; '
Can You
'sit e all?
Have you, Mr. Business Man, the
time to get out and call on all of your
customers and prospective customers
each week? If you could do so, it
would be a fine thing for you and for
your business.
The next best thing to a personal
call from you is to send out your
business message each week in THE
POST, which covers the local com-
munity and will carry your message
to old friends and, new friends, alike.
Advertising in THE POST is an
economical, efficient way to reach the
people in your trade territory and let
thein know of the buying opportun-
ities offered in your businessiestab-
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