THE JEWELLED GARTER.

Thames Star, Volume LIII, Issue 14069, 17 December 1919, Page 4

THE JEWELLED GARTER.

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■ (Continued). PART IV.—WHO IS THE HAWK? Mercifully, the newspaper accounts of the destruction of the Pyramid had been -brief and inaccurate, and jinadequata. They -recited .baldly fcbat 'Bruce Oolquhoun, who was Avanted by the police for burglary, ■had beau killed by an explosion m a. motor boat, whither he had fled to escape arrest; and had gone down in the wreck of the boat. Either the explosion had been due to an acoident, or he had purposely blown up th e Pyramid -with the gasoline aboard to avoid a long term in prison. There had ' been no effort, kt raise the boat, and would be none; therefore Colquhoun's body had not been recovered. This "was the outward aspect of the afl'aa-. Helen knew how false it was, knew it deep in her~aching heart, 'but what was the truth I Bruce Colquhoun had feared some threatening 1 unknown thing, she knew—he had told heir so, but >n riddles, and she had taunted liim for his confidence. "I am under sentence of death," he had said >n explanation of his spectacular escape from the watchful police. "My executioners hvere at hajidl" And they had found him At last! But who were liis executioners? Why had his death bean, necessary'? Why had he been unable to explain? The inadequato newspaper de■spaicheisi teonkvined no 'reference to the curious mystery -which had enveloped thi« masterful, compelling^ arrogant young man~-there had not been even a hint to the world, that he was supposed to 'be The Ha.wk; and Helen was grateful for it. All at once she knew she never had believed that h e was Th© Hawk! She had faith in him, now that he was dead; he had bought back her faith with hi^ life! And morei than her faith—'her love! She didn't even deny it herself! Yon Derp had quietly" told j\lrs. Hamilton what had happened— -how Colquhoun, trapped in the cabin of : the Pyramid, must ha.ye - been instantly killed by the explosion which sent the boat to the bottom; and the mother had deemed it best to, tell the story k> Helevi. The girl had shed no .'tears in spite o? the sudden agony which - overwhelmed her;; there had been little to show her emotion beyond th© swiift blanching of her cheers She had doubted him! And he had tried to makb her understand! She did .understand now tfoa.t it "was too late, too l^t©! Botm. of the dum!b grfief "which itihrea.tieir.id to ©rush Ler came the thought that she must make some reparation to—to his memory. The i r3\g he had given her! "whosoever fia% that a'iaxgi shall . love me ifbireyeri? She :would find /i* and wear it again! That last day when ishe returuied it to !him, he had tossed it into a littel jungle of, •willjd :roses and elder bushes, and j tangled vines : and ' she searched . there foij hours. Success reward-! Ed .. hca" efforts ajt' Lust;, and. she I •a.ppea.rted before her mother wii% ha;nds torn and bleeding . "Why,', my dear! 5' Mrs. Hamilton had excia/imed. "Wttiatever is blie matter with your— — 1" "He would have lilced for me to weair his ring," Helen had sard, simply. "I shall wear it, as a token of my faith in him." That had been all; Mrs. Hamilton merely scared. And within the weed?:, at Helen's insistence, Stepping Stones had been closed, and the Hamiltons had returned.tg Nfeiw York. There, her father, harassed almost unto madness hy Ms . first losing fight an the great financial game, iheaiped reproach upon 'her. She bore it calmily. - "John Gaunt is ruining me," he stormed. "It was in your, power to stop him, and you have refused. He is. fond of that only son of his in spite-of ..all his bluster; and' if there had been a. marriage between you—if his son had become my soh;-in-law—tfeiniily considerations would have made him let up on me." "lie was silent a moment. "It may not he too late, now." . " "Yo u mea.n if I should marry Skeets?" Helen questfoned. • "Yes"—eagerly. "But he won't marry me." j "Why.uoM" .- "He doesn't love me.'' "Bah!" "And I don't love him." . "•Love!" The railroad magnate van sneeringl. "Are we a lot rf. cjhjildiren, to ibe pu-ating always '■'f JLove 'when my—my future— yo\ur future—your mother's future—may depend absolutely, upon you? What does it matter if he doesn't lop© K-ou 1 What does it m'rtttart iif he idoeten't love- .you, ,a.r>o' you don'tlove him? Love! Is that all thei'e is in the world?" "Love!" Helen 'tareaitihfid the won-d softly. . "Yes," she said, "that-'s all there is in the world!" — That endied the interview. Broikaw .'.lEamiilfcotn wen-t 'back' to his ! figiht, raging. He felt tlhat he had | beem .^betrayed}, and. by Mb own \ daughter! Now was no time -for her sentimental wihinu! There were millions at staOse! . It .may have 'been iutuiitdVe eon- ( - side-ration or ft may have beeni some i hidden motive which Lad prevented , I yon Derp froni ment.ioninig, ■ even J'_ | in^iredtlly, Bruioe Tolqulhoun to> ' Helen in those 'Ja.ys of her tense j grief. Tjie chancre in bea' was obvi- • ous, and "upon the return of the" | Hamiltons to ■ New' York h e .had I •{nraceiPuUv wlithdrawn ilnoan the h hoiv^holld amd quartered •hiimself at 1 a doivn-town hotel. Two or three $% times she had seen him; and va£jue- a ly sdi© AVas ga'atefuil. for his failure .'3? to hark baclii to the tragedy. 4 (To ba cptnthiuwl.) • a