“THE LOVE THAT TRIUMPHED.”

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 82, Issue 288, 6 December 1938, Page 3

“THE LOVE THAT TRIUMPHED.”

A THRILLING NEW SERIAL STORY

By

AMY McLAREN

No one was in sight. She passed down the path through the potato patch and gaining the shelter of the woods breathed a sigh of relief as the trees gradually blocked out the view of the Croft house. She was sorry now that she had ever gone near it. Kirsty was right; they were, an illfavoured lot. d’hat repulsive creature with the red-rimmed eyes and ; that dreadful old woman with the mumbling jaws and the greedy clawing hands. She had learnt very little for her trouble. How could the grandfather have known where the pearls were secreted. The -Croft people looked as though they came of a bad ■ stock. Their word would not count ‘ Cor much. She slackened her pace as she got further away from the house. The i afternoon sun had broken through a ' low bank of clouds on the horizon and was sending streaming shafts of yellow light across the damp undergrowth and turning the clumps of bracken into glowing masses of gold and bronze and vivid greens. She wandered a little from the pathway and began to gather ferns and branches of Autumn foliage. There dways seemed to be something I hat tempted her further and further from the beaten track. A trail of honeysuckle, its crimson berries glistening with wet caught her oye and she stretched up to break it off and add to it her bouquet. She was so absorbed in what she was doing that she heard no sound of approaching footsteps over the thick turf until a guttuval noise at her elbow caused her to look round, with a start. The idiot man from the Croft house was standing within a few feet of her. His close mouth was working, convulsively and his little red eyes were fixed upon her with a leering smile which made every drop of blood in her body run cold with dread.. He came a step nearer. “What do you want?" she stammered, determined to hold her ground and not, to give way to fear. The man advanced further but Mary did not retreat. Perhaps he had onlj come after her to beg. And searching In the pocket of her coat, she found some loose coppers and held them towards him. He took them from her with one hand, but quick as lightning the other shot out and laid hold of her arm. The animal face with its horrible Icar tng eyes was thrust up close to her. ■ She wrenched herself free and with all her strength she possessed, dashed) the big bunch of bracken in his face. ■lie staggered back at the unexpected shock, and she turned and ran for safety. The tangle of the undergrowth caught her at every step. She plunged forward through ferns and Tinging (rails of bramble; tripped over ■il, straining every nerve, to hear vliclher she was being followed or At last the path was regained. It .vas deep In mud and water, but she led down il, skidding over the slipi scry places and not daring to look ' ii'liind her 'until she was obliged to i lop —panting and breathless. ! A bend in the path prevented her j from seeing more than a few yards i yond where she was, and she listen1 -draining every nerce. to hear whether ! die was beinir followed or not. I Terror leapt into her eyes. He vas coming. The shambling sound I of his heavy feet drew nearer and the | next instant he came into sight, wav- | ’no his arms and gesticulating wildly, i Mary turned and continued her headI long flight, but she had not gone j many yards when her foot slipped on a loose stone, and she measured her I length in the mud. i She lay half stunned for a second, I but the sound of a horrible laugh close I behind roused her. She struggled to her feet and hurried on, blinded with terror and seeing nothing before her until she ran full tilt into the arms of someone coming up the path. ■She was shaking from head to foot. She did not. realise at first that she was being held to prevent her from falling, until she heard a familiar voice in her ears. Then she looked. The danger was past, but the strain had been too great. She broke down and sobbed hysterically. Gerald made no effort to stop her. He knew what had happened, but he said nothing, and gave her time to recover herself. Over the top of her head he watched the miserable wretch, who had been the cause of her fright, turn and slink away. Something in the look on Gerald's face served to hasten his 'departure. Mary was fighting hard to regain her i composure. She bit her lips to keep down the gasping sobs, and drew away from Gerald’s protecting arm. He left her free at once, and said in his 'usual matter-of-fact-way. “What a good tiring I happened to | come up here. I'm so sorry that i brute frightened you.” ) He stooped, and with a wisp of grass I tried to take some of the mud off her ! skirt. : “I wish you had come sooner,” said ) Mary tremulously. “I—l never was ’ so frightened in my life." | “I heard where you had gone to i from Kirsty,” answered Gerald, i “ They're a nasty lot up at that Croft, )so I thought I'd come and see you | safely home. Can you walk now? I You're so wet you ought to get back i and change.” ; "My foot is a little stiff,” she admitted. “I slipped on a stone and fell." “Have my stick,” he said putting it into her hand, “and if you could manage to get over the fence, a little lower down, I’ll take you home across the park. It's quicker.” They started, and Gerald tried to distract her thoughts from the subject j of the fright she had just received. ' He succeeded better than he expected, i “What will Kirsty say when she ’ sees what a mess I am in,” she said as i they came within sight of the Lodge. ■ Gerald laughed. I "Scold you for five minutes, and then call you ‘sweet Pet' and ‘dear Lamb.’ That’s what she used to d<

to me when I was a small boy and tore my clothes or tumbled into the burn. I always went to Kirsty to be patched up." And it was exactly what Kirsty did do. She was on the look out for the return of her charge, and Mary was peremptorily take possession of and hurried upstairs to her room to get rid of her muddy wet garments. Before long Kirsty reappeared and found Gerald waiting to see if he could be of any further use. "Is her foot bad?" he asked anxiously, as he saw Kirsty bringing out of a cupboard a mysterious looking little wooden tub and filling up the kettle. “No muckle vvraing wi’ her bonny fit," said Kirsty. “But hot water wuil no dae hairm. She’s had a fricht. Wha’ frichted her?” Gerald told her as much as he knew. He had purposely avoided questioning Mary but he did not make light of the matter to himself. "Well, I’m not wanted here," he said at length. "So I’m off. l*’m going up to the Croft to have it out with these people about this business.” Kirsty nearly let the boiling water she was pouring out of the kettle run on Io her 'fingers. "Lord presarve us," she exclaimed, dumping down her half-filled can on Hie liearlh. “Ye’re no gangin’ among they mad folk again the night.” "Yes, I am," said Gerald. "Something must be done at once to make them put that idiot son of their under restraint. 'He may not be responsible, but he’s dangerous. It’s not the first time he’s frightened people.” “ Weel, that’s true," said Kirsty. “H’s scandalous that they’re allowed io remain here,” continued Gerald hotly. “The father is the biggest poacher in the country side. If 1 had the right to do it, I should have had them out of Ibis neck and crop long ago! Good-night, Kirsty,” he concluded. “And take care of Miss Graeme. “Take care o’ ye'r'sel," retorted Kirsty. And as the door closed behind him she added, “I tell't them no tae gang tae thon Croft, and they mun baith gang. The ane aifter the t'ither." CHAPTER X. Gerald did not appear in time for dinner that evening. Colonel Torrens happened to be from home, and Lady Cynthia dined alone, concluding that Gerald had been detained somewhere; but finding that he did not return later, and that no one knew of his whereabouts, she sent for Donald Dalgleish. He had heard nothing of the young master's movements, but set about making Inquiries. One of the outdoor servants had seen him about dusk going up the glen patii and thought he had his dog, a fox terrier called Pepper, with him. This Information made the old factor uneasy. Tie was aware that for some time the keepers had been watching a gang of poachers whom they knew to have their headquarters at the Croft, and Gerald had been using all his influence to bring the ringleaders within reach of the law. After waiting for another halt hour, he procured lanterns and a couple of men from the stables and was starting on a search expedition when Thomas the footman appeared and announced his intention of coming with them. "I did some man ’untin’ when i was out In South Africa," he explained briefly; “You ain’t goin’ to look for Mr Gerald without fakin’ me along with ye.” Thomas was a man of many parts. He had volunteered for active service during the Boer War at the’ same time as his young master, and had served under liim for the greater part of the campaign. The discipline of having to be constantly on the alert when fighting against a wary enemy had trained both brain and eye, and Donald quickly realised the value of his services. While the other men plodded, stolidly on their way, Thomas was continually on the look out for any sign that might guide them in their search. The night was dark and a white mist had crept up from the river after sundown and made the atmosphere raw and heavy. He walked first and swung the lantern low down so as to throw its light directly on the path. “It's queer,” he said, coming to a halt. “But ’e’s been twice up this way to-day and never a step down it — ,’ar as I can see.” “How do you make that out?” askad one of the men. “Cos there the marks of his feet i goin’ up; plain as yer own silly ’ead,” 1 any’ow,” he said. “And I’ll eat my : know the look o’ the nails in ’is bools." The other man then volunteered the : information that he had seen his mas- ' ter crossing the path about half-past four with Miss Graeme, and that they ' were going in the direction of the Lodge. “That accounts for the absence of ' one set of footprints not coming back,” said Donald. “They would leave the path higher up. Why didn't you tell me that sooner?” he asked. The man looked sheepish and said he had forgotten. “Go back now—straight to the Lodge," said the factor sternly. “And find out from Mrs Peebles whether she knows where Mr Mason was going after he left Hie Lodge. And follow us to the Croft house as quickly ns you can. We’ll go there if we don’t find anything on the way.” Thomas again took the lead, and they made a fresh start. When they -arne to the place where Gerald and Mary had met, be stopped. "The feet marks is all mixed up ■etorted Thomas. “I know it’s 'im. : ain't valeted 'im for nolhing. I at if these ain’t a lady’s ’igh ’eels Congside o’ Mr Gerald’s.” “That bears out the man's story," said Donald. “He met Miss Graeme here and they turned off the path and took the short cut to the Lodge across the Park. Then he must have come up this way again later." .(To be continued), J