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V s 1 — J — — V The Barnwell People-Sentinel, Barnwell. S. C- Thursday, June 11, 1936 UNCONFESSED L SYNOPSIS L«Ma Seton, young and beautiful and »n expert on paintings, la commlsaloned to go over the collection of paintings In the home of the wealthy Kellera In New York, where a party Is In progress. From her window she witnesses a man In another room strike a woman. Short ly after Mrs. Keller sends up word, ask ing her to join the party at dinner. Leila hastily dresses and goes down. She Is seated between Mr. Deck, a critic, and Montv Mitchell, a noted lawyer* CHAPTER I—Continued ai —2— Mr. Mitchell relayed the explana tion. "He’s gone up to see how his wife's headache Is — she didn't come down.” "I know,” I said, thonjih I didn’t know at all. “That’s why I didn’t come down—I’d have made thirteen.’’ It Is Important that I remember the dinner In the ri>;ht Intervals; at least, It Is Important to. my story. I believe It was only a very few moments when Mr. Harrlden came hack. lie said, quite loudly: “I think she’s sleeplns —the room was dark so I didn’t dis turb her.” And I recall that Alan Deck looked down toward him Intent ‘j’ly. ns If observing him a moment. I wondered If Deck were interested In Norn IJarrlden, If she had been the lady he was expecting In the gallery, and If he was waiting now for news, to know If there was any chance for him that evening. After that I gath ered courage and addressed him; and he talked quite amusingly, with his suggestion of a drawl, of a new book; but all the time I had a feeling that he was only playing off the top of his mind, and the under part of It was deeply brooding on some Inner matter. Suddenly I said: "What does Mrs. Harrlden look like?" Then I had his attention. lie looked at me as If asking what I meant by that. "You’ve never seerr her?” he said slowly. “Not unless I saw her coming In. . . . There wa^ one lovely woman In gold pajamas I saw—with dark eyes.” “Yes, that was Nora,” he said. Then, for the second time, a man left the table; and this time It was Alan Deck. He looked at his wrist- watch, exclaimed sharply, and loudly, “Jove, I’vtTgot to put In -a call !’* and with another word to his hostess, took himself off. He was gone longer than Mr. Harrlden had been gone. Per haps It only seemed so to me—but others thought so too, afterwards. I know that when he was away, there was a queer constraint about that ta ble. The talk went on, but ns If It were forced; and I thought that peo pie were watching Mr. Harrlden fur tively—were they thinking, ns I was. that Alan Deck had gone up for the chance of a few words alone with Nora Harrlden? Of course I might be wrong; It might not he Mrs. Harrlden in whom he was Interested; but looking about that table, I did not see who else It could be. I got the chatty Mr. Mit chell to tell me who the others were. There were six of us women: Mrs. Keller and her sister, Mrs. Crane, too old, I thought, for Alan Deck; and there was Miss Van Alstyn, who might be the one, but who did not seem to click, somehow; and there was a red- haired little piece, Mrs. Watkins, who was on her second honeymoon, I learned—that seemed too soon for an other Interest. That made four, and I was five; and the Princess Itancinl was the sixth; and though the princess was lovely In a statuesque way, what Mitchell con fided of her exaggerated Jealousy of the prince did not Indicate much time left over for personal distractions with a young critic. Still, < ne never knew. ... If not Mrs. Harrlden, It was either the Princess Itancinl or Miss jVan Alstyn. 1 had a strong feeling that people about that table wer? only making Conversation till Alan Deck came back. I had begun to wonder If he were ever coming, when he entered, said something about the rotten serv ice and sat down. Almost immediately, as If aware that his conduct had given rise to un welcome speculation, he began to talk to me. "Did you see the pictures?” he want ed to know. “You forgot—I left them to you,” I reminded him. “Ah—so you did. . . . You didn't return?" "No. I’ll see them In the morning.” Then, suddenly, he said an astound ing thing: “I say—I want you to do something for me. Will you? After this Infer nal meal Is over, slip up and see Nora Harrlden—will you?" I demurred: “I don’t know Mrs.—” “Tell her you come from me,” he said decisively. “Tell her to take no Btepa. . . . Remember that. Take no ateps till I’ve seen her. Say I’ve thought It over. ... To take no ateps." “But she’ll think—” I began weakly. “I’ve got to reach her,” he said; and somehow his voice affected me deeply. It was so desperate, so ar gent “I can’t trust a servant. I can’t write. She doesn’t answer her room phone. ... I beg you—" "Of course I will,” I said quickly. My sympathy for him was an unreason ing thing. At the same time I felt a queer pang—It was Nora Harrlden In whom he was Interested! “Don’t let the others see you," he warned. *TI1 try not — but which Is her teomf ' the front It’s Mary Hastings Bradley Copyright by D. Appleton* Century Co., Inc. . WNU Service next to the last to the north. This dining-room Is south, you know.” My mind flashed back. The next to the last, to the north! AVhy, that was the lighted window I had stared ln^ It was Nora Harrlden. then, who was biding her marked face there now I CHAPTER II . L I could hardly wait for that meal to be over. Coffee was In the drawing room; I let myself be last In the door way, then turned and hurried up the broad central stairs, turning to the right branch. At the door that had been designated, I knocked softly. No one answered. There was no sound within the room. Then, feel ing an urgent need not to fall In that mission laid upon me, I pushed open the door. The room, Illumined by one shaded light, was empty. The bed was ready for the night, the rosy silk coverlets turned down, a gossamer wisp of lace and chiffon laid out. I looked about. There were doors In plenty boldnd which she might be I went to each and spoke. No sound behind them. I went back and tried another door — the closet, apparently—but that was locked. I supposed she kept sables and ermine there. It didn’t matter; "She Isn’t There," I Murmured. she certainly wasn't In a locked closet. Another door, half open, led to the dressing-room and bath, and these were untenanted too. Feeling like a thief In the night, 1 came out, and saw Miss Van Alstyn In the ball. We passed, I smiling confus edly, and she with a vague, shallow glance. I hurried downstairs. Instantly, as If he bad been watch ing, Alan Deck came up, my cup of coffee In his hands. "She isn’t there," I murmured. "Not there?” "No. I looked everywhere, bath and all. She simply isn’t there." He stood by me, staring oddly. Then he gave a sort of Jerk, and started for the stairs. “Thanks very much,” he said as he passed me. ... I watched him go up; and a queer, hard hostility to Nora Harrlden burned In me. He didn't know other women were living. Now he was looking for her, In some place be had Just thought of. I remember thinking this, while I made a little conversation with Mrs. Crane about the pictures; and then 1 found myself next to Mr. Harrlden. He was a big man. but not stout; he was hard - boned and spare - fleshed. He looked as If he might be merciless. Then, as the Princess Rnnelnl was moving past us, to the tables being formed for bridge, be caught her quickly by the elbow. “Paula—run up and see my wife, will you? I think she ought to see a doctor—she won’t for me. You talk her over." The princess turned on him her lovely face, In which no surprise was apparent. “She is 111, then?” “She’s cuckoo," said her husband bruskly. "Nerves—she ought to have something quieting." u “But—she was quite all right at tea.” “Was she?” said Harrlden grimly. He added, In his tone of accustomed command: “Run up and see how she is, anyway. See if she won’t see a doctor. ... I'd only stir her up." The princess smiled, and moved obediently to the staircase. Suddenly I felt sorry for her hus band. He had blurted out his own helplessness so honestly 1 I could sur mise, better than the princess, the rea son for that helplessness—that slap in the face he had given her. I Im agined Nora would not soon forgive that And I wondered what it was all about—Jealousy, of course; and Jeal ousy, I Imagined, of Alan Deck. Har- rlden had the reputation of being mad ly Id love with his wife, and Insanely Jealous of her beauty. Watching the stairs, I felt uneasy till I saw Deck return and go into the drawing-room. Miss Van Alstyn was already down. Then, for a moment I forgot the Harrlden affair In my bother over the bridge-playing. I was letting mystif be apportioned to a table, when the princess entered. Harrlden and Mrs. Keller were stand- Ing together; she went to them and said something. I heard Harriden's reply: "Why, that’s absurd. Where can she be?" Mrs. .Keller answered something; she sent a man to ask a maid, evi dently; for a maid came In for a mo ment, and denied having seen Mrs. Harrlden about the house. Of course. Mrs. Harrlden could have come out, withoflt her knowledge. “You ask the others." Mrs. Keller said, and there was a curious moment of indeclston. The wave toward the card-tables was stayed In mid-air. People debated with each other. "If she had a headache, she might go out." "Her maid might know If she’s put on a dress or wrap for outside," said Mrs. Crane practically. "She didn't bring her maid—I told her she was a fool,” said Harrlden. About the house was a general bus tle of running feet and voices; evi dently th’e staff was hurrying from floor to floor. Alan Deck drew near me. “It’s odd—I didn’t find her, eith- ei 1 ," he said simply. Presently, as If by mutual consent, we all drifted up the stairs to Mrs. Harriden’s vacant room, as If we could get a clue from eying Its bright emptiness. “It’s queer," Harrldeif kept saying, staring about under frowning brows. He went on: “She was lying on the bed when I went down—said she had a headache. She had certainly had a crlse des nerfs. . . . When I came up, during dinner, I opened the door, not the hall door, but the one be tween our rooms, very gently, and her room was dark and still; so I thought she was asleep, and I had better not disturb her. She’d complained so of pain In her head, that I began to worry, and just now I asked Paula to run up.” Mrs. Watkins suddenly raised her rather shrill young voice. “You- didn’t see her, by any chance, when you were up, Alan?" "No—not a glimpse," he said. “I went to my room for my phone-call." Suddenly Keller took charge of the rather scattering conjectures. He was a short, stout, energetic man, with a ruddy face, and keen blue eyes. “See here," he said, "this is our house, and Nora seems to have vanished from It. . . Either she’s out about the grounds, walking off her headache or whatever row you had"—there was a sudden titter of Intimate laughter— “or she has cut and nut-to town. . . . Now let’s find out. She couldn’t get out of the grounds without going out the gate, and that’s locked and she’d hare to apply to the lodge-keeper. We’ll phone him." I remembered the high walls, and the forbidding iron gates, that opened for me that afternoon. But the lodge-keeper, being phoned to, stated that no one had applied, either /or admission or departure. “That settles that—she hasn’t gone to town." * "But there are boats," I went on. Harrlden gave a bark of laughter. “See Nora running a launch 1 Or pad dling a skiff!" “The boatman lives over the boat house there," said Keller. “We’ll phone him.” But the boatman said he hadn’t seen any one. And he reported all the boats present. “Have yon any theory, Dan?" Mrs. Keller demanded. He appeared to hesitate. He gave a quick look at all our curious faces clustered about, and 1 suddenly felt sorry for him. It was indecent, this public exposure of the man’a secret wretchedness. “We’d had a row," lie said slowly, as If the words were dragged from him. “She—she was hysterical. She —she threatened a good many things If I—well, never mind. . . . Anyway, after I’d found her sleeping, I began to be afraid of an overdose of some sleeping-stuff — Just dramatics, you know; but anyway—I asked Paula to go up. 1 was uneasy, somehow." Slowly, he added: “She’s been Itke this before. But this was a bit worse.” “Well, there’s no good talking here,” Kellef told us. “Nora Is probably out walking off a headache down one of the paths. We’d better start out and find her—since there’ll be no peace till she’s found. I’ll get the men start ed.” He went to the room phone. Mrs. Keller said slowly: “If we knew what she had on— Had she un dressed, Dan?" He hesitated. “No, I don’t think so." “Aren’t you sure? When you came down to dinner, was she in negligee?” “I don’t think she had changed." “She was in those gold pajamas? Well, she can’t have gone walking In them, can she?" Mrs. Keller moved toward the dressing-room. "Call An son, and see If she picked them up," she directed her husband. Anson, the pretty maid who had been summoned downstairs, appeared promptly—and reported that the room bad been dark and empty when she came In to open-the bedi She said that It looked as If some one had been ly ing on the bed without taking the cov ers off. But Mrs. Harrlden was not anywhere about, and there were no gold pajamas. “She’s quite capable of walking out In them under a coat," said lira. Crane dryly. "Perhaps they are In the closet," Mrs. Watkins suggested, and lira Kel ler moved to the closet deor. That's add," said Mrs. Keller, shak ing the knob. “Nora usually locks her Jewelry up," said Harrlden, “—when her maid Isn’t here to do It for her. I doubt If the pajamas are there. She wouldn’t hang them up. They’d be In the dressing- rocm." “Well, we can have It opened, and see. Call the housekeeper, Anson.” "Why bother?” said Harrlden gruff ly. “We’re wasting time. We ougnt to be out In the grounds.” “At least If she’s still In* the paja-^ mas, she Isn’t on her way to town," said Mrs. Keller; and as the house keeper appeared with Tier pass-key, she took It from ner and turned ths lock.— — Harrlden, for all his disbelief of the pajafhas being put up there, was quick to step inside, as the lights sprang on, as If he wanted no hand hot his, I thought a little sentimentally, to han dle Ills wife's things. "They certainly aren’t here," he said, his voice muffled by the closet. “Noth ing byt coats and dresses.” He add ed: “Her gold slippers aren’t here, either." “She way be hiding somewhere, td he dramatic," Harrlden said gruffly. I thought how the words must hurt him. "We’d better go through, the house more thoroughly, and then the grounds." So people were detailed to go over the house, with guards on the stairs so that each floor, as It was searched, might be kept from reentry. I thought then that I had really the solution — that the Harrldens had quarreled over Alan, and that she was 1 hiding out. In some neurotic extrava gance, to spite her husband for his blow. He certainly admitted that they had had a row, and that she was wrought up and wanted to pay him off. No one was discovered in the house. “She’s either gone away—or been ab ducted,” Mrs. Keller summed up in her decisive way. “There are plenty of bandits who might abduct Nora—and hold her for ransom; but the house certainly hasn’t been entered. I my self saw that the window was -shut and locked when we went into the room.” “Anson might have shut and locked It afterward,” Mr. Watkins suggested. '"Was the wlfldow open, Dan, when you went down?” Mrs. Keller wanted to know. “I doti’t remember—think not." Then Mr. Keller put the question I had been dreading: “And no one was In the room after that?" There was a moment’s wait I kept a guilty silence. How could I ex ; plain my Intrusion there, without be traying the odd trust that Alan Deck had put In me? The Princess Ranclnl spoke up. “1 was, you know. I went up when Dan asked me." “And Anson was, of course. She has told ua how she found the room. You didn’t notice anything unusual, did you, Anson?" Mrs. Keller broke off to demand of the maid who was hovering on the edge of the group. The girl hesitated. “Why, no ma’am. It was Just empty; that was all." “And you didn’t see any one abontT Earlier In the evening?" I thought It was with a sort of re luctance that she glanced about at Deck. "I did see Mr. Deck once, go ing down the hall—he might have been standing outside her door." Everybody turned to look at him then. His room, as I learned later, was In the left wing on the second floor, so there was no occasion for him to be passing Nora Harriden’s door. He said, very casually: “Oh — 1 went past on my way to the gallery. I’d left a handkerchief there before dinner, and thought I’d get It while I thought of It.” “And T saw Miss Van Alstyn," said the maid. “That was after dinner." "Yes. I went up to my room," said Miss Van Alstyn. She glanced direct ly at me, and I felt a horrid premoni tion. My heart began to hammer. “Weren’t you Just coming out, when 1 went by?” In miserable Indecision I hesitat ed, the blo#d rushing to my cheeks like flags of guilt. I knew they were wondering how I, of all people among them, I who knew Mrs. Harrlden only by name, could possibly have gone te her room when she was reported sleep ing off a headache. I had to speak—to say something. I felt I could not violate my trust, and yet that was a ridiculous scruple la the position I was in. What was Alan Deck to me? I said slowly. “Yes, I went up. fiefore the princess did. I wanted to see how she was." I had a desperate hope that the In quiry might end there, that they might assume I had been sent on the same er rand as the princess. But Harrlden had c«ught my words and cried out roughly: T didn’t ask you to! What the devil did you mean entering her room?" T don’t answer a question Hko that," I flashed back. "Oh, yes, you will,” he told me; and stung by the Insulting overlordship of hla tone, I flung at him: "Very well —I will! I went because, from my window, before dinner, I had seen you strike her In the face. I knew aha was hiding the mark, staying la her room; and since I was the only ona who knew It, I thought I could go to her, and she might trust me to get her something to put ou It to cover It." I had no Idea what I waa going to say before it was said. For one mo- ment, when I saw bis eyes, tbe sheer savage polo In them, I was sorry; the next moment they biased red. "That’* a lie," be said. "I never •truck her. What d’yoo mean, aajiiM tbatr (TO BE CONTINUED^ ~ IMPROVED UNIFORM INTERNATIONAL 'chool Lesson By REV. P. B FITZWATER. D. D.. Member of Faculty, Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. O Western Newspaper Union. Lesson for June 14 JESUS CRUCIFIED LESSON TEXT—Luke 23:33-46. GOLDEN TEXT—But God commend- eth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet einners, Christ died for us.—Romans 5:8. PRIMARY TOPIC—When Jesus Died for Us. JUNIOR TOPIC—The Savior—Christ the Lord. INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOPIC—Jesus Died for Me. YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC—The Meaning of the G$uss. It Is highly important that every teacher have the personal experience of Christ's death for himself and then get his pupils to see that Christ’s death was instead of their own death. We escape judgment because judgment fell upon Christ, He was made to be sin for us that we might lie made the righteousness of God In him (II Cor. 5:21). No one lacking this experiencf can truly teach this lesson. I. The Place of Crucifixion (v. 33). They led him away to Calvary, a hill north of Jerusalem resembling a skull. Calvary Is the Latin word, and Gol gotha Is the Hebrew. This is a most significant name for the place where man’s redemption was accomplished. The skull Is an apt symbol of man's condition as a result of sin. Life and intelligence are gone, leaving only the dark empty cavern which once con tained them. II. His Companions on the Crosi (v. 33). Two malefactors were crucified with him. This Is In fulfillment of the Scriptures: “He was numbered with the transgressors" (Isa. 53:12). I’er- 'sonally, he was sinless, but he became sin for us. III. His Forgiving Love (v. 3-1). He cried, “Father forgive them." He doubtless had in mind not only the sol diers who acted for the government, but the Jews who in their blindness were ignorant of the enormity of their crime. He was absolutely destitute of hatred, even for his betrayer and murderers, IV. The Revelation of the World (vv. 3443). Take a cross section of the world at any time since Christ was cruci- tied, and representatives of the vari ous classes therein were found around Jesus on the cross. The cross is the Judgment of this world (John 12:31). 1. The covetous (v. 34). They gam bled for his seamless robe where he was dying. This represents those whose primary interest In Christ is a means to get gain. If they had hud eyes to see they could have beheld a robe of righteousness being provided In his death. 2. The indifferent (v.. 35). “The people stood beholding." They gazed upon him with indifference. The great mass of the world today gazes upon the crucified Christ with stolid indif ference. 3. The scoffers (vv. 35-39). a. The rulers reviled him for his claim to be the Savior. They wanted a Savior hut not a crucified one. Many today are religious but have only con tempt for a salvation which centers in an atonement made by blood. They uttered a great truth when they said: ‘•He saved others.” But he could not save himself and others because God’s plan was to save others by giving himself. b. The soldiers reviled him for claiming to be a king. The title “King of the Jews" had been placed over him in Irony. But It was preeminently true, for by right of the D&vidlc cov enant, he shall one day he king over Israel (II Sam. 7:8-10). Through his death, he came Into the place of Lord- ship over all who acknowledge him. c. The impenitent malefactor (v. 39). This brutal man joined in re viling the Savior, even though he him self was under condemnation. 4. The penitent malefactor (vv. 4 KM3). The conscious sinner who discerned the heart of the Savior prayed for mercy. The salvation of this penitent man is a remarkable picture of the saving power of Christ. The man con fessed his sin as against God and cried to Jesus for salvation. He saw that the dying man was the forgiving God. His salvation was immediate. Christ spid: “Today shall thou be with me In paradise.” V. The Death of Christ (vv. 44-46). So shocking was this crime that na ture herself threw around the Son of God a shroud to hide him from the godless crowd. Darkness was upon the land at noonday. When the price cf sin was paid he cried with a lout* voice, showing that he still had vitality, that his death was not through ex haustion but by his sovereign wilt. He died like no other one In all his tory. He gave up the ghost, that is, dismissed his spirit. Th* Soul I am fully convinced that the soul Is indestructible, and that Its activity will continue through eternity. It Is like the sun, which, to our eyes, seems to set in night; but It has In reality only gone to diffuse its light elsewhere. —Goethe. ActWo ia Good Works Beautiful la the activity that works for good, and the stillness that waits for good; blessed the self sacrifice of the one, and tbe self-forgetfulness of the other. Uncle PkilQ StujA: Aspire to Humility Aspiring to nothing but humility, the wise man will make it the height of his ambition to be unambitious. As he cannot effect all that he wishes, he will only wish for that which lie can effect. Best after dinner speech at home is praise of the dinner. Every night count your blessings. Every morning count . yesterday’s mistakes and be careful. Happiness Is Inexpensive Savages really have the most un alloyed happiness. Unlike the pivl- lized, they don’t care how cheap their strings of beads are. He must be a pretty good sort of man who has accomplished half the things he intended to do. Pretense Most Painful Poverty is not so painful as pre tense. When we have what Is want ed to make us comfortable, all the rest is vanity, excess and envy. ^ Children have such good health, no wonder it is hard to control them. Be glad that they are vigorous, any way. Most of us are addicted to the habit of passing the buck. The man who misses his aim in life Is apt to demand a larger target. Take Your Chance Make the most of yourself. Don’t wait for some other fellow to make the most of you. One’s brother will not be senti mental to one as his brother, but he will usually come around with his pocketbook when you need It. All the success achieved in crea tive work is earned and hardly earned. When your motto is, “Do It now," what delight there Is In occasionally not doing it. ~^No one Is Infallible. Even the weather man may get caught out In the rain without an umbrella. STOP PAIN QUICK WITH CAPUDINE Headache, neuralgic, and periodio pains and other nerve pains yield almost instantly to Capudine. This Is because Capudine Is liquid, and its ingredients are already dissolved— all ready to act. Capudine relieves pain by soothing the tense muscles and nerves. That • is why It is so gentle and effective. It Is approved by physicians and druggists. Capudine contains no opiates. 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