The Avalanche

at looked with cold disgust upon the women of commerce. So far as he knew he had never exchanged a word with one of them, and had often listened with impatience to the re

in-law! The mot

terror expressed in every line of that mountainous figure-which may well have been perfect twenty years ago. The green pallor of her cheek! And he h

nty-one years ago, met and married Delano, and remained in San Francisco two or three months on their way to Japan. Delano had died on the

ted words. It had not occurred to him to question her. Their status in Rouen was established,

omething of the Delanos, but his wife had replied vaguely that she believed her mother had been too sad to talk about

hat he had dismissed the impression; attributing it to some lapse in his own attention. He had a bad habit of listening and thinking out a knotty business pr

the proper vibration from his admirable memory. He concentrated this memory upon a little bureau of

ats on the Seine at night. And Cousin Pierre had taken her up the river one Sunday to the church on the height which had been built for a statue of the Virgin that had been excavat

ried for what seemed a very long time to her childish mind. Could she have been sent to a convent from the house in Rouen when she was so little that her memories of that first sojourn were confused? And why? The family had apparently been fond of "la petite Americaine," and even if her

re while she went home to make peace with her family to get her bearings. Her brother had not approved of her marrying an Amer

s!" "

d in extremely familiar accents; by Bisbee, of course. Ye

liged to go to a northern county on business that involved buying up smaller concerns, and would keep him away for a fortnight or mo

een in California before except merely to be born here

and persisted in talking about the convent-I suppose I had forgotten it for a time in the new life, and something brought it back to me. But it is the most vivid memory of my childhood. Do you think I could have been one of thos

young and beautiful-been doing during those years, the years of a mother's most anxious devotion and pleasurable interest? He searched his memory for Club rem

hs with an innocent young daughter and an infamous name. Nor, apparently, had she carried it to Rouen after she had manife

o some other Jim who had "croaked" recently? Such wo

unpleasant solution until the inevitable moment. Whatever this hideous mystery he would solve it as quickly as possible and then put it out of h

he courage to come dire

ution of a woman of thir

e had even tried to shi

en caught unaware to

e other resorts in the South and on the Eastern Coast where a p

mind abruptly

bility of a certain firm of lawyers, Lawton, Cross and Co. She "thought of buying a ranch," and the fi

here this firm had its offices. He had upon one occasion met her in the lift and she had explained with unaccustomed volubility that she was still thinking of buying a ranch, possibly in Napa Coun

e telling her that if she wanted to sink her money in a ranch, that was as good a way to get rid of it as any, but ha

o come to California and settle his estate? Lawton and Cross would keep her secret, as California lawyers, with or

she never would have risked the return to San