The Red Cross Girl

and the Keep National Bank. But Fred, his son, and the heir apparent, did not inherit the business ability of his father; or, if he did, he took pains to conceal that

ssible, and they left it to lay siege to New York. They were too crafty to at once attack New York itself. A widow lady they met while on their honeymoon at Palm Beach had told them not to attempt that. And she was the Palm Beach correspondent of a society paper they naturally accepted her advice. She warned them tha

so unknown that it set them back two years. It was a terrible story, and it filled the Keeps with misgivings. They agreed with the lady correspondent that it was far better to advance leisurely; fir

people have country homes, and at the country club you may get to

Sleepy Hollow Country Club. But the attack did not succeed. Something went wrong. They began to fear that the lady correspondent had given them the wrong dope. For, although three months had passed, and they had played golf together until they we

had placed signs reading, "No horses allowed. Take the other road." The other road was an earth road used by tradespeople from Ossining; the road reserved for the Van Wardens, and automobiles, was of bluestone. It helped greatly to give the Van W

no sense cold or unsociable. So far as the Keeps read of him, he was always being arrested for overspeeding, or breaking his collar-bone out hunting, or losing his front teeth at p

sighed Winnie Keep to her husband, "you would meet Harry Van Warden, an

turned her husband, "the only th

taste and inflated fortune; and with it they had taken over his well-disciplined butler, his pictures, furniture, family silver, and linen. It stood upon an eminence, was heavily wooded, and s

eral nights the fish had tempted these born poachers to trespass; and more than once, on hot summer evenings

r the house. And think of those twelve hundred convicts, not one mile away, in Sing Sing. Most of

hood breaking into our house yet," said Fr

allen on the hedges, the clumps of evergreens, the rows of close-clipped box. A full moon was just showing itself above the tree-tops, turning the

perfectly good honeymoon, hasn't it? If you just look at it that way, it works ou

"They certainly have lef

an this, just as it is at this minute, so still and sweet and silent? There's nothing the matter with that moon, is there? Noth

continued in a bellow of rage. Then, as suddenly as it had cried aloud, it sank to silence; only after a pause of an instant, as though giving a signal, to shriek again in two sharp

eaven!" gasped Ke

were announcing dinner. "A convict, sir," he said, "has escaped from Sing Sing. I thought you

sked Win

ny trees and bushes. Last summer two of them hid here, and the keepers-the

ress for dinner

u going to do?"

ake me long to change." He turned to the butler. "A

he library Mrs. Keep lingered irresolutely. "Fred," she begged, "you-you're not g

NOT!" he said. "And you're not frightened, e

n shrieked relentlessly; it seemed to be at their very door, to beat and b

she whispered. "Why don'

at large, and the voice of the prison he had tricked still bellowed in rage, in amazement, still clamored not only for his person but perhaps for his life. The whole countryside heard it: the farmers bedding down their cattle for the night; the guests of the Briar Cliff Inn, dining under red candle shades; the joy riders from the city, racing their cars along the Al

's kneeling by the stone wall. THAT'S he running in the moonlight. THAT'S he

ch, trembling with a fearful joy, each, his thumbs up, urging on with all the strength of his will the hunted, rat-like figure that stumbled panting through the crisp October night,

he terrace, he heard no singing. He had been on the terrace for a quarter of an hour. Gridley, the aged butler who was rented with the house, and who for twenty years had been an inmate of it, had brought the cocktail and taken away the empty glass. And Keep had b

on," as a somewhat sensitive neighborhood prefers to speak of it, he was told that the chance of a prisoner's escaping from Sing Sing and not being at once ret

s tell-tale clothing. But that would leave him naked, and in Westchester County a naked man would be quite as conspicuous as one in the purple-gray cloth of the prison. How could he obtain clothes? He might hold

s he had drawn a canvas awning. Fred recognized it as having been torn from one of the row-boats in the lake. But, except for that, the man was naked to his heels. He was a young man of Fred's own age. His hair was cut close, his face smooth-shaven, and above hi

east surprised. It was as though he had been waitin

alarm, and that the man, not knowing his friendly intentions, and in a state to commit murder, might rush him.

ffort to stop the chattering of his teet

urted forth, "and-and they stole my

own plans to rid himself of accusing garments and explain his nakedness. He regarded the stranger with admirat

cold night to tak

nt, the naked man burst int

th," he gasped.

admiration was increasing. "

that room. They bet me I didn't dare strip and swim across your pond with you sitting so near. I can see now it was framed up on me from the start. Fo

ar!" he assented. "So you've been

me in greater volume. Between his clinched teeth the naked one cursed fiercely, and then, as though to avoid further questions, burst into a fi

e stuttered. "Just for to-night? I'll send them back. It'

and distressed by his look, the y

knows me, and I guess you've read about me in the papers, too. I'm-that is, my name-" like one about to take a plunge he drew a short

but his smile was kindly even regretful, as though he were

"Sorry," he said, "but this isn't safe for either of us. Follow me, and I'll dress you up and send you where yo

one with a gestur

ll were free of servants, Fred tiptoed to the coat-room and, opening the door, switched: on the el

, greatcoats hanging from hooks, and

run for it. I'm going to leave you here while I get you some clothes. If any of the servants b

the stranger. "Y

naked one was rubbing himself violentl

he snatched them from the bed. From a roll of money in his bureau drawer he counted out a hundred dollars. Tactfully he slipped the mone

"And," he added in a vehement whisper, "don'

anger g

within two minutes. When the butler had departed, Fred, by an inch, again opened the coat-room door. The stra

ar'll be here in a minute. Wher

ing. "New York," he whispered, "fast as he can get there! Look here

yours," s

" he whispered. "I won't forget this, or you either.

y!" sai

guard paced before it. After a period which seemed to stretch over many minutes there came from the inside a ca

button-hook, could you?"

uffeur. James, the chauffeur, was a Keepsburg boy, and when Keep had gone

to go. Don't talk to him. Don't ask any questions. So, if YOU'RE

, still unsatisfied, still demanding its prey, shattered the silence. As though it had hit him a physic

aid Keep, "to a

combination of herself and the gown that her husband's excitement and anxiety fell from him, and he was lost in admiration. But he was not for long lost. To his horror; the door of the

reat presence of mind, Fr

ix it?" he

re fastened upon the beautiful and radiant vision presented by Winnie Keep.

ed Fred. "The c

ood still, gazing, gaping, devouring Winnie with his eyes. In her turn, Winnie beheld a strange youth who looked like a groom out of liver

been intended for a bow. Before Keep could interrupt him,

Warden. I'm Har

as though he had announced that he was the Czar of Russia. I

fairly radiated excitement and delight. How her husband had succeeded in capturing the social prize of Scar

anger. "Won't Mr. Van Warden

ied. "He's not that kind of a Van Warden. He's a

sitor stumbled after him, casting backward amazed glances at the beautiful lady. Fred thrust him into the seat beside the chauffeu

ur face! Don't speak! T

ll fours threw itself upon the gravel; something in a suit of purple-gray; something torn and bleeding, smeared with sweat and dirt; something that cringed and crawled, that tried to rise and sank back upon its knees, lifting to the glare of the head-lights the

. "I can't go no fart

ur young people, the prison siren shriek

of purple-gray. The goggles he clapped upon the old man's frightened eyes, the golf-cap he pulled down over the white hair. With one arm he lifted t

cut line. As soon as you're across, buy him clothes and a ticket to

sence of the owner of the car, he swun

ung his arm at the chauffeur as

-out-of-here

w in the clutch. With a grinding of gravel the racing-car leaped into the night, its ruby rear lamp winki

unger convict proposed to leap to the running-bo

the flying car. In dismay he s

nded. "How are you

ingly to where upon the up

e said. "I was hoping, maybe,

f Fred Keep. He moved so that the light from th

me," Fred demanded, "w

've BEEN telling you all evening," h

nt butler, appeare

served, mad

ey!" he cried. "Will you please tell Mr. Keep who I am? Tel

to behold. The butler beamed upon the stranger fondly, proudly, by the right of long

to stay to dinner, might I suggest, sir, h

the stranger and then at his wife. She was a

ively. "Shall I open a

d tossed his a

case!" h

n they would be calling each other by their first names, Gridley brought in a written message he had ta

ead it

on a train to Boston. On the way back I got arrested for speeding th