OUT OF THE NIGHT
All afternoon the search continued. At intervals and at widely
separated points dull explosions took place on the bed of the river,
creating smooth, round hillocks that lasted for the fraction of a
second and then dissolved into swift-spreading wavelets, stained
a dirty yellow by the upheaval of sand and mud, and went racing in
ruffles to the banks which they tenderly licked before they died.
White-bellied fish, killed by the shock of the explosions, came
to the surface and floated away,--scores of them, large and small.
Spider-like grappling hooks, with their curving iron prongs, raked
the bottom from side to side, moving constantly downstream, feeling
here, there and everywhere with insensate fingers for the body of
Rosabel Vick.
A pall settled over the river; it reached far beyond the environs
of Windomville, for Amos Vick was a man known and respected by
every farmer in the district.
Night came. Courtney Thane, considerably shaken by the tragedy,
set out immediately after dinner for the home of Alix Crown. He
had been silent and depressed at dinner, taking his little part in
the conversation, which dealt exclusively with the incomprehensible
act of young Rosabel Vick.
"What possible reason could that pretty happy young girl have had
for killing herself?" That was the question every one asked and
no one answered. Mrs. Maude Baggs Pollock repeatedly asked it at
dinner, and once Thane had replied:
"I still don't believe she killed herself. It is beyond belief.
If she is out there in the river, as they suspect, it is because
there was foul play. Some fiend attacked her. I will never believe
anything else, Mrs. Pollock. I knew her too well. She would never
dream of killing herself. She loved life too well. I can't help
feeling that she is alive and well somewhere, that they will hear
from her in a day or two, and that--"
"But how about the things they found in that boat?" demanded Doc
Simpson. "She wouldn't be so heartless as to play a trick like that
on her folks."
Courtney's answer was a gloomy shake of the head.
His heart was pounding heavily as he trudged up the walk to
Alix's door. He knew that the crisis in his affairs was at hand.
She had asked him to come. He had not given up hope. He was still
confident of his power to win in spite of her amazing perversity.
Inconsistency, he called it. Of one thing he was resolved: he would
brook no delay. She would have to marry him at once. He wanted to
get away from Windomville as soon as possible. He loathed the place.
Hilda came to the door.
"Miss Crown is over at Mr. Vick's," she announced. "She's not at
home."
He stiffened. "I had an appointment with her for this evening,
Hilda. She must be at home."
"She ain't," said the maid succinctly.
"Did she leave any word for me?"
"Not with me, sir. She telephoned to Mrs. Strong this evening to
say she was going to stay with Mrs. Vick."
"All night?"
"No, sir. The car's going down to meet her at the ferry about ten
o'clock."
He departed in a very unpleasant frame of mind. This was laying it
on a bit thick, he complained. If she thought she could treat him
in this cavalier fashion she'd soon find out where she "got off."
What business had she, anyhow, over at the Vicks? All the old women
in the neighbourhood would be there to--An idea struck him suddenly.
"I'll do it," he muttered. "I'll have to go over some time, so why
not now? It's the decent thing to do. I'll go tonight."
He hurried up to his room. Opening his trunk, he took out his
revolver, replaced the discharged shells and stuck it into his
overcoat pocket. Picking up the little package of bank-notes, he
fingered them for a moment and then, moved by an impulse for which
he had no explanation, he not only counted them but quickly stuffed
them into his trousers' pocket. Afterwards he was convinced that
premonition was responsible for this incomprehensible act.
He crossed the ferry with several other people. The moon had broken
through the clouds. Its light upon the cold, sluggish water produced
the effect of polished steel. It reminded him of the grey surface
of an ancient suit of armour. The crossing was slow. He could not
repress a shudder when he looked downstream and saw lights that
seemed to be fixed in the centre of the river. He closed his eyes.
He could not bear to look at the cold, silent water. The soft
splashing against the broad, square bow of the old-fashioned ferry
served to increase his nervousness. The horrid fancy struck him
that Rosabel Vick was out there ahead clawing at the slimy timbers
in the vain effort to draw herself out of the water....He wished
to God he had not come.
He was the first person off the ferry when it came to a stop on
the farther side of the river. Ahead of him lay the road through
the narrow belt of trees that lined the bank. He knew that a scant
hundred yards lay between the river and the open road beyond and
yet a vast dread possessed him. He shrank from that black opening
in the wall of trees where dead leaves rustled and the wind whispered
secrets to the barren branches.
He fell in behind a couple of men who strode fearlessly into the
dark avenue. After him came two men and a woman. They were all
strangers to him, so far as he could make out, but he felt a sense
of security in their nearness. He gathered that they were bound for
Amos Vick's. Presently they came to the open road beyond the trees.
The half moon rode high and clear; the figures of his companions took
shape, dusky and ghost-like; the fences alongside the road became
visible, while straw-ricks, lone trees and other shadowy objects
emerged from the maw of the night. Here and there in the distance
points of light indicated the presence of invisible farmhouses,
while straight ahead, a mile or more away, a cluster of lights
marked the house of Amos Vick.
As he drew nearer, Thane was able to count the lights. He looked
intently for the sixth window, an upstairs corner room was where
it would be,--but there were lights in only five. The corner window
was dark. He knew that window well....He wished he had a stiff
drink of whiskey.
Half a dozen automobiles stood at the roadside in front of the
house. He stopped beside one of them to look at his wrist-watch.
It was half-past eight. Alix would be starting home in less than
an hour. No doubt it had been arranged that one of these cars was
to take her down to the ferry. He had seen her saddle horse late
that afternoon standing in front of the blacksmith's shop, evidently
waiting to be re-shod.
If he had his way,--and he was determined to have it,--Alix would
walk with him to the ferry.
As he turned in at the gate he observed that the woman and her
two companions, after pausing for a moment to look at the house,
continued their way up the road. The men who had preceded him all
the way were already on the front porch. He followed the disappearing
trio with his eyes. The woman, he noticed for the first time, was
very tall,--quite as tall as the men. She wore a shawl over her
head, and some sort of a long cloak.
Setting his jaw he strode up the walk, looking neither to right nor
left, mounted the steps where many a night he had sat with Rosabel
beside him, and after passing a group of low-voiced neighbours,
knocked on the closed door. He was admitted by an elderly woman
who looked askance at this well-dressed stranger.
"I am Mr. Thane, a friend," he said. "Will you tell Mrs. Vick,
please?"
"She's upstairs, and I--I--"
"I think she is expecting me. But,--wait. I thought I might be able
to comfort her, but I can see by your expression that she isn't
feeling up to seeing people. I came over primarily to see if there
is anything I can do, Madam. You see, Rosabel and I were great
pals." His voice broke a little, and he bit his nether lip.
"We've finally got her to lie down," said the woman. "She's--she's
nearly crazy with the suspense and--everything. If you'll wait a
little bit, I'll find out if she feels like seeing you. Alix Crown
is with her. She coaxed her to stretch out on the bed. Miss Crown
understands these things. She did some hospital work during the
war--"
"Yes, I know Miss Crown," he interrupted.
"--and saw a lot of suffering, 'specially among mothers who came
to see their crippled and sick sons in the hospitals."
"Perhaps if you were to tell Miss Crown that I am here she could--but
no, I sha'n't even bother Miss Crown. She's got her hands full. I
will sit down and wait awhile, however. If by any chance, you should
be able to get word to Mrs. Vick that I am here, I think she might
feel like seeing me."
"I'll see," said the woman dubiously, and went away.
Courtney sat down on a sofa in the parlour. He looked around the
lamp-lit room....Over in the corner was the upright piano on which
Rosabel used to play for him. He could see her now--the shapely,
girlish back; the round, white neck and the firm young shoulders;
the tilt of her head; the strong, brown hands,--he could see her now.
And she used to turn her head and smile at him, and make dreadful
grimaces when this diversion resulted in a discord....He got up
suddenly and walked out into the dining-room.
Beyond, in the kitchen, he heard the rumble of men's voices. He
hesitated for a moment, and then opened the door. There were half
a dozen men in the kitchen, and one of them was Amos Vick. They
were preparing to go out into the night. Vick's face was haggard,
his garments were muddy, his long rubber boots were covered with
sludge and sand. Catching sight of Thane in the doorway, the farmer
went toward him, his hand outstretched.
"I'm glad you came, Courtney," he said, his voice hoarse but steady.
"Lucinda will be pleased. Does she know you're here?"
"I sent word up, but if she doesn't feel like--"
"She'll want to see you. We're starting out again. Down the river."
(His voice shook a little.) "My soul,--boy,--you look as white as
a sheet. Here,--take a good swig of this. It's some rye that Steve
White brought over. We all needed it. Help yourself. You've been
overdoing a little today, Courtney. You're not fit for this sort
of--That's right! That will brace you up. You needed it, my boy."
Courtney drained half a tumbler of whiskey neat. He choked a little.
"I guess we'd better be starting, Amos," said Steve White.
"Take me along with you, Mr. Vick," cried Courtney, squaring his
shoulders. "I can't stand being idle while--"
"You'd catch your death of cold," interrupted Vick, laying his
hand on the young man's shoulder. "It's mighty fine of you and I--I
sha'n't forget it. But you're not fit for an all night job like
this. I feel sort of responsible for you, my boy. Your mother would
never forgive me if anything happened to you, and this is a time
when we've got to think about the mothers. Good night,--God bless
you, Courtney."
"Good night, Amos."
The men trooped heavily out of the kitchen door.
Presently he heard the chugging of automobile engines and then the
roar as they sped off down the road. He returned to the parlour.
The whiskey had given him fresh confidence.
The elderly woman was talking to a couple of men in the hall. From
the scraps of conversation he was able to pick up, he gathered that
they were reporters from the city. She invited him into the room.
"We would prefer a very recent picture," one of the men was saying.
"Something taken within the last few weeks, if possible. A snap-shot
will do, Madam."
The speaker was a middle-aged man with horn-rimmed spectacles.
His companion was much the younger of the two. The latter bowed
to Thane, who had taken a position before the fireplace and was
regarding the strangers with interest.
"I'll have to speak to Mrs. Vick," murmured the woman. "I don't
know as she would want Rosabel's picture printed in the papers."
"It would be of incalculable assistance, Madam, in case she has
run away from home. We have an idea that she may have planted those
garments in the boat in order to throw people off the track."
"Oh, she--she wouldn't have done that," cried the woman. "She
couldn't be so heartless."
"You overlook the possibility that her mind may be affected. Dementia
frequently takes the form of--er--you might say unnatural cunning."
"I'll speak to Mrs. Vick. There's a scrap-book of Kodak pictures
there on the table. I was looking through it today. She and her
brother, Cale, made heaps of pictures. You might be looking through
it while I go upstairs."
Thane was lighting a cigarette.
"Have you told Miss Crown that I am here?" asked he, as she started
toward the stairs.
"She says she'll be down in a few minutes. Mrs. Vick wants to see
you before you go."
The two reporters were examining the contents of the scrap-book.
The younger of the two was standing at the end of the little
marble-topped table, his body screening the book from Courtney's
view.
There were a number of loose prints lying between the leaves toward
the end of the book. Rosabel had neglected to paste them in. The
man with the horn-rimmed spectacles ran through them hastily. He
stealthily slipped two of these prints up his sleeve.
Thane would have been startled could he have seen those prints. They
were not pictures of Rosabel Vick, but fair-sized, quite excellent
likenesses of himself!
The woman returned to say that Mrs. Vick was very much upset by
the thought of her daughter's picture appearing in the paper, and
could not think of allowing them to use it.
The elder man bowed courteously. "I quite understand, Madam. We
would not dream of using the picture if it would give pain to the
unhappy mother. Please assure her that we respect her wishes. Thank
you for your kindness. We must be on our way back to town. Good
night, Madam."
"These reporters are awful nuisances," remarked Courtney as the
front door closed behind the two men. "Always butting in where
they're not wanted."
"They seemed very nice," observed the woman.
"I've never seen one that wasn't a sneak," said he, raising his
voice a little. The whiskey was having its effect.
Mrs. Vick and Alix entered the room together. The former came
straight toward the young man. Her rather heavy face was white and
drawn, but her eyes were wide and bright with anxiety. There was
no trace of tears. He knew there would be no scene, no hysterics.
Lucinda Vick was made of stern, heroic stuff. As he advanced,
holding out his hands, he noticed that she was fully dressed. She
could be ready at a moment's notice to go to her daughter.
"Oh, Courtney!" she cried, and a little spasm of pain convulsed
her face for a fleeting second or two. Her voice was husky, tight
with strain.
He took her cold, trembling hands in his.
"It's inconceivable," he cried. "I can't believe it, I won't believe
it. You poor, poor thing!"
"It's true. She's gone. My little girl is gone. I could curse God."
She spoke in a low, emotionless voice. "Why should He have taken
her in this way? What have we done to deserve this cruelty? Why
couldn't He have let her die in my arms, with her head upon my
breast,--where it belongs?"
"Don't give up--yet," he stammered, confounded by this amazing
exhibition of self-control. "There is a chance,--yes, there is a
chance, Mrs. Vick. Don't give up. Be--be brave."
She shook her head. "She is dead," came from her stiff lips, and
that was all.
He laid his arm across her shoulder. "I wish to God it was me instead
of her," he cried fervently. "I would take her place--willingly,
Mrs. Vick."
"I--I know you would, Courtney," said she, looking into his eyes.
"You were her best friend. She adored you. I know you would,--God
bless you!"
He looked away. His gaze fell upon Alix, standing in the door. His
eyes brightened. The hunted expression left them. An eager, hungry
light came into them. She was staring at him. Gradually he came to
the realization that she was looking at him with unspeakable horror.
Mrs. Vick was speaking. He hardly heard a word she uttered.
"It was kind of you to come, Courtney. Thank you. I must go now.
I--I can't stand it,--I can't stand it!"
She left him abruptly. Alix stood aside to allow her to pass through
the door. They heard her go up the stairs, heavily, hurriedly.
"Alix!" he whispered, holding out his hands.
She did not move.
"I went up to the house to see you," he hurried on. "They told me
you were here. I--"
Her gesture checked the eager words.
"You snake!" She fairly hissed the word.
He drew back, speechless. She came a few steps nearer.
"You snake!" she repeated, her eyes blazing.
"Wha--What do you mean?" he gasped, a fiery red rushing to his
face.
"Would you have died for the Ritter girl?"
A bomb exploding at his feet could not have produced a greater shock.
His mouth fell open; the colour swiftly receded, leaving his face
a sickly white.
"Who the hell--" he began blankly.
"Be good enough to remember where you are," cried Alix, lowering
her voice as she glanced over her shoulder. "I can say all I have
to say to you in a very few words, Mr. Thane. Don't interrupt me.
I have been a fool,--a stupid fool. We need not go into that. Thank
heaven, I happen to be made of a little stronger stuff than others
who have come under your influence. You would have MARRIED me,--yes,
I believe that,--because it would have been the only way. I have
the complete history of your betrayal of the Ritter girl. I know
how your leg was injured. I know that you were kicked out of the
American Ambulance and advised to leave France. I don't believe
you ever served in the British Army. I have every reason to believe
that you poisoned my dog, and that you,--were the man who came to
my window the other night. And I suspect that you are the cause of
poor Rosabel Vick's suicide. Now you know what I think of you. My
God, how could you have come here tonight? These people trusted
you,--they still trust you. Until now I did not believe such men
as you existed. You--"
"I had nothing, absolutely nothing to do with Rosabel," he cried
hoarsely. He was trembling like a leaf. "Don't you go putting such
ideas into their heads. Don't you--"
"Oh, I am not likely to do that," she interrupted scornfully. "I
shall not add to their misery. If I could prove that you betrayed
that poor, foolish child,--then I would see to it that you paid
the price. But I cannot prove it. I only know that she would have
been helpless in your hands. Oh, I know your power! I have felt it.
And I did not even pretend to myself that I loved you. What chance
would she have had if she loved and trusted you? I shudder at the
thought of--If Amos Vick should even suspect you of wronging his
child, he would not wait for proof. He would tear you to pieces.
You may be innocent. That is why I am giving you your chance. Now,
go!"
"You certainly will give me the opportunity to defend myself, Alix.
Am I to be condemned unheard? If you will allow me to walk to the
ferry with you--"
"And who is to act as my bodyguard?" she inquired with a significant
sneer. "Go! I never want to see your face again."
With that, she left him. He stood perfectly still, staring after
the slender, boyish figure until it was hidden from view by the
bend of the stairway.
His eyes were glassy. Fear possessed his soul. Suddenly he was
aroused to action.
"I'd better get out of this," he muttered.
His hand clutched the weapon in his coat pocket as he strode swiftly
toward the front door. Once outside he paused to look furtively about
him before descending the porch steps. Several men were standing
near the gate. The porch was deserted. He wondered if Amos Vick was
down there waiting for him. Then he remembered what Alix had said
to him: "These people trust you,--they still trust you." What had
he to fear? He laughed,--a short, jerky, almost inaudible laugh,--and
went confidently down the walk. As he passed the little group
he uttered a brief "good night" to the men, and was rewarded by a
friendly response from all of them.
Down the moonlit road he trudged, his brain working rapidly,
feverishly. In his heart was the rage of defeat, in his soul the
clamour of fear,--not fear now of the dark strip of woods but of
the whole world about him. He communed aloud.
"The first thing to do is to pack. I've got to do that tonight.
I'm through here. The jig's up. She means it. How the devil did
she find out all this stuff?...But if I leave immediately it
will look suspicious. I've got to stick around for a few days. If
I beat it tomorrow morning some one's bound to ask questions. It
will look queer. Tomorrow I'll receive an urgent letter calling me
home. Mother needs me. Her health is bad....I wonder if an autopsy
would reveal anything....Tomorrow sure. I can't stand it here
another day....There's nothing to worry about,--not a thing,--but
what's the sense of my hanging around here any longer? She's on.
Some meddling whelp has been--Good Lord, I wonder if it could be
that fat fool, Webster?...If I skip out tonight, it would set Vick
to thinking....What a fool I was...."
And so on till he came to the woods. There, his face blanched and
his heart began to pound like a hammer. He drew the revolver from
his pocket and plunged desperately into the black tunnel; he was
out of breath when he ran down to the landing.
Through the gloom he distinguished the ferry boat three-quarters of
the way across the river, nearing the opposite bank. His "halloa"
brought an answer from the ferryman. Cursing his luck in missing
the boat by so short a margin of time, he sat down heavily on the
stout wooden wall that guarded the approach. It would be ten or
fifteen minutes before the tortoise-like craft could recross and
pick him up. His gaze instantly went downstream. The faint, rhythmic
sound of oarlocks came to his ears. There were no lights on the
river, but after a time he made out the vague shape of an object
moving on the surface a long way off. From time to time it was
lost in the shadows of the tree-lined bank, only to steal into view
again as it moved slowly across a jagged opening in the far-reaching
wall of black. It was a boat coming upstream, hugging the bank to
avoid the current farther out.
Some one approached. He turned quickly and beheld the figure of
a woman coming down the road. His heart leaped. Could it be Alix?
He dismissed the thought immediately. This was a tall woman--in
skirts. She came quite close and stopped, her gaze evidently
fixed upon him. Then she moved a little farther down the slope and
stood watching the ferry which, by this time, was moving out from
the farther side. He recognized the figure. It was that of the
gaunt woman who crossed with him earlier in the night.
The ferry was drawing out from the Windomville side when a faint
shout came from down the river. Burk answered the call, which was
repeated.
"This is my busy night," growled the ferryman. "I ain't been up
this late in a coon's age. Not since the Old Settlers' Picnic three
years ago down at the old fort. I wonder if those fellers have got
any news?"
Courtney stepped off the boat a few minutes later and hurried up
the hill. The woman followed. At the top of the slope he passed
three or four men standing in the shelter of the blacksmith shop,
where they were protected from the sharp, chill wind that had
sprung up. A loud shout from below caused him to halt. Burk, the
ferryman, had called out through his cupped hands:
"What say?"
The wind bore the answer from an unseen speaker in the night, clear
and distinct: "We've got her!"