Show 0 i I 1 lI 7 SYNOPSIS Lawrence Blakeley lawyer goes to with the forged notes In the Bronson case to get the deposition of ot John Gilmore millionaire In the latter's latter house he Is attracted b by bythe the Picture of or a a. girl SiL whom om p. p Gilmore explains is his granddaughter granddaughter grand grand- daughter Alison West Vest He says her father father fa fa- fa- fa ther Is a rascal and a a. friend of ot the forger forg- forg er ere erA A lady requests Blakeley to buy her n Pullman V retains Ho He 3 her er lower tower eleven and nd n retains lower tens ten He finds ea a man man In i In a tl drunken stupor In lower ten and goes goes' oes' oes to bed In lower In-lower nine He awl awl- awa- awa 1 Ib-ens Ib ens J In lower T E seven and finds that Wain his Wa bag rt as' as and clothes are missing The man In in lower lover eu ten en ils Is found murdered His Isis name iV It d dw lops Is SImon Harrington man 1 w The man i Wh who dIsappeared ed with Blakeley Blake Blake- leys ley's ley H s clothes clothe Is suspected Blakeley becomes becomes ber be- be comes mS Interested In ln a girl In blue Girder Cir Gir- r ss evidence places Blakeley u under un un- der suspicion of murder The train is wrecked Blakeley Is rescued from the burning car by the girl In blue Hi Ills arm is s broken To Together ether they go Jo to the Carter Carter Car- Car ter cr farm for breakfast The girl proves to be Alison West St his Partners Partner's Sweet Sweet- sweet sweet- heart r CHAPTER X X Miss West's Request Th The surprising change in her held me speechless All ll the animation of the breakfast table was gone there s no hint of ot the response with which before she had met my nonsensical nonsensical non non- sens lal sallies She stood there white white staring down dO the dusty road One hand was clenched clench clench- ed tight over some small object Her eyes dropped to it from the distant road and then closed with a quick Indrawn breath Her color came back slowly Whatever Whatever What What- ever had caused the change she said nothing She was anxious to leave at once almost imp impatient tient over my deliberate deliberate deliberate de de- de- de liberate masculine way of getting my things together Afterward I recalled that I had wanted to explore the barn for a horse and some sort of a vehicle ve ye- hide hicle to take us to the trolle trolley and that she had refused to allow me to look I remembered I-remembered remembered m many many things later that might have helped helped me and did not At the time I was only completely com n coni- coni bewildered Save the wreck the responsibility for which lay between be- be between between be be- tween Providence and the engineer of the second section all the events of that that- strange morning were logically connected they came from one cause and tended unerringly to one end But the cause was buried burled the end not yet In view Not until we had left the house well behind did the girls girl's face relax Its tense lines I was watching her more closely than I had realized for when we had gone a a. a little way along the road she turned to me almost pet pet- Please dont don't stare so at atme atme atme me she said to my sudden confusion I know the hat Is dreadful Gr Green en always always always al al- al- al ways makes me look ghastly Perhaps It was the green I was unaccountably relieved Do you know a few ew minutes ago you looked almost pallid to me She glanced at atme me quickly but I Iwas Iwas Iwas was gazing ahead We were out of sight of the house honse now and with every step away from It the girl was obviously relieved Whatever she held in her hand she never glanced at It But she was conscious of it every sec sec sec- ond She She- seemed to come to a decision decision decision de de- about it while we were still in insight insight insight sight of the gate for she murm murmured red something and turned back alone going goIng going go go- ing swiftly her feet stirring up small puffs of dust at every step She fastened fastened fastened fas fas- fas- fas something to the gate post post post- I could se see the nervous haste with which she wor worked ed When she joined me again it was without explanation But he the clenched fingers were free now and while she looked tired and worn the strain had visibly relaxed We walked along slowly In the gen genn general eral direction of ot th the suburban trolley line Une Once a 11 man with an empty wag wagon n offered offered us a lift but after a 11 glance at the vehicle I deThe de de- de- de The ends of ot the bone think they hey are castanets as as' as It Is is I explained But the lad lady lady The young oung lady however declined and we went on together Once when the trolley line was In sight she got gota a pebble in her low shoe and we sat down under a 11 tree until she fo found nd the cause of the trouble I I 1 I dont don't know what I should hould have done without you I blundered Moral support and and ard ard V VJ Vl that Do you knows vi m my first con Claus Clous thought that after arter the wreck was of lIf relief you had not been hurt where a abig abig abl beside She was sitting nie ine shaded the road and andI bl big 1 chestnut tree on on her I f surprised 1 se d' d a a 1 0 l misery words had not face race that certainly my been meant to produce she said And my first thought slowly lowly was regret th that t I I that that I hadn't been obliterated blown out like a candle Please dont don't look like that I am only am-only only talking and because because because be be- But her lips were trembling cause the little shams of ot society are forgotten at times like this I I. I leaned and rand patted her hand lightly over where it rested on the grass gass beside mt me You must not say those things I 1 expostulated Perhaps after atter all your i I had bad no friends on the tr train I n hard again her ber tono tone Ier FIer voice was her hand from under inal al She drew but decisively A Aa not Dot quickly n nine n coming toward u. u us ue a a v W Was Q 1 te tr sight Ight f I dhe w lib 0 W. W VV MARY ROBERTS ROBERTA IDNE AUTHOR J c f mE CULAR R TAIg e s- s 1 yi lI O. O by byI MERJ COMPANY LY LYss I ss D Q n I JI I If A Av v-l v v Ill Lt o oi j 1 i fA I May Not Have Another Chance to Thank You The steel finger of civilization of propriety propriety propriety pro pro- of visiting cards and formal introductions introductions in in- n- n was beckoning us in Miss West Vest put on her shoe We Ve said little on the car The few passengers stared at us frankly and discussed the wreck emphasizing its horrors The girl did not seem to hear Once she turned to to me with the quick unexpected movement that that was one of her charms I uI do not wish my mother to know I Vas I was the he accident she she said Will you please not tell Richey about having having hav have ing met me I gave my promise of course Again when we were almost into BalUm Baltimore re she asked to examine the metal gun cigarette case and sat silent with It ItIn ItIn itin In her hands while I told of the early mornings morning's events on the Ontario So you see I finished this grip everything I have on belongs to a Id fellow fellow fel fel- low named nam-ed Sullivan He probably left the train before the wreck perhaps wreck perhaps just after the murder And so you so-you you think he committed the the the-the the crime Her eyes were on th the cigarette case Naturally I r I Isaid said A man doesn't jump off a Pullman car in the middle of the night In In another mans man's clothes unless he is trying to get a away way from something B Besides the dirk there were the stains that you saw Why I have the murdered mans man's pocketbook pocketbook pocket pocket- book in this valise at my feet V What does dees that look like I colored when I saw the ghost of ofa a smile hovering around the corners of her mouth That is I finished shed if you care to believe belleve that I am innocent In in- v The sustaining chain of her small gold bag gave way just then She did not notice it I picked it up and slid the trinket into my p pocket for safekeeping safekeeping safekeeping safe safe- keeping where I promptly forgot it Afterwards I wished d I had let It lie He unnoticed unnoticed un un- noticed on the floor of that dirty little suburban car and even now when I Ise Isee Isee se see a u woman carelessly dangling a similar feminine trinket I shudder Involuntarily involuntarily involuntarily in In- voluntarily there comes back to me meI methe methe I the memory of a 0 girls girl's puzzled eyes I under the brim of a flopping hat the haunting suspicion of the sleepless nights that followed Just then I was determined that my companion should not stray back to the wreck and to that end I was determinedly facetious Do you know that it is Sunday she asked suddenly and that we are actually ragged 1 Never mind that I retorted All Baltimore Is divided on Sunday Into three parts those who rise and nd go to church those who rise up and read rend the newspapers and those who dont don't rise up The first are somewhere between be be- tween tle cr creed 4 and the sermon ormon and worry about the we need not worry otherL You treat me like a child she said almost pettishly Dont try so hard to be cheerful It It-It It It Is almost ghastly ghastly ghast ghast- ghastly ly ly After that I subsided like a pricked balloon and the remainder of ot the ride was made In silence The Thc information that she would go to friends In the city was a n shock It meant an earlier separation than I had planned for tor But Dut my arm was beginning again In Inputting Inputting Inputting putting her into a cab I struck It and gritted my t teeth with the pain It was probably for tor that reason that I forgot the gold bag She leaned 1 forward and held out outher outher her ber band hand I may lay ay not have another I chance to thank you she said and andI I think I would better not try any any- how I cannot tell you how grateful I i f I am I J muttered something about the gratitude being mine Owing to the knock I was seeing two cabs and two girls were holding out two hands Remember they were both sayIng saying saying say- say Ing you have never met me Mr Blakeley And And if if you ever hear anything anything anything any any- thing about me that me-that that is not pleasant not pleasant I want you to think the best you can of me Will Vm you The two girls were one now with little flashes of white light playing all around HI I Im I'm afraid that I 1 shall think too well for my own good I Is Isaid Isaid s said ld unsteadily And the cab drove on CHAPTER XI The Name of Sullivan I 1 had my arm done up temporarily In Baltimore and took the next train home I was pretty far gone when I stumbled out of a cab almost into almost the scandalized arms of Mrs In 15 minutes I was was' In bed with that good woman piling on blankets and blistering me In unprotected places with water hot-water bottles And in an hour I had bad had a whiff of chloroform and Dr Williams had set the broken broken bone I dropped asleep then waking In Inthe Inthe inthe the late twilight to to a 0 realization that I was at home again without the papers papers papers pa pa- pers that meant conviction for Andy Bronson with a charge of murder murde hanging over my head and with something something something some some- thing more than an impression of the girl my best friend was in love with a girl moreover who was almost as great an enigma as the crime itself And Im I'm no hand at guessing riddles riddles rid rid- dies I groaned half halt aloud Mrs came over promptly and put puta a cold cloth on my f forehead Euphemia b slie said to some one outside the door telephone the doctor doctor doctor doc doc- tor that he Is still sUll rambling but that he has switched from green ribbons to riddles Theres heres nothing the m matter with me Mrs I 1 rebelled I was r was only thinking out loud Confound that cloth its it's trickling all over me I gave it a fling and heard it land with witha a soggy thud on the floor Thinking out loud is delirium Mrs said Imperturbably A Afresh Afresh Afresh fresh cloth Euphemia This time she held it on with a firm pressure that I was too weak to re re- re- re I I expostulated feebly that I was drowning which she also laid to my mental exaltation and then I finally dropped Into a damp sleep It was probably midnight when I roused again I had been dreaming of the wreck and it was Inexpressibly comforting comforting comforting com com- forting to feel the stability of my bed and to realize the equal stability of Mrs who sat fully attired by the night light reading Science and Health Does that book say anything about opening the windows on a hot night I suggested when I I had got my bear bear- ings She put It down Immediately and came over to mo me If there Is one onetime onetime onetime time when Mrs is chastened and and it is tho the only one one one-It it is when she reads Science and Health I I dont don't like e to open the shutters Mr Lawrence she explained Not since the night you went away But pressed further she refused to explain The doctor said you were not to be excited she persisted Heres your beef beet tea toa Not a drop until you tell me I 1 Isaid Isaid said grimly Besides you know very very- well theres there's nothing the tho matter wl with h I 4 s il me This arm of mine is only a fall belief I sat up gingerly Now why dont don't you open pen th that t window Mrs succumbed Because there are queer on goings-on in that house next door she said If you will take the beef tea Mr Lawrence I will tell tel you The queer on goings-on however proved to be slightly disappointing I It seemed that after I left on Friday night a light was seen flitting fitfully through the empty house next door Euphemia had seen It first and called callec Mrs Together they had watched it breathlessly until It disappeared disappeared disappeared on the lower floor You should have been a writer o ot of ghost stories I said giving my pillows pillows pil pil- lows a thump And so it was fitting fit ting tang fitfully what It was doing she re- re Iterated Fitting fitfully I I mean flit flitting ting fitfully how fitfully how you do throw one out Mr Lawrence And what's more it came again Oh come ome now Mrs I objected ghosts are like lightning they never strike twice In the same night That Is only worth half a cup of beef tea You may ask Euphemia she retorted retorted retorted re re- re- re with dignity Not more than an hour after there was a light there again We s saw w it through the chinks of the shutters Only this Only this time it began began began be be- gan at the lower floor and climbed You oughtn't to tell ghost stories at night came McKnights McKnight's voice from the doorway Really Mrs Im I'm amazed at you You old duffer Ive I've got to thank you for the worst day of my life Mrs Mrs gulped Then realizIng realizing ing lug that the old duffer was mean meant for me she took her empty cup and went out muttering The Pirates Pirate's s 's crazy about me me Isn't isn she McKnight said to the closing door Then he swung around and held out his handBy handBy handBy hand By Jove he said Ive been laying lay laying ing you out all day lilies HUes on the doorbell doorbell door bell black gloves everything If you yot had had the sense of a mosquito in a snowstorm you would have telephoned me me I never never- even thought of it I l' I was was' filled with remorse Upon my word Rich I hadn't an idea beyond getting away from that place If you had seen what I 1 saw saw saw- McKnight l stopped me Seen it Why you lunatic Ive I've been digging for you all day In the ruins Ive I've lunched and dined on horrors Give me something to rinse them down Louie Lollie He had fished the key of the eel cel larette from its hiding place in fn my shoe bag and was mixing himself what he called a Bernard Shaw Shaw Shaw-a a foundation foundation tion of brandy and soda with a little of everything else In |