Show I By Bv t Ji 1 WANT WAN Al U H Rob Eden Edell en I BEGIN HERE TODAY I Fran Carey stenographer found lound an old fashioned locket and from that unexciting circumstance has come love and and disillusionment exciting adventure adventure ad and bitter bitter bitler bit bit- venture and tragedy rapture ter ler shame hame Though Fran did no not know it lIar Har net rIet Raleigh eccentric wealthy old woman had lost an old fashioned locket where Fran found hers hers and and had provided in her will that whoever found the lost locket should inherit six alx million dollars at her death Frans Fran's advertisement of or the locket brings her to the attention of Chrstopher Christo Christo- Christopher Christopher pher Abbott Miss Mica Raleigh's lawyer who falls alls in love with her though Fran doesn't suspect it It also brin brings her to the attention of Ellen Spencer Miss Mis Raleigh's housekeeper Ellens Ellen's brother Jay and Ward Quentin These three know of ti l Miss s Raleigh's will c They want the six million dol dol- lars Their plan to get gel it involves cs her in a a. fatal lall accident Ward an accomplished liar Har and an accomplished lover opens an office ne near Frans He lie meets her He lie wins her love Fran falls faUs hopelessly Inlove in inlove love Jove though Abbott has warned her against new acquaintances Her wed ding date is set t despite Frans Fran's roommate roommate room room- mate Nina Markham who dislikes Ward hd dad Lael Lad Hubbell his its mistress who poses as his se secretary in his In-his in his of r. r fice Tice Miss Raleigh dies two days das before the wedding Abbott calls for Frans Fran's locket and after comparing it with earrings and brooch tells her it is not the one that one that she will not inherit the six fix million dollars dollar Fran tells Ward and Ward leaves town Ward returns five live days later with Lad Lael He suspects that Abbott had tricked them all and that Frans Fran's is really the Raleigh lock et But when he tries to reestablish himself with Fran she refuses to see him No excuse e he hc can make to her can erase crass frem her hr mind the c conviction tion he had jilted her when he discovered discovered discovered dis dis- covered her locket would not bring him a fortune Disappointed he is sharp with Lael Tried beyond her endurance Lael Lad whose love of ot Ward is greater than her fear of death death or or of murder- murder takes her gun when she leaves the theoffice theoffice office NOW GO ON WITH THE TilE STORY CHAPTER 28 The phone rang but Fran made no attempt to answer it She simply glanced over at it frowning slightly and turned back to the small package package package pack pack- age she was wrapping Ward probably probably ably or someone at at the office oUke of Jones who had seen seen Ward ane and wanted to know the news Phone Rings RInKs All AU day dllY the phone had been en ringing and all aU day she had been ignoring ignoring- it it but she couldn't ignore the insistent buzzing it left in her ears cars long after it stopped The package was finally fi finished not done up as neatly as she wanted it but it would have to do Hard fixing up such a tiny box Going into the bedroom she looked at the clock on the night stand Four The postoffice two blocks away was open until 5 If It she could get down the back stairs all aU right she would have her little bundle in the mail mall tonight re registered properly because it was valuable Ward would get set it in the morning morning- Taking her brown hat and coat from the closet she went to the thc bed and snapped open the dressing case which lay on the thc spread p Yes ever every thing was wag there Night clothes for her and Nina changes of ot lingerie a fresh bou blouse e for Nine in the morn morning ng tooth paste and cosmetics The package package package pack pack- age she had just wrapped which contained con con- tamed the ring Ward had given her she slipped in the pocket of or the bag before she closed it It took only a moment to put on her coat and hat pick up the bag before she he closed it ft It took only a moment to put on her coat and hat pick up the bag and tiptoe into the kitchen kitchell thinking as she Ehe went that Nina would be surprised surprised surprised sur sur- when she found lound out the they weren't going to stay at the Sedgewick Sedge Sedge- wick tonight She didn't know yet jet but Fran planned to phone her from a store near the She could not p. p ne from the apartment because because be be- cause she hadn't used the phone all day and didn't intend to The girl irl downstairs at tHe sw switchboard wasn't to know that she was at home Sneaking around in her home like home like a thief thiet But she had to do iL it Ward was forcing her to do it Climbs to lo Chair In the kitchen she put down the bag and climbed up on the chair that was as directly in front of or the door By rising on her toes on the chair I the he she could see the hall through the glass transom Not a good view but enough to know whether the coast was clear to lo go out Ine co J t 1 the tre present moment was not clear Someone Someone Someone Some Some- one was coming down the corridor The girl irl ducked down and wailed waited Ward again He had already been at al the door three times toda today ringing then knocking then calling her name He did the same now His two rings shot through her like pistols and she quivered as she leaned against the door Another two rings close together to to- gether followed b by a t sn S1 sip p to against the wood panels o of the living room door Fran Its It's Ward I 1 must talk to you ou He lie didn't speak loudly but i it seemed to her that he was screaming scream scream- ing She put her hands hand over her ears cars and stepped back to the stove More Mor ringing each ring sending shivers shiver through h h hr her r bod body Hors l or knocking tach each knock bruising her ears cars How long would h he stay this time At 2 o'clock when he had come before he be had stayed nearly 10 minutes minutes- but the 10 minutes seemed hours to Fran I No Love Loyt for Him Hint She didn't love him That was as ap parent If Il she did she would want to open the door see him But she didn't want to lo see sec ee him she him she never wanted to see him ag again in She didn't want to open the door The glimpse of him she had had from the transom transom tran tran- som was a little revolting to her It brought back her bitterness against him the bitterness that had been welling welling well well- ing up in her unconsciously and which her burst last night to Nina No she didn't love Ward any more and she never wanted to see ee him again They were finished the finished the two of them and the sooner Ward realized it the better That was why she had wrapped up the ring to send him When he got it he would know At least she hoped he would know That was wh why too she was leaving toni tonight ht to stay same place else for tor fora tora a while with Nina When Ward stopped slopped bothering thC they could come back Bothering Bothering-a a strange thing to say about Ward and yet et that was how she felt fell Every time he rang the bell every ery time Ume the telephone jarred on her ner nerves she he was annoyed Last night at midnight when she had felt teU the S same annoyance His v voice ce which she waiting wailing to hear for so many days and which came to her her- with her with no shock whatever when she awakened from a sound sleep to lo answer answer the phone hadn't thrilled her at all At first It had angered angered an an- her and then it had distinctly displeased her She had told him as kind kindly as she he could that everything was ended but he wouldn't believe her Well talk about this tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow tomor tomor- row he had said finally Youre tired now you now you dont don't know what you are arc saying I shouldn't have awakened awakened awak awak- ened you at this time of the night Didn't know what she was saying Of at course she did She had come to the phone knowing instinctively ely who was calling ready for tor him When she crawled back into bed beside beside beside be be- side Nina who was awake too she knew they wouldn't talk about this tomorrow That she had finished it and there was nothing more to be said She hadn't been rude to him only final Surprising that she had slept so well after his call but she had and she had arisen this morning feeling more refreshed than she had been for a week Fran Franl Silence nce Follows Follow Why didn't he go Wh Why did he stay slay making makini all that racket Fifteen min minutes min utes minutes this time time for for she was consulting the clock on top of or the stove Silence for a time but as she wasn't sure he had actually left she waited where she was hardly breathing hardly daring to move going over in her mind this strange love of or hers that had flared flared up so quickly and burned out so swiftly Ward the love she had for lor him him if if It Il had been love seemed so lar far faraway wa away Miles back in her life liCe and yet et the miles were not Iso so far back either Yesterday in inthe inthe inthe the morning she slie still cared for lor him Yesterday She started to laugh but che checked ked h herself r el in time Not safe to lo laugh yet yet yet-he he might not be gone Fran Carey the little youngster who had fallen for Ward Quentin The silly little lillie youngster youngster her her face grew warm and she bit her lips sav sav- Well she was no longer a silly little youngster She was grown up capable She was another Fran Carey who would always look at the episode episode epi epi- sode of her love lo for Ward with shame but who would be more careful next time lime She took a few tew steps forward to the chair and climbing upon it looked once more out the transom Ward was gone but a boy in uniform was coming down the hall a large green reen box in hi his arms He was stopping atthe atthe at atthe the door of 0 Flowers she saw from the box bov and from the label From W Ward rd for the firm name on the box was the one CIne from which all his floral gifts gifts came came Still on the chair she had to hear the bell ring three times each ring sharp and prolonged and then the boy walked away slowly and turned around the bend of the corridor Dimly Dimly Dim Dim- ly she heard the grinding of the elevator ele dc- vator valor as a.- it went down because she was wa listening for tor it From the transom she could seethe seethe see seethe the entrance to to th the back stairs Everything Everything Every Every- thing seemed all right so she slipped down from the chair picked up her dressing case and opened the door It made a little click when she closed it behind her and she looked around startled The hall however was clear A few lew more steps and she would beon beon be beon on the back stairs slain There she was safe Ward safe Ward wouldn't think of ot the thc back stairs he stairs he probably didn't even know the Sedgewick boasted a back staircase which served also as a fire lire escape and which tenants used rarely for when the elevator was out of or commission commission com com- mission they took the front stairs which gave into the lobby Door Is 15 Open The door of the back stairs was wac ODena open ODen a crack but that didn't disconcert her She pushed it open farther and was on the fifth firth floor landing She was starting start ing down the first step down when a voice startled herIve herIve herIve her Ive been waiting for tor you youAt youAt you you- I At first in her dazed astonishment Fran didn't recognize Lael Hubbell lIt hot when she did she he WJ was wag fri h Ward had sent her Ward had told her to come and watch He had no I right sp spying g on on her th through o g his sec secre secretary e tary Ive been waiting for tor you you Lael Lad said again H Her r face cc was was was' chalk like chalk and her eyes were were dark blue bla black k as she lac faced d' d Fran Her lips lip twitched c convulsively cly Please let me pass passI pass pass- I sa said d Id I'd been Deen waiting r for you Lael's Lads voice rose until it was almost a scream Fran looked again into the pinched drawn face tace that held not a vestige of ol the beauty she remembered and shrank back bak looked so queer- queer so wild Her lIer eyes were the eyes ejes ola ofa of ol a mad woman You think youve you've ou e got him but you ou haven't Lael whipped her ri right ht hand from behind her back and Fran saw something dull and bl black ck in the white while shaking fingers lingers She dodged but it was too late There was a sharp report report re reo re- re port so sharp her body cring cringed d un under under un- un der it and then a stab slab in her chest She couldn't stand any longer Her knees were wreak weak She felt lell herself falling and saw the white wall of ol the hall blotched with red and then with black A little while white later she o opened ned her eyes A man nian was looking down on her Christopher Abbott Her eyes closed again but not before s she e tried to puzzle out why he was here To Be Continued Copyright Register and Tribune Syndicate |