Show I fRt TF Telegram Fiction Sub Substitute t fute Swe Sweetheart theart j I Wayne By ia I BEGIN HERE TODAY Ruth Buth Dayton 15 IS an orphan wholesomely beautiful has been hired to impersonate June Bradley i whom she greatly resembles At first firs bedazzled by Junes June's uncle and I. I aun aunt Joseph and Clara Bradley Ruth uth believes her mission is one of or mercy mercy to to comfort a dying man mn I Junes June's stepbrother Jim Bradley June she is told Is very ill and therefore cannot come to her broth er However Jim proves not to b be dying though dying though blinded and badly hurt in in an auto a accident June JOnI finds herself falling Calling in love with the man whose hose stepsister she Is s pretending to to be She shares th the thi suspicion he voices that the auto accident was deliberate She is locked In ln Her telephone Is discon discon- Her suspicion that Jims Jim's s uncle arid and aunt are eager to bring about his death is is' heightened when they discharge all the servants but cook and chauffeur a man takes the place of Jims Jim's nurses and a anew anew anew new doctor takes over the case further she suspects cb the man nurse Pascoe Is in league with the Brad Brad- leys eys whose humor Improves as Jims Jim's s health fails NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY STORY I INOW CHAPTER 9 Ruth pretended a a calm she did not feel My job almost over What do you mean I HI mean mean that Dr McGuire thinks Jim cant can't be with us much much- longer sad Clara blandly You You you think think- He isn't going to get well that's that all There isn't t ny any any kinder way of f saying it it Clara Bradley made the statement as calmly as as she wo would ld have haye lave said The weather veather man says It t will be colder tomorrow AI A War Yal as Better He You know yo yourself th that t he was was g getting g g b bet bet- t ter Clara yawned That hat was three days ago Hes He's taken a a. a turn for forthe forthe the he worse You never neer can can tell teU bout about these things He was Injured internally probably Ruths Ruth's pulses vere were pounding He Hew w wasn't i t injured internally Y yourself that he Y You u cant can't canty sa say y that She e h b had turned ed to the the older woman in a fury of rage rag pounding nerves nerves nerves' suddenly tty breaking Be quiet Joseph oseph Bradley rad ey said suddenly Youre driving me crazy you two I cant can't go through with this You cant can't go through with It Y You u. u cant can't cant can't His wife's wite's vol voice e held intolerable scorn Youre as as' bad badas' badas badas' badas as' as the girl Every bit as bad Y You u and yo your r nerves And you turnIng turning turn turn- ing to Ruth always questioning Never willing t to let Jet w well n enough nough alone I ask aski to come ome Ruth sliM knowing again the f futility of or argument argument ment ment- C Clara I 1 a ra Bradley nodded angrily Cast Casta a withering glance at her Hus lips lips- band And dont don't you forget forg t Whose plan it it Was t to bring h her r. r I still aUlI believe it was a goodplan good pla plan The Chance Chanco Ruth uth listened Hoped they might keep on on with the argument L Certainly Mrs Mra Bradley was willIng willing will will- ing to continue the argument It Jt was a fo fool l plan That's what it was Call it a fool plan plan- my dear Mr Mr Bradley was reg c i. i Call It whatever like you OU It t gave us the c chance ance The chance To carry cary carry carryout out our scheme My scheme you me mein mean n Well your our scheme then We Ve didn't know how bad he was did we No All right then It Jot got us here without question Vit Without out argument ment Gave us a chance to get in Get our our be bearings Yes W Well ll Go to Bed d They They- stopped evidently knowing th they hey y had said too much Clara urged Ruth to go to bed There isn't anything you can do she said In n answer girls girl's remonstrance Whatever is to be will be Sims Ims Im's h laving haYing the best care care any any of us know enow how him Theres There's nothing noth noth- Ing ng you ou can can do doi Alone Alorie in her room Ruth thought over oyer that conversation The sentences sen- sen ten es may may may- have been brief un un- finished They told a story however however how how- ever ever as completely as as' a book might have told it The Bradleys had feared eared to return to Jim Bradleys Bradley's home lome without their ward June They dared not not return without her ler Ruth caught that that- phrase turned it around and around They dared riot not ot return without her June Dead Then something more serious than scarlet fever had happened to June S Something so so serious that J 3 June u n e could not be brought home h Perhaps Perhaps Per- Per haps laps June was dead Looking back over It now the thew w whole ole plan had seemed so absurd Just as absurd as Jerry had declared it t to be that night when she called hIm um over long distance before starting start start- i ing ng g on this wild adventureD adventure I D Dont nt y you u dare go Ruth her brother had said Its a Ii perfectly wild plan These Bradleys sound like like ike a pair of ot crooks to me It was all hil U perfectly plain to Ruth now The Bradleys were crooks just rooks just justas as as Jerr Jerry had said they might be They had guardianship of f fa a willful wayward girl and through her had had lad their hands ands on the purse strings of her gen generous brother Suppose they'd had trouble with her or had ron run away or they had md put her away somewhere T The e horror of f th tho thought stabbed at atUu athe th he girl who wh was substituting for Cor June Then the accident to Jim had occurred They dare not return without June they June they couldn't return 1 with her either cither because of the scarlet car t fever or felver or w worse They bey found a substitute Their motive in doing this was plain from their conversation It made entrance Into the homo home easy and th r be befree free to Carry rry arry out their further er plans Further hans Flans Y Their tu further th r plans ns Did that mean to take possession posses posses- Ion sion of the household to dismiss the servants even the he physician the nura nurses s to get Jim Bradl Bradley y completely com completely com in their ther power And for what r The answer that to qu question n filled R th with terror It If h her r suspicions s sere ere corr ct the then l' l Jims Jim's relapse might be directly traceable to their comi coming They even wanted his death Why The answer flashing through Ruths Ruth's brain was horrible She Sie paced the floor in very terror Sat then for a l long ng time huddled at ather h her r window Mrs rs Bradley came after arler what seemed no hours rs Tapped at Ruths Ruth's door turned the key in the lock arid and came came came- in How H w is he Ruth could not noth h have have v stay anxious s qu question Sleeping I z think I 1 just came came there D Dr McGui McGuir-hp McGuir rep has has' licen here ag again ln He says t there re 1 Isn't 1 any ny immediate danger He He just s seems ins to be getting weaker that's all all'- Mrs BradleyS voice sounded genuinely genuinely gen gen- He H t thinks thinks-he he might get l 1 H He say ye yet June I knew yo f to h hear r. r I I tild ease Nervous i l ii have have haye Ruth gazed at t the theother theother other woman woman In wonder I Your nerves are arc are playing funn funny tricks on you J June ne Mrs Bradley was Val saying almost kind kindi kindly I suppose suppose suppose sup sup- pose yo youve you've ve bee been up here re imagining nil all sorts all sor sorts s. s of things D Dont Don't n t b be bes so foolish Nothing is going oln to hap hap- 1 t i if f A 1 pen en to you Nothing Is is is- going to 0 o happen lappen to anyone I have been thinking been thinking things Dont Clara Bradley sat down seemingly glad of ot the thc opportunity to talk alk Most of ot the things one imag imag- in nes s suspects rarely suspects rarely happen Ill I'll admit things have seemed queer here It was a queer mission that we brought you OU here on to begin with But you can certainly see how disappointed Jim would have been If f we hadn't brought his sister Yes but but- but Dont begin that way Dont Don't torture torture tor- tor ture ure yourself youself with yes but thoughts Youve You've been thinking about b being locked In here I suppose suppose suppose sup sup- pose Yes Why that was your your own fault dear We had to lock you OU in had to tamper with U the e telephone If It we hadn't you'd oud have gone t r racing out of here here- cre suspicious as could be bc Now wouldn't wouldn t you Yes Strange Employer Well you see We had done a foolish thing thing employing employing a young girl on so queer a mission We Ve realized that In the tho kindness of f four our h hearts we had bad done a perfectly foolish thing But it was WS done You Y see There wasn't anything we could do about it it IL It n seemed reasonable Perfectly reasonable But the tha way you acted the the way Mr Bradley acted My dear deaf yo youre you're re perfectly justified justi just led fled thinking suspicious things There were one or two things we regret regret exceedingly B But t remember our nerves have been jumpy jump too It was enough to worry Uncle Joe- Joe Jims Jim's been his favorite nephew And to come home and find him so soUl ill ill Ul- Hes HeI much worse than when wo we came I III dont don't blame you for asking questions I dont don't blame you for feeling well reeling well queer about it Its It's ts t's true he was much better or rather appeared to be much better when we v came Th otten the case in ere sc severe accidents such uch as this For Fora a day or so so maybe for a w week ek they seem t rally But they quickly use up their reserve strength Doctor me f tells me me- me Jim V Wanted Change Tha s another thing Ruth broke In hi The doctor Jim isn't happy about the change changa In doctors He wanted his own doctor And Anc the change too Jim agreed to the change Inn in n nurses He wanted a man nurse And as for the doctor my dear we couldn't very wen well help that could we Ruth scanned Mrs Bradley She decided o on once ce e that she mu must t be the most c losi l l liar r living She sh could sit lIt th there re so calmly telling things the girl knew couldn't be true And And And- then again R Ruth th decided that Mrs Bradley must be truthful She looked looked the girl squarely In ht the eyes answered calmly almly co vinc- vinc Locked Again How v could that possibly be our fault 1 Dr Benson was Benson as unexpectedly unexpected unexpected- ly called out of ot town Dr McGuire is Ls Dr Bensons Benson's own choice Now my dear you see how foolish your worries are And more questions to ask Ruth Mrs Bradley grinned Now Nowthen then my dear better go to bed and go t to sl sleep cp Im I'm g going ing to turn the key in inthe inthe inthe the lock again tonight and give you opportunity tC to think it over In the morning you oU will feel better am and then yo you'll ll r realize alize that youre you're jusas just jus justas as free tree asi as air Sweet dreams She l left ct Listening Ruth could hear the key turned softly in the l. l lock C I To Be |