Show B 1 ke cr o Oo 1926 y Clifford Ernest Lynn NEA SERVICE yE Ne G WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE To the home of Prof and Mollie Elwell in Ind one night in October 1898 Is brought a woman who had fainted on a passing passing pass pass- ing train That night twin girls are born to her and she dies without revealing her name The story then moves forward 18 years The twins have been adopted adopt adopt- ed and named Margaret and Eliza Eliza- beth They are called Rusty and Betty Jim Elwell the son enlists In the World war lIe then discovers that one of the twins loves him H He Is shocked shell at Sedan and reported dead Later he Is Identified identified fied in a New York hospital and his mother and father hasten to him to find his memory and speech gone He is like a living dead man The day before his parents are areto areto to take him home Jim wanders away from his nurse Nellie Downing A frantic search is begun Late that night he Is found In Bellevue hospital unconscious his skull froc- froc expected to die He had been hit by a truck The twins are In Indianapolis at atthe atthe the home ot of their thell uncle John Clayton Clay Clay- ton the mystery of their identity having been cleared up while Jim was In France John Clayton is notified that Jim whose life has haa been een despaired ot of now has fias a chance to live and he speaks of his JOY to Martha Dalton an old friend of the and they discuss the possibility of Jims Jim's being cured ana marrying Nellie Downing NOW BEGIN THE STORY CHAPTER Vo Jim with his mind back Betty continued be the same old Jim he always was a perfect perfect per per- darling but old Jim just the same same-a big boy of an artist whose only knowledge ot of girls is what he learned from the girl pals he knew from the night they were born Do you suppose that Jim accustomed accustomed tomed all his life to these two tom tom- girls boys as full of faults as a chestnut burr Is full of stickers stickers- but loving them just the same because because be- be cause he trained them himself and knowing they loved that him dear dea dearold I old Jim is going to forget torget all about his pals and fall in n love with the Faultless Jo Lady just because she nursed him in France and happened to be on hand when his memory came back I I tell you Daly Dalty she finished s speaking severely to their old friend your romance Is too romantic romantic- and anyhow Im not going to have Jim falling for any nurse Nurses are not so bad remarked John Clayton and looked significantly at Martha Dalton She bowed slightly and smiled at him You said It sister Rusty was acclaiming We wont won't have our Jim tying up with any profession but the stage and he can even even aSPire to a grand opera star there It if he he wants to cant can't he Or a new and famous danseuse in Russian costume perhaps supplemented supplemented sup sup- their Uncle John I reiterate however that nurses are not 1 so bad ad I tried to get it across a moment ago and you never even paid Martha Dalt Dalton n the compliment ment of acknowledging it it itHe He shook his head Im afraid your training has suffered since Jims Jim's been away Elizabeth Marvin snuggled her coppery head against the white gray of his own Well Veil I only hope she said softly that his nurse can help him to get back his memory and that Mollie and Prof bring him home pretty soon She slid off her chair and stood up r I must go and and- write a letter she announced Ive about a million mil mil- lion things to tell Mollie and quite a few things I want to Say to Nellie Downing She paused Yes Uncle John our training probably has been neglected neglected neg- neg a little bit since Jim left leCt rather But weve mysteriously also grown up a bit in that time John Clayton chuckled and best bestowed be- be st stowed wed a knowing look on Martha Dalt Dalton n. n Be very careful dear he said turning back to his niece Mind your our ps p's and qs q's and dont don't let your pen slip Rusty followed her sister upstairs and nd presently Martha Dalton rose with the l' l remark mark that sh she thought she would catch a little nap Left to himself John Clayton touched his finger tips together and gazed for a long time at the Gell- Gell ing Still water he m mused sed runs deep I don dont know know how to express It any better than that Unless Im I'm greatly mistaken those two young ladies could tell us all something that would surprise us consider consider- ably Considerably he repe repeated ted and reached for or a cIgar During the first two weeks wee of Nurse Daltons Dalton's visit at the Clayt Clayton n home she made three Ineffectual attempts attempts at- at tempts to impart to her host the information In in- formation fo that she must return to On the third attempt he stopped her at the begInning Now listen very carefully to me Martha Dalton he said his lip lips smiling but an undertone of real seriousness shading his voice and forget about this going ba back k t td the theold theold old nursing job and living alone again He hadn't forgotten lie he said and never should what he owed herMy herMy her My sister Edna was very dear to tome tome me even If she did marry against my judgment and what you did for her made me your debtor for all time That debt is In the glass with the debt I owe Prof and Mollie Nothing that I can ever do ever will balance the accounts But I 1 have havethe havethe the right to expect and Insist upon being a little Interest on my debts You are very fond of the girls le continued earnestly That I f know And both of them think the vo world ld fJ u Tow r- r lve Ive been cont con con- t i 1 r f t 4 ti There Martha Dalton is yoU romance for you And hell hel never get well Hell He'll never get well this matter for a long time ever since Mollie Elwell during her hr visit here drew for me a word picture picture pic- pic ture of you as 0 looked that night twenty years ears ago when you b bl Edna to Prof and her He wanted her he said to make her h home me there as companion and anda a hind lind of chaperon for tor the girls This he explained will be an honorary position not that of an of course and I want to put sufficient funds aside in the shape of an endowment so that you never will be embarrassed for want ot of mone money Ive spoken to the girls about this and it pleases them immensely So now you ou see how utterly useless It is for you to be talking about going back to end nd to work again This thing they call work and you Martha Dalton have reversed position Hereafter instead instead in- in stead of work telling you what time timeto to get up in the morning yoU can now tell te-ll work to go plum to hell helland helland and ring for yours to be served in bed for you That it seemed was that John Clayton Claton had spoken Martha Dalton was thinking that after all there was something in the story about casting a loaf of bread on the wat- wat ers It had taken twenty years for tor Martha Dalton to get hers back Bat she got hers all served right In bed do case case she liked it that way Margaret and Betty Marvin made of Nurse Dalton a a. repository for all their little feminine confidences the kind they couldn't tell their uncle he being a mere man There was one little confidence however that her most durable corkscrew v fall failed d to extract Still that didn't matter she consoled herself It was all in the family anyhow Letters iron from Mollie Elwell were not as frequent as as they had been previous to Jims Jim's accident Prof did most of the writing these days Most 1 of their own letters were addressed to her though and they looked forward to the day when they should see her familiar handwriting handwriting hand hand- writing on an envelope It would woula mean that Mollie 1 Elwell was well again When such a letter did make Its appearance one day It was fallen upon eagerly and answered individually individually indi- indi and collectively by all of the house of Clayton The letter bore good news ot the homecoming but to John Clayton it also brought disappoint disappoint- ment He had expected that Jim might might- It read as follows My Iy dear ones All things we are told come to td him who waits Perhaps they come cometo come cometo to her too If f she has learned to be bea a good waiter Prof says that is isone isone one of the best things we we have been doing since coming learning east to walt wait As you were told by Nellie Downing Downing Dow Dow- ning Jims Jim's escape frond tro death was wasby washy hy by a a. very very- narrow margin The fracture fracture frac- frac ture however r was mot so dangerous danger danger- ous as at first supposed although he was unconscious from It for five days days- FIve days Think of it breathed Rusty Some hope th the letter continued was held out to us at first that If he regained conscIousness his brain might clear up again This hope was shattered the minute he opened his ekes eyes So far as I could see there was not the slightest change either way He Is far from strong yet but the doctor says he will be In shape to be taken home in another week But I must tell you now my dears what the specialists sa say that there isn't a chance in a thousand that Jim will ever b be any better mentally mental mental- ly than he is now His physical health probably will that return i iF r rhe he will take on weight and ana get strong But his mind oh well it itIs itis Is Ck Gods God's ds d's will and as Prof says say's we have much to to be thankful for at that Had Jim died I dont don't think I could have lived In tact fact I know I shouldn't And now dear girls I must tell you somethIng else You have mentioned mentioned men men- frequently in your letters Mr l Claytons Clayton's and your wIshes that I we-Prof we Jim and accompany I-accompany you to Europe r I am afraid that It will not be possIble Jim must have rest and be quiet particularly quiet and kept free of the things that might excite him for as you have been told he is very susceptible to emotion emo- emo tion And It Is that I would caution you against Both of you ou of course want to see Jim and I want t tat at you should But in view of certain things that I I needn't go into I think it would be best If you just met him and then I left at once For oh my girls 1 just cant can't bear a great deal more and the thought ot of what might have hav been is terrible You must go ot on with your plans just as though Jim had died We go with you i iI I shall of course be expecting to to find you with Dalton awaiting u us at the old home Please dont don't meet us at the train Let the meeting take place at the old house Ever your our affectionate Mollie Mome There was a postscript to the effect that she would write to give gin the time of their arrival I IJohn John Clayton put the letter do down n nand and looked around him And he saw sawa a very strange thing One of oC the had Betty been listening I with downcast expression Now she burst into tears and began to run her hands wildly through her hair There she cried l Incoherently there Martha Dalton Is your romance romance ro- ro mance for you And hell he'll never get hell he'll never get well Oh my God And we had hoped and prayed Do you think Ill I'll go to Europe without without with with- out him Do you ou think Mollie has a aright aright right to keep him all to herself Go Goon Goon on with your plans as It if John had haa died Oh To ToBe To-Be Be Continued An old friend Freddy Lawrence w I appears on the scene and tl casualties o |