| Show B ke lY P ads i l y C rd Ernest Lynn NE SERVICE CE INC me WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE To the home of Prof aid Mollie Elwell in Ind one night In October 1898 is brought Ii a woman who had fainted on a train That night twin girls are born to her and she dies without revealing her name The story then moves forward eighteen years The twins now growing to beautiful womanhood have been adopted and named na ed Margaret Margaret Mar Mar- garet and Elizabeth They are called Rusty and Betty JIm Elwell the son enlists In the World He then discovers that one of the twins t loves him He is shocked shell at the Battle o of Sedan and at first Is reported dead Later he Is identified d at a aNew aNew New York hospital and his mother and father hasten to him to find tind that his memory is gone that he heis heis is like a living dead man Specialists despair or of his recover recovery er ery believing an operation might be unsuccessful and fatal as well The day before his parents are to take him home Jim wanders and Mollie Prof Nellie Downing a nurse and MIke Hennegan take up the pursuit NOW BEGIN THE STORY CHAPTER The ride that followed Mollie Elwell El- El well weIl was to remember ever afterward afterward after after- ward as the weirdest experience o of her life Ufe n It wa waga a ride In which she rode the gamut o of human emotions It seemed to her from the choking grip of anxiety to the peak or of exultant exultant ex- ex hope hOle and from hope down into the black depths o of despair The rain had started coming down downIn In torrents agaIn and the night was lit by occasional lightning flashes The downpour against the windows o of the taxicab mingled with the roar ot of thunder and of traffic made a 11 tremendous din and speech had to be pitched high If one wanted to make himself heard Mike H Hennegan looked for a long longtime longtime time at Mollie as she sat beneath the light In the taxicabs taxicab's ceiling As he watched their car turned Into Broadway from square The muscles ot of his throat t tightened and he began to think Mike Hennegan was nobody's fool foo Here Ivas as a woman he was saying t to himself who had stood just bout all any woman In in the world was capable o of standing First she had I been told that her son was dead Then she had been notified by the war department that he was alive and she had found him a human wreck Now Now-now even that wreck was lost Mike began to talk You know Prof he began in a casual shout that would be heard above the clatter o of the rain and the sounds of storm and traffic I Iwas 1 was born In New York It happened one morning when I was still very young It was on April Fools day and It was raining raining-raining gee gee- My oP 01 man looked out the window window win win- dow an the rain stopped I. I Yep Then he tied a string on the of 01 growler put a dime In it an dropped It out ot of the window Then he called down the rain pipe to Casey's bartender below Two minutes later he got the a office pull pulI on the string that meant the bartEnder had heard him an had tilled filled up the canAn canAn can An then It began to rain again Pat how it did rain I hope Prof you get the moral of what Im I'm tellin you Casey's bartender bartender bar bar- tender swore It was the rain that flooded the works yorks but when my of 01 man hauled up the can an saw what hed he'd caught he swore that someone had taken advantage of him You see It was April Fools Fool's day Ive I've been as sayin That's why Im I'm always sad on April Fools Fool's da day He paused and looked again at Mollie Elwell who was staring out of the window of the cab Another time Mike began but b before fore he could do any more o of his up the taxi slowed to a stop They were in front o of police pollee headquarters and Nellie Downing turned to Prof You and Mike stay here with Mollie she said making ready for tor tora fora a dash through the rain to the shelter shelter shel- shel ter of the building Ill have a general general gen gen- eral call sent out for Jim must have been picked up by this time He couldn't be on the street very long without attracting attention o of some traffic officer or someone who would turn him over to a policeman policeman police police- man Th The door slammed shut behind her se she Rhe darted out and across the sIdewalk Mike Hennegan leaned forward and tapped Pro Prof Elwell on the knee Im tell tellin in you Prof he said in ina a serious tone they dont don't make em eman an any finer than that little girl right there You ought tove seen the way shE took care o of us guys over In France when we was all gassed Ul up an shot up u uan an crazy an everything every every- thing Sometimes shed she'd be on duty for eighteen hours twenty twenty hours hours- at a stretch Ive I've seen her till she was ready to drop An Annever Annever never a word of complaint She's pure gold aU all right through an through through- Nellie Downing Is Did yOU ever hoar her complain Pro Prof I said Prot Prof earnestly all that you say she is She's IL a mighty sweet little woman Mollie Mollie Mol Mol- lie and I certainly owe her a lot for what she's done for tor us And you too Mike We Ve can never repay you If it hadn't been for tor you ou Mike lIke we might never have learned that Jim was alive God grant that hes he's still alive breathed Mollie In a 0 prayerful pra whisper She had drawn apart from the two men was listening to only halt o of what they said Pro Prof bowed his head for tor a second Mike he said presently tell me meis Is Nellie Downing in love with Jim Mollies Mollie's eyes shut quickly Her I mouth trembled And Mike pursed up hIs lips meditatively Well Nell he said staring out Into the rain I dont don't know as Im I'm a o of that She's been mighty good to him She's broke about every rule in the hospital the way she's attended to him She went down to Washington to straighten out his Identity an she paid for that out of her own pocket You know the morning she reported to the superintendent In Long Island she was technically on duty the minute she handed over her papers It was irregular her goin to Washington but the supe was a areal areal real gentleman He made a Job for forme me for tor Instance when I was down downan downan an out No I couldn't tell you whether site she was In love lore with him You'll have to judge for yourself Prof looked troubled What a shame he breathed But said Mike lIke the main thing is to find the lad Oh Prof Mollie I burst out do you ou think well we'll fInd him 1 lie patted her atm arm Of course Were We're bound to find him He cant can't run around loose without being picked up sooner or later by some policeman But will we fInd him alive Now Mollie l dont don't worry But I 1 cant can't help worrying Oh Jim Jim She turned away again to stare out the window Nellie Nel Downing came racing through the rain She climbed into the cab Were going to the Planet buildIng build build- Ing first to pick up Jack NevIn Meanwhile hes he's having Inquiries made at every hospital He talked to the officer In charge here and they're going to work their heads heads' of off to help us Oh Im I'm sure Jack will be a big help You say asked Prot Prof that this man Nevin left a leg over In France Yes And hes he's got a Congressional Congressional Medal o of Honor too Hes He's just a wonderful fellow and a fine newspaper man lie said he would help us all night If f necessary A few minutes afterward the cab stopped In front of the Planet buIlding A man moved out from the shelter o of the doorway He HeVa was Va hobbling on a crutch but he moved quickly and surely Mike Hennegan got out of the cab and helped him Ire In This said Nellie DownIng is Jack NevIn Nevin smiled Glad to know you all To Prof he said Tell the driver to take us to the Metropolitan tan h hospital spital The hospital Mollie Elwell cried Now dont don't be alarmed he he- hastened hastened has has- to reassure her Ive been asking questions It seems a man was brought In at the ret Met hospital Brought over from Broadway and Continued on Following P Pagel ge |
