Show 0 B ImD 1 e. e ti FICTION NEA e fi 1926 q C a Ernest I L n WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE To the home of Prof and Mollio l Elwell In Ind one I night ight in October 1898 is brought a woman who had fainted on a train That night twin girls are born bol to her and she dies without revealing her name The story then moves forward eighteen years The twins now growing to beautiful womanhood v l have been adopted and named name l Margaret Mar Mar- garet and anc Elizabeth They are called Rusty and Bett Betty Jim Elwell the son enlists in the World orld war He then discovers that one of the twins loves him He ll is shell shocked at the battle ot of Sedan and at first is reported dead Later he is identified at aNew a aNew New York hospital and his mother and father hasten to him to find that his memory Is gone that he heis heis is like a livin living dead man Specialists despair of his recovery recovery ery believing an mi might ht ha be unsuccessful and S no well I The day his his his' parents parents' parents nr to to take k him home Jim wanders wande-rs away and Mollie Prof Nellie Downing a nurse nurse and Mike Hennegan Henneg-an take up the pursuit Jack Nevin a newspaper man loins joins then them NOW BEGIN THE STORY CHAPTER I Prof Elwell was quick to change the subject What street is this he asked curiously ot of Jack Jacl Nevin ThIrd avenue said the reporter Good heavens ejaculated Prof and shuddered Mrs 1 Elwell and I have some recollection of ot Third avenue that are not pleasant lie He was referring he explained to their fir first t night in a New York hotel Where he wen went ton on Is s this hospital were we're going to Its on Island Prof spoke up Hennegan Henneg-an with a agrin grin It rubs ell elbows with a a swell summer resort t Nellie Downing Downin pinched hIs armLet arm Let up p on t the e funn funny cracks she he said f severely to Hennegan Mollie and Prof Elwell are not In the humor tonight for comedy Jack Jacl Nevin Evin was eyeing th the young with something more than casual interest Prof Elwell watching watch watch- ing the crIppled reporter thought he detected something akin to admIration ad- ad admiration in his look Ile He fervently hoped that he vas was right an anti l that Nevin was well regarded In turn He had his reason did Prof Elwell The name Blackwells Blackwell's Island had struck a familiar chord in Mollie 1 Elwell's memory Blackwells Blackwells Black wells Island he repeated a. a shade of anxiety In her lter voice there therea a prison on that island Workhouse replied Jack Kevin briefly Used to be a a It is where New NewYork York now sends her petit larceny thieves and some of her dope addicts Metropolitan hospital is at one end of the island which is reached from Queensboro bridge by means or of an elevator He glanced out t the e window a as the 4 s ae r t r 1 v t f hA s. s Are You ou sure ItS It'S Jim Are you surer sure I taxIcab rounded a corner Then he turned to Nellie Downing Downin Were Vere almost to the bridge now he said You and I he repeated will go In first remember Nellie Nellte Downing nodded and again Mollie shot an an anxious Inquiring look at them Youre not keeping keePing back anything anything any any- thing from me me are you Nellie she asked It If you are I dont don't believe believe be- be lieve Ill I'll be able to stand It Tell TeIl me the truth Nellie Tell me Is Jim Jim Jim-is is he- he she was unable to finish her sentence Nellie g laid laid a hand band on her arm No dear but you know were we're not certain yet that It Is Jim All we know ls' ls that a young man with a gray suit was taken to the hospital lie He had fallen faIlen off a street streetcar streetcar car and he cant can't talk All I know about It is what 11 1 Nevin here has told us all Jack Jacl Nevin nodded the truth Were We're not at atall all ail certain its it's your son We Ve dont don't want to make any ny more fuss In the hospital than we have to to and Miss 1 DownIng and I can get in to see him wl without hout any trouble whereas I you might be held up Mr NevIn added the young nurse will go in and find out and hurry right back to tell teIl you It If It is Jim Prof Elwell implored implored im- im her for heavens heaven's sake dont don't keep us w waiting any longer than you have to tot lie He looked Io at Nellie Downing significantly significantly sig- sig turning his eyes covertly toward his wife vite The nurse nodded She understood under under- stood The taxicab presently came to a astop astop stop within the inclosure of the vehIcle elevator It began Immediately Imme- Imme immediately to descend A few minutes later the cab again came to a stoP slap this time in n front of the entrance to the Metropolitan hospital Jack Nevin and Nellie Downing stepped out The storm now was subsiding The rain min came down thinly and only an occasional faint tumble rumble of thunder thunder thun- thun der could be heard Overhead a astar astar star or two made Itself visible Mollie Elwell held tightly to to her husbands husband's hand Mike Hennegan Henneg-an puckering his Ups lips in al' al soundless I whistle poked his head through the opening to the drivers driver's seat and engaged their John Jehu in n conversation Somebody killed that worthy asked No Mike Hennegan began to explain Tough the driver commented I was overseas myself driving a truck Didn't get a scratch but I Ivo ve seen a a. lot ot of POI Dot sons of guns get theirs Who's the lady it i 1 there the boys boy's mother Mike nodded Too bad He lIt a cis-aret cis offered of- of the pack to Mike Hennegan who accepted and the two smoked In n silence A doorman meanwhile was conducting conducting con con- ducting Jack Nevin and Nellie Downing to the supervisors supervisor's office There Nellies Nellie's ned lied Cross uniform I gained immediate recognition and they were taken at on once e to the ward where the new arrival who did not talk had been put to bed man who lay there sleeping was not JIm Elwell One glance told Nellie D that their Quest f for or Jim had not ended A nurse saId lie Ita beg began 1 to talk just before he went to sleep Miss Downing and the one legged reporter went welt back to the supervisors supervisor's supervisors supervisor's super super- visors visor's office lie He doesn't look any more like our man than I do was her disappointed dis- dis dis-d dis appointed comment The supervisor smIled The victim she added had a three days das growth of heard on his face for foOl one Ole thing Jim was freshly shaved Jack NevIn shrugged his shoulders shoulders ders and braced his crutches beneath be- be neath him My Iy story he said brIghtly goes just like that Your story Nellie Downing repeated re- re What do you mean your story Surely youre you're not not- I lIe stole a shrewd look at the lit littie little lit lit- tie tle lady he had met In France Her r face wore vore an expression of shocked d surprise and a touch of severity Privately he told himself that she sh e looked pretty this way too Then he straightened up an and d permitted himself another and a a. longer look at her lie He shook hi his s head sadly Tell TeIl me please he asked and the query though whimsical was in I nowise flippant tell me how do you get that way It was wall calmly spoken It was as thOugh he be had asked Do you prefer prefer pre pre- fer asparagus to artichokes She eyed him calmly lIow do doI I II I get that way she came back at him quickly What are you OU talking talk talk- ing about Jack Nevin fumbled in a pocket of his coat and produced a package or of lIe drew one out and took it between his fingers What are you thinking about he countered Im thinking she ehe told him I crossly that you'd better get busy and talk to your Smart police Ile He smiled good Where here Nellie asked him in n I softer accents do we go from I here Search me Ill III get busy pron- pron to lie He began to hobble away Ill ask my good friend the captain captain cap cap- tain he turned to inform her and looked around for tor a telephone Ills His roving eyes encountered a booth lie He hopped across to it i Nellie Downing heard him drop the coin and saw him take down the re- re Left to her thoughts again she was assailed by a thousand fears and mis misgivings She began to think began of Jim lying dead somewhere perhaps per per- haps hap at the bottom ot of a river I Why Vh she accused ed herself had she been so careless as to leave him even for tor a few brief minutes To have nursed him so long she said aloud and to have this horrible thing happen on the dray day before he was to leave for home oh I cant can't forgive myself Inside the telephone booth Jack JackI Nevin was tras saying Hello HelIo Cap This is Nevin out at Met Iet hospital I I got a bum steer steer- out here The young fellow they picked up Is the wrong party part Got any more dope at the Ule hospital end of the wire Then Then- that What You surE all alI the particulars Oh what a hell helI of a shame Silence a scam crain Then with a Goodbye e Cap thanks he hun hung up the receiver pushed open thedoor the door and bracing his crutches under un- un der his arms made his way out His HIli lace face was very grave Miss Downing he said slowly softly step here a minute E un I N w him quickly V. O Jim Elwell is lo 0 Yes Nellie cried her breath going in one big gasp Now get a grip on yourself yourself- Nellie All right She nodded and the awful look lookin lookin in her eyes hurt him cruelly Well ell hes he's in Bellevue hospital wIth a fractured skull Jilt Hit by a truck at Fourteenth and Broad Broad- way ay Nellie Are Arc you sure Its It's Jim Downing plucked pitifully at his coat sl sleeve eve Are they sure ThEY found a letter in his coat pocket Tack lack NevIn Nevin- said ad dressed to Mrs 1 Edwin Ocean View Staten up the place and got all the d lie He for fOI It a breath lIes done for tor they say j chance for him Y ty to his folks Better Detter let m to them by de deeP rear Its floor that pretty mother O she gets it all at Ile He lie He lurched forward el 01 crutches and caught at af Downing as her body f toward the floor To ro be continued Mollie Elwell hears h ars that c is dying in in the next her her spirit is is utterly crushed |