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Show if MY HMD AM) I j BY J ANE PH ELPSjj j CHAPTIR CLVII. Clifford Investigate. I railed up Clifford' club. II. had not been ther that vnln; th telephone boy told me. I then tried the Gates hotel: often h met business mrn there. They had not seen him. We must find him!'- Elsie declared shivering. "I don't dare tro to bed until he comes home " "HUt I dim l Imps," I liesllsled. Wee-that Wee-that true? Didn't 1 feel sure that should 1 call Mabel Morton s I would find him? Khould 1 try? 1 answered mjaeir by hanalnff up the receiver. If 1 must be humiliated I would be no parly to It. There was no need yet of letting Elate know that Clifford spent his evenings, especially es-pecially this e,en(njr, the first of my return re-turn with another woman. "Come on. then, let'e get dressed and sit up for him," Kleie urged. 'I am almost frightened to death." I willingly followed her lead, but jiiat as we were dreeaed Clifford came. He 11a-tened 11a-tened to our explanations, aleo to Klsle's positive he had ben with Mrs. Il.irton; ! hut how ehoiild I ao about proving It? I did not wish to place myself In an em-harraeiitng em-harraeiitng situation: nor to hae Clifford Clif-ford knnw whet I waa doing Finally I derided to aek Muriel Krank-ln Krank-ln to mo calling wilh me; and on some pretense set her lo go to Mrs Horton s I Allhmigh Mabel Horton had been at my I home on two different occasions at Cllf". ! ford's requeal-she never had mentioned jniy calling, or Invited me to her home. , MURIEL GOES CALLING WITH MiLDBrn "' want to make a few ralla Muriel I won't you go along" 1 asked her over the telephone. "Just Informally tb thank In 1 person those who wens so kind whsnl Jmother paaaed away." 1 aduYd. "Indeed I do' I am so glad you pro- I posed It. Mildred I have a lot of calls I must pay If I expert to have a friend left in town, i n take the car. and call for you at J o'clock." It had been eaaler than I thought. I Muriel had fallen In with my plan so I easily. Kh waa at the door promptly at I: and you mar be sure I did not keep her waiting "Where ahall we go first she ssked. If you don't mind I'd Ilk to go to i Mre V nri ill.. " v. .. ti. i ... description or how 1 tried to una mm on the telephone. "You must tell us wher to find you, Clifford, when you go out." ah finished with all the freedom of near relative. "Where did you phone?" Clifford asked looking at me? ' "The club, and th dales," I anawre. That all-" Ye. Why?" tih. noihlng-elT you know I do not like to be called unless It is necessary," he told ne with a meaning took. We said nothing more and Clifford searched the house thoroughly hut could find no Idenre that anvone had been there aave the often window: which be waa Inclined to bellsv Kat had left open. MILDRED ANGERS CLIFFORD. After w went upstair I remarked to Clifford: '"Vou were at Mra. Horton' tonight," weren't you?" "td vou telephone there?" he sked, nurhlug angrily. "No- 1 ttidn't care lo hav Kiel know that the very firet evening we wer horn you had spent with snniher women." "Vou seem very sure," h snsered. "I am. " Neither of us spoke sgaln that night. HlH long after Clifford alepl 1 ley thinking think-ing of my "ruined life" as I railed It, and piiytng -myself because of ll. Then oil the hrrls of that thought cams Ihe memory mem-ory of Leonard ftrooke and hia love forme. for-me. v hy shouldn't I anatch what happl-liraa happl-liraa I could frotu the remaining yeara? I was poeitlvs there would be non unless I did. Ko L ton, finally fell asleep, my last conscious thought of lonard Hrook. I waa positive as If I had seen htm there that Clifford had been with Mabel Hot. street a did Mabel Horton. and I bad purpoaely mentioned her first. "Not at all: I II go with you. I haven't I seen her for sges." we egsln tsrted off In th car. Muriel dagaln start off In th car, Muriel I xclalmed: MR. NORTON'S HOME. I ',?)hU","',d! 1 " Mr"- Norton a! call. Hate owed It for weeks. I'iesse I come In with me It's awfully pnkv for1 you to sit In the car alone. We should ' have brought Rlaie along for company " I That waa Juat what I shouldn t hav si- I lowed her to do: although I did nut say I ao , "Why-yea-I'll go In. If you'll promise I lo explain to Mrs, Horton that I only did I so because you insisted. I should be em-Iwrrassed em-Iwrrassed otherwise, as I do not owe her a viait. 1 "I'll fli thst all rlghf Come along " j ,,' 1,r Horton Is In " Th lldv maid ' told us snd look our csrds "She will be doen III a moment," she Informed ua and I seated us In the drawing-room. I was Intensely curn.ua ss to this home ' my husband visited so often: and glanced , around with interest whli wsltlng. Muriel talked to me. but I scarcely heard a w ord , arte eaid so intent waa I upon examining my aurroiindinga The drawing room waa beautifully fur. ! niahed: all In moat exquisite taste Yet ' It looked very llvshle; Ju.t ,he kind of " .room s fnan like Clifford would appreciate. appre-ciate. He slwavs spoke ,.f the lack of hsr- ! mony In furnishing., and I h,id heard him j say hs wouldn't call at certam places he-hm"" he-hm"" rDor"' hd "PO" "Isn't her horn lovty?" Muriel asked! . "hisner just as I heard a step r i... 1 7 i ' " 1 "otlced some thing which caused m to almost lose my presence of mind. Tomorrow Mr. Horton Greet Hsr vjuest. ion and that had I telephoned her home 1 should hava found him there I knew It. yet I made up toy mind that I would flrM prove It; and then tell Clifford. 1 think I hat had I said nothing to Klnte of my unhappiness I should hsv hesitated hesi-tated before giving her mv confidence, or leMtiig her-know the condition of our affairs. Hut sha slreadv knew something very little of my unhappy life. If she knew mors It was Clifford a fault, not mine. Clais assets a Pramlss. KUie and Clifford talked a rood deal at hrekfMst of the atien.pt to enter th house, snd I could ses thst Klsts's nsr-I nsr-I vot'sneM had Its effect on htm. "Mildred isn't st sll nervous," hs said sfter one of hr outbursts, "ses how calmly calm-ly she takes it " "lon l foot yourself! Fhe Isn't as calm aa she eeei-ns. Hhe waa frightened almost to death laal night. 8h s too proud to own up." "But hd're not" Clifford laughed. "No, I'm not And. Clifford. I want you to' promts thst when you ara not com -teg horns you'd let ua know then we'll keep Kate or Mandy down with ua until you corns. '' All right, hut It U wry foolish. Clifford Clif-ford answered In a constrained manner whfch had absolutely no sffect on Elate. CHAPTER CLXIII. Tha very spirit of unrest wss upon me I thought of wnat I should da aa rt carried our lives Clifford's and mine I fell surs ha wss In love with Mabel Horton; that Ihe spent all -hia available time with her. I Hitlerly I dwelt upon the fact that when the raced hack after mother had been laid ' away, that it was probably to her be ; hurried. Hr range aa It may sem in view of what I believed -and what had happened I determined de-termined to assurs mysslf of Clifford's whereabouts the mght the burglsr aa we thought him had so frightened ua l.wagj |