Show TENTH INSTALMENT TANGLED THREADS A A ring on the finger is a badge of ot slavery that women are generally proud to wear especially when it is isan isan isan an engagement ring with a sparkle of ot diamonds like lile the price mark of a princess saying See how much I cost or He Ho must love me a a alot lot to have hav spent so much money o oil this diamond advertisement When Freneau Frenean slipped the tIle gleaming circlet on a Glorias Gloria's orlas orla's finger she had laughed with joy over it never dreaming that he lie had bought it on credit and mentioned her name as security and still less dreaming that he had not yet freed himself from I Ithe the engagement to f J cpis pis js I When Freneau died the gems that had looked to Gloria like jeweled I laughter became teardrops of undying I grief She had taken a dismal pleasure pleasure pleas- pleas I j j ure in kissing the ring and talking to j 1 I it as to her lost lover When her t tender heart yielded 1 to the jealousy of her father and to his authority and she surrendered the ring to him her finger seemed to be suddenly naked linked and ashamed of itself Her I fathers father's delight in his victory became only selfishness ess and an ab abuse se of parental parental parental pa pa- rental control Her very finger acl ached ed to have its ring back and she determined to go goto goto goto to her father and demand it She went down th the stairway to his library with a resolute step She marched in upon him H He looked lonesome in his big dark room at his game of sol aol Her mother had been dead for years and the little girl and boy boyhe boyhe boyhe he had raised had outgrown him David David David Da Da- vid was married and living in another another another an an- other house Gloria had planned to leave him She had as it were packed up her heart for departure In her own loneliness she understood his The look of determination in her face changed to one of pity She felt more like her fathers father's mother than like a rebellious daughter Sho She decided decided de de- de to postpone the quarrel for tor the ring for a few minutes He had not heard her so she coughed The look of joy that brightened brightened brightened bright bright- ened his eyes when they rested on her filled her with tenderness He pushed back his cards and opened I his arms to her her She ran to him I and seated herself on the arm of of his chair embracing him and twisting his white hair into a single spear as she had done from childhood My own little Gloria has come homo home again he groaned in a childish childish child child- ish lab rapture that showed how blue and deserted he had felt And youre you're not going to leave me again are you j I Never daddy never she sighed You poor old widower you widower you have a little widow for a child You'll never lose me now That did not satisfy him either Oh yes I will he answered Your smiles will come back and some day lay daya laya I a handsome man man man- Hush she said and put her finger finger fin fin- finger ger across his lips Dont say it It seemed treachery of the basest sort to discuss such a topic She bent her head in apology to the memory o of oC her ller lover Her downcast eyes caught a sparkle in the depth of or her fathers father's waistcoat pocket She knew that it was the ring he had taken from front her He had not yet put nut it In Inthe Inthe inthe the safe or thrown it into the river Gloria was startled Her lips parted to speak the demand she slie had come cometo cometo to make But her father was staring staring star star- ing lug Into the fire with such a contented contented con con- contented tented look that she could not bear to start such a scene as he would be sure to make He was a great man manfor manfor manfor for getting what he wanted and keep keep- ing fg it once it was got g The diamond blinked at her and seemed to say Steal me He took me ma by bv force take me back hack by stealth I 1 belong to you Gloria had had no previous experience experience as a pickpocket but she Understood understood understood un un- how exciting the profession must he be Her father was an unsuspecting unsuspecting and an easy victim She had only to lay her cheek against his as asa asa asa a blindfold and her hair got Into bis his eyes and made him squirm she recaptured the ring She was afraid at once that he ho would miss it ft speak of it reach for it and find it gone She dared not linger Go back bacle to your cards you old darling she said kissed him half a R dozen good nights and left She ran up to her room and set the ring in place again on her fin finger er She rejoiced in it a moment Then her lien heart sank Her father would not nott t erate a combination of disobedience and robbery The main thing was to keep the ring She put It on a little littie little lit lit- tle tie chain and nd fastened it about her neck rieck And there she wore it until her quest was ended and she sho had learned the truth Much time and many adventures lay between this night and that day Her father went vent back to his soli son taire and did not miss tulsa the ring for I hours Then he raised a mighty pother He had the old butler on all fours tours looking everywhere for the ring He even had tho the ashes In the fireplace sifted He suspected everybody every every- body but Gloria She was asleep Ina in ina ina a loneliness that was so somewhat as as- s. s d by her fidelity and her mission mis mis- sion i C C The next morning Gloria set about her task with an analytical mind She he read in the morning paper that Frank the tho partner of the late hate Richard Richard Rich Rich- ard Freneau had decided to incorporate Incorporate I rate ate the firm under tinder the name of ot Frank r. r l Inc It made her angry to think 0 of this businesslike haste But she realized that after all she knew nothing of and that he lie must know a great deal teal about her poor Freneau He was the first man to visit She was happy In Ill in this de de- de- de termination Her I brother David dropped in to say Lois and I had hada a little but we have llave made up Were We're going to the country house for a new honeymoon Come along you two and have some sonie skating and skiing and toboggan work Gloria shook her head She had other work to do ho lien Her father urged her lien to make the change of scene She said she would think it over but she did not intend to go as she planned to sp spend nd her wits on Frank MuIr As soon as she could get rid of her father and brother she ordered her own car out for the long voyage down down- town Frank was not at his Isis office ice when she arrived He lie had been summoned summoned summoned sum sum- to Dr Royces Royce's office by tele tele- I I j I I I phone Thinking that Royce Hoyce probably wanted a tip on the market and eager always for a new customer lost no time in obeying the summons H He found Royce Hoyce in a grim humor and not at all polite Mr Royce began every word as sharp as a surgeons surgeon's knife you know more about Richard Freneau's FreI Freneau's Fre Fre- neau's affairs than you would like to I tell in open court Miss Stafford Is suspicious of everybody who ever knew Freneau I imagine that she will look you up It is the wish of her father and of myself that she shall not find out what a scoundrel the man was We Ve want to spare her herat herat herat at least till she grows much stronger and time has healed her wounds a lit lit- tle the It is to your interest as much muchas as ours to keep her in the dark darl You I know how those letters were mailed and those telegrams sent You know I why Freneau played that horrible trick on the poor gIrl he was engaged en to I merely wish to warn you that if you see Miss Gloria Stafford Stafford Staf Staf- I ford coming doming your way you get out of her sight no matter how or when If you dont don't you'll be mixed up In Ina Ina ina a murder trial that may may- prove disastrous dis to you and your business usual smile was twisted into a look of o. He Ho had more nore reasons than even Ro Royce Ro-ce ce suspected for wishing to keep the searchlights of ot the press and the police out of his office orrice He was uncertain of the manner of Freneau's death but the published hints of suicide for financial finan cial reasons had put into I finan-I new financial difficulties He had used the money Freneau had borrowed of Glorias Gloria's father to save himself from froma a crash He was afraid that Stafford would demand it back at any moment I an and he could face such a d demand mand K l Furthermore his part in the writing writ writ- ing lag of the letters and the sending of ot them and the this telegrams from the various various va va- va- va rious cities was one that he lie could not pleasantly explain He could think of no sie good goodS lie to tell and the last person on earth he wanted to meet was Gloria Stafford Fortunately for him h he was at I I Royces Royce's office when Gloria arrived arrived at his She was received by an Impertinent Imper young stenographer who hio ho appeared ap ap- ap unable to spare time from her gum chewing and her appraisal of ot Glorias looks and clothes to impart any useful information Gloria said she would like to leave leavea a note for Mr The stenographer pher pointed to a table whereon lay writing materials Gloria sat down to Invite Mr to call upon her Now Lois Stafford had else also an im I portent errand at this office l Her er i whole future futuro and reputation lay in the packet of letters that Freneau had promised to return to her She was wag sure that they were not on his body for had they been found the newspapers or the police would have mentioned them soon enough To recover recover re reo cover those letters was now her prime purpose in life She thought of as the one most likely to b be in possession of Freneau's effects so she called on never dreaming that Freneau had told him of her own interference in i his plans to wed Gloria or that collaborated with Freneau in innis his nis elaborate scheme to trick both n women Least of ot all did Lois dream dream- that Gloria herself would be at Mul Mul- ry rys ry's s office The stenographer was more impressed by Lois' Lois clothes than by her attempt to be casual In her hero Inquiry as to l the Papers of poor o r Mr Freneau The stenographer murmured to the bookkeeper Two swell dames campin campin on Mr trail the same day Something goIn on here that aint gettin into the letters he dictates die dic dic- dic tates to me So she did not tell Lois of Glorias Gloria's presence and Lois Lola went away jn in n a turmoil of ot anxiety almost as great as that in Glorias Gloria's mind when she heard Lois ask about poor Mr Freneau A knife of Jealousy went wont into Glorias Gloria's heart and a a. hideous intuition that her lien beloved Dick might have bewitched I Lois as Ie e bewitched herself Those Thosa I eyes of his had bad been perhaps a little too winning I She rebuked herself for allowing the suspicion even to flit through her brain and began her note to Her eye fell tell on the letterhead The Tho branch offices of ot the brokerage firm were wore listed In an upper corner Albany Al Al- Albany bany B Buffalo Cleveland Detroit Chicago Chi Chi- cago cage St. St Louis Pitts Pittsburg burg A new suspicion suspicion sus sus- sus- sus stabbed Gloria The telegrams telegrams tele tele- grams and nd letters in Dicks Dick's writing had be been n sent from Just those cities in m just that order Yet he had been dead nead when they were sent The earliest explanation was the true one and Gloria guessed It it im lIP lIP- mediately He could have sent them to the branch offices in advance to tobe be he sent to her in order or or he lie could have nave thorn them to someone trav- trav cling eliu the round of ot the offices office Her IIer Intuition hit on the truth without knowing it The very ease of the trick disgusted her She felt herself herself herself her her- self in the shadow of some hateful conspiracy She began bega 1 to doubt her own memory as to the tao letters and telegrams the letter she had begun begun be be- gun and thrusting it into her handbag handbag hand hand- bag she left heft the office telling the stenographer that tat she would telephone telephone telephone tele tele- phone to Mr The elevator seemed to drop out beneath her ner as asher asher asher her whole trust in man and love had falen fallen from under her She reached her motor and told the driver to tomake tomake make malte haste for home The crowded traffic with its delays maddened her and when she reached her house at last she was in a frenzy She ran up to her desk took from the strong box the let letters rs and nd telegrams telegrams tele- tele grams of her lover hover and compared them with wih the letterhead laying them outdate outdate out outdate date by date There they were the same towns in the same order like a loathsome time table of deceit Her lien love hove revolted at the very picture of Freneau She Sho lost all al self sel control and cried at it i Whoever killed fe you and whatever his reason was you lied led to me Dick You never loved me and anti I 1 dont don't love you any more I wont won't wear mourning mourning mourn mourn- ing lag fox for you any more She SIte rang her lien bell bel furiously and ordered ordered or or- dered her heI startled started maid to bring brig herthe herthe her herthe the brightest gown in her lien wardrobe She caught it i from t the e maids maid's hands and drove the girl out then fling fling- ng- ng I lug ing the riotous color colors about her black gown l like hka a scarf she roke roke-nto roke into a dance flinging her lien lithe body into postures of joy and crying cring out ont that she w was s happy and that her heart would never be the fool tool of love lve a again ain But lint she was wis not strong and her lien hysteria wore out speedily Her heart swung back bace t to its love again and she fell fel across the divan sobbing sobbing sob sob- bing Forgive me Dick I believe you in spite spie of the world I 1 love you in spite spie of everything and Ill I'll Il find out the truth The truth The truth C C C S C C CAnd And now it would have have been hard to say whether Glorias Gloria's Gorias Goria's motive was one of loyalty to Freneau or suspicion lon of him She had bad to acquit acqui him of worse than murder before the court courtot of ot her own heart hear as much as to I avenge him If I he lie was the victim of some conspiracy she wa was the tle victim vic vie tim tm of his lila The riddle maddened her lien with its Is uncertainties That visit of Lois to office seemed to involve her lien In Freneau's duplicity Lois had confessed to stealing the photograph of Freneau I She had said that she planned to have a miniature made Dade for Gloria Goria i But this seemed now to be only a hasty excuse a desperate lie le to hide a discovered theft She decided to question Lois f further But Lois was going to her country ter home Gloria Goria had decided not to go Now she decided de do- that she would She went to Lois' Lois house to tell her so I ITo To her Dr Royce was there He was saying to Lois that I Gloria Goria was on the hunt and warning her lien to bo be both a bett bet better r wife wie than she had been and a more discreet woman woman just just such a warning as he had lied given had already taken the this doctors doctors doctor's doc tors tor's advice He had invited himself hImsel to the this country home of a friend of his lila a home not far from David Staffords Staffords Staffords Staf Staf- fords In eluding Gloria Goria he lie had set setout setout setout out for the very ver region which she was about to visit in her Investigation of ot Lois Gloria did not hear what Dr Royce was saying to Lois when she was shown into the tle living room But she saw that they were talking excitedly and that her appearance disconcerted them Goda Gloria was so disconcerted at this that she could hardly explain her |