Show the garb wiio came Q Q 0 by jack woodford 0 0 0 W N U CHAPTER XII 19 fred turned best for a few mo ments they croie through the wealthy suburb with Us neat lawns and hedges imposing homes and general air of fashionable snugness they came to the ridge road lillta turned to her companion with a question ft cere on earth are you going we re clear out of town are we not stopping the car be pointed far ahead to a new building there it Is he told her brieby there were no other near it lillta followed fred into the house she thought it strange that be opened the door with a pass key but dla missed this thought with another one that probably the servants had not yet been brought out from the watterson borne come upstairs fred directed and take off your things this request too struck lillta as strange there ft as an ominous brood lag silence in the bouse bicken only by the peals of thunder from without and the patter of rain like shot against the windows fred led the ray upstairs there was a lovely bedroom suite in the room all in glistening white trimmed tiny of gold khe stood before the bed and removed her bat As she laid it down she bap bened to glance into the mirror upon the dressing table fred was locking the door and watching her warily al most numb with fright she etral glit ened up and faced him trying to speak courageously athy are you locking that door fred rudy had a line in the sheik in answer to a question like that it was are sou not woman enough to know you mean then said lillta spar ring for time that your reform has all been a sham he averted bis eyes ko lt want it was on the clevel and still Is but ive got to have you I 1 m asking you once more to marry me my father isn t here won t be here until tomorrow oo 00 one here but you and L there were one or two servants but ive sent them away I 1 m sorry but I 1 m simply mad about you lillta I 1 iv struggled against the desire to force you to marry me this way but it s no use I 1 in weaker than I 1 supposed the thought of you torments me day and night loure the only girl I 1 ever wanted badly that I 1 have bolitas glance darted about the room there was no other door ex copt one that led into what she could bee waa merely another emiller room 1 ui connection with the bedroom the windows however looked more pro v it coulden couldn t be much of a drop from them to the ground she darted toward one and flung herself against it hoping that a catch would give way but none did and quick as a flash he flew across the room to seize her in his arms fred I 1 she managed though her breath whistled through her teeth so that her words were hardly intelligible doltl hang on to yourself youve been decent for so long wan this battle with yourself and ct me out of it a man for a moment he looked at her with an almost idiotic helplessness slackening his hold with a wrench she managed to throw him off and rush toward the door but he removed the key from the furiously she swung about upon him as he followed her you beast 1 she said placing both hands upon his chest and endeavoring to hold him from her dont you real ize that you can be sent to jail for abl sort of thing release me immediate ly im through arguing with you youre rotten throughout let me go cow and say nothing about it if you dont III have you attended to the moment I 1 do get out he laughed nl teemed to become every moment a re like the man he had been the ret time abe bad seen him this time all restraint seemed to leave him he handled her brutally and though she fought him with every acce of strength in her body she bepin to feel the futility of it tier strength was no possible match tor his her muscles were almost limp her lack of resistance he picked her op bodily in hla arms but th one lasi vigorous writhe into alch she threw all of the strength at she had left she managed again to free herself and run across the room blindly she snatched up the ittle white and gold chair from be re the dressing table As he charged t her she brought t down upon bla 1 bead immediately there was a frightful m wet in the room ne lay clied t before her his forehead red with E ner body ached from the astren oos exertion of fighting him oft hei at hang from her in there bis rip to tier ekert and ona ol 01 her stockings had come down pain fully almost instinctively she mm aged to git down the otter tate ing the bey his hip pocket in an alcove near the front door she found a telephone without consciously realizing her actions sha epol e the number into the transmitter after a long wait the switchboard girl told her that mr was not there half fainting but keeping herself conscious almost by sheer strength of will ehe called the newspaper office after a seemingly interminable wait came the soft busly voice like a voice from heaven in gasps she blurted out what had mr stopped only to ascertain the exact location of the bouse assuring her he would be there as soon as his car could make it after hanging up the receiver she sat for a time limply in the chair by the phone then a new fear laying itself upon her heart she went back upstairs fred watterson lay just as she had left him ills face was chalky white in an agony of fear she went into the bathroom tilled a glass with water snatched up a washcloth and came back to bathe his bead it seemed that she had been n ashing the cut on his forehead and holding back alie blood for hours when suddenly slie became aware that some one was standing over her she looked up into the stern face of gray ayes who stood looking down at her with a peculiar questioning expression in his hard bright eyes did don know that yon were coming out here with walter her strength was no possible match tor his own son he asked her as soon as she looked up yes slie answered too and distrait to reflect upon the oddity of the question you told him all about it and he approved yes slie answered again this seemed for some reason greatly to please him he turned and made a motion and lillta saw two men who had been standing in a doorway come forward they bent over watterson and examined him briefly one of them took a flak from bis and forced the contents liberally down the others throat fred gasped and choked cut on he bean announced one of the men shortly nothing to it both of the men stood up and looked at gray lies be in turn looked down at I 1 red as though he were about to kick him I 1 ought to kill jou gray eyes said in a level tone aw I 1 know she was yours objected fred in a voice so exactly ikc lkc he one be had used in speaking to her in the grantham Grant bam apartments that lillta started with a last con look at watterson gny lyea grasped lillta a arm and took her downstairs how did you know I 1 was in brou trou ble again she asked after a moment as be pi used tor something in the hall kno v h 11 there chasn t been a moment since you left mrs hordi a that I 1 invent had my eyes on ou every one of my men was always itching you several times I 1 had a ir and to step in and help you out but I 1 was kind of proud of the way ou were making out all by yourself your it tickled me to see you actually writing stuff that was worth money to people who publish maga alnes Wh cros the telephone in this place lulita pointed it out to him and presently heard him talking to some doctor only a flesh wound no fracture but you better come and cauterize it against infection just ns gray les rejoined her in the half the front door was showed violently open and don rushed through a ro volver in his hand his face as white ns had been thit of the injured man upstairs ue stopped blankly upon seeing gray eyes with lillta for full minute he stood blinking at them and then his face reddened and a bitter smile stole over his features I 1 guess you have a pretty capa ble protector he said ironically tie turned about to leave at the door he swung about and observed 1 I maht have known would get here before I 1 did he s a fast worker alt a second snapped gray pies but the door was banged shut lillta too numb with misery to care much wl at went on allowed herself to be led through the door to a wait ing car all of the way back she sat huddled up too to several times gray ryes reached over to pat her shoulder but he said noth ing he too was ing at her home lie assisted her from the car took her to her room with drew and closed the door soon how ever he was back with the landlady lillta sitting silently in a chair saw that the wonna was shoving a yellow backed bill into a pod ct in her apron 1 I dont want you to let her out of your sight one second until 1 come back he said to the woman in that peremptory voice of his she nodded and sat down in another chair again gray lies went out and closed the door after a few moments ahe woman rose and grossed to lillta a side U I 1 girlie she in a sad discouraged cou raged voice whatever it ts dont tal e it so bird life Is always like this you just gotta get used to it I 1 here was no response from lillta who still sat stunned cepl ing as though slie were in the midst of some beautiful temple which for no apparent reason at all was crashing in bulna down upon her in an effort to divert her mind the woman pointed to a package which lay upon the dresser something came for ou while yon was out slie said hopefully lillta followed the woman s gaze to the hu reau top there lay the package that contained the serial rejected of course I 1 CHAPTER XIII after a time I 1 allta rose from hei chair to throw herself face downward upon the bed tier slim body shook with the agony of the sobs that feurst from her until she was empty of tears she cried while the landlady horrified at such grief tried to reason with her knowing nothing of her problem what cut lillta most was to think that having fought and won a battle with himself with the thought of her aiding him to do it should think after ull that she was a superficial disingenuous garl perhaps he would lapse back into bis old way of looking at life certain it wag at any rate that she would never see him again bitterly she resolved lo 10 give up it was no use once one made a misplay in life the cards were forever stacked against one but astonishing ly she found that even in this her darkest hour the still small voice within her counseled fight and cour age the thought at last soothed her into a troubled sleep and she drifted off on the reflection that she would not give up she would fight on and upward no matter how severe the hat tie might become surely some day some way there would be an end to all her troubles and some small re ward tor her courageousness in not having stayed down when lillta awoke it was dark tn the room and she found that the landlady worn out by her vigil inspired by gray ayes had fallen asleep she arose and turned on the light whole body ached and some scratches on her arms were smarting painfully the landlady woke up with a start well mercy happened she said sleepily plenty observed lillta bitterly come downstairs with me suggest ed the woman and get you some thing to eat it s nearly eight 0 clock she added glancing at the clock upon the bureau J eat lillta told her I 1 d like to take a bath and get dressed up decently these clothes are torn to pieces in the little room with the door shut she stripped off her torn gar dents and turned on the water her companion was spinning some long odyssey of a misspend misspent mis spent life which to lillta was just a drone own thoughts were so poignant so colorful that she could make no sense out of what the other said TO BB CONTINUED |