| Show f I f fi J Dail ati rr r r it 7 vY ir r T fl vv K jl kY vj vl w i lr is t y N lA tr 1 r ti Jr t t g J s G SY SYNOPSIS SIS I Lawrence Blakeley lawyer p goes oca to toI I J with tho forged notes In the Bronson Branson ease to get the deposition of or John GUmore millionaire I In tho the latter's house ho fa Ie attracted by the picture of or a a. aIrl Irl whom explains Is his granddaughter granddaughter grand grand- daughter Alison West He says sas her father father fa fa- ther her Is a a. rascal and a friend of or tho the forg forg- er r. r A lady Indy requests to Lo buy her herf f Pullman ticket He gives gl her lower eleven leen and d retains lower Jower ten He lie finds a aman man maIn In a a drunken le en stupor In lower ten and goes es to to bed bed In in lower lower Jower nine He Ile awakens awa awa- kens ens In lower seven en and finds that his nap nap- g and clothes are missing The man manin manin manto in to lower ten tn Is found round murdered His name It develops Is Simon Harrington ton The Tho man who disappeared with Blakeley's Blakes Blake Blake- leys ley's Is suspected Blakeley becomes becomes be be- comes Interested In a 0 girl idI In blue Clr Clr- e evidence places Blakeley und under under un un- d der r n of or murder The train Is isi f i wrecked p loo Blakeley Is rescued from the burning car by the girl In lu blue Ills Ins arm armis la is broken CHAPTER CHAPT R VIII VIII-Cont VIII VIII Continued Her voice and my grin arm were bring bring- bringing tug ing me the to my senses I hear bear I saidI said t 1 r D I I Ill Ill I'll 1 sit up In a second Are you hurt Burt r No only bruised Do you think you yon can walk I I J drew up one foot toot after aCter another ly They seem to move all alI right I remarked dubiously Would you mind t tolling telling me where the back of my my head has has' gone I cant can't help thinking it isn't there She made a quick examination Its pretty badly bumped she said You must have fallen on it T r had bad got up on my uninjured elbow by that time but tho pain threw me back Dont look at the wreck I entreated her Its no sight for Cor a woman If U-U U If there Is any way to tie up this arm I might be able to do something There Thero may be people under un un- under der those tl oSe cars caret carst l I Then It Is s to-o to too late ate to help she replied replied replied re re- plied solemnly A little shower of feathers each carrying its fiery erY lamp blew over us from some burning pil pil- low tow A part of the wreck collapsed with a crash In a resolute te endeavor to play a mans man's part in the tragedy going on all around I got to o my kne knees s. s Then I realized what I h had d not noticed noticed no no- j be before ore The hand and wrist of the broken left arm were Jammed through the handle of the sealskin grip I gasped and sat down sudI sud sud sud- I denly f You Toa must not do that the girl insisted I 1 noticed now that she kept her back to ta the wreck her eyes avert avert- ed The weight of the traveling bag must mast be agony Let me support rt the vaU valise e until we can get it cut off t Will it have to be cut off oil I ked asked as calmly as possible There were were red hot stabs of agony clear to tomy tomy toray my ray neck but bot we were moving slowly away from the track Yes she replied with dumfound dumfound- d- d I 1 ing coolness If n I t I had a knife I could could do do do It myself You might sit here and l lean n against this fence Dy fly that time my returning faculties had realised that she was going to cut of the satchel not the arm The dizziness dizziness diz diz- iness was leaving and I was gradually gradual gradual- ly becoming myself If jn you pull pall it might come I sug bested ested And with th that t weight gone I I think think I 1 will cease to be five feet eleven Inches of baby She tried gently to loc loosen sen the handIe handIe handle han han- dIe dle but it would not move and at last with great drops of f cold perspiration over me I had bad to give up Im Tin afraid I cant can't stand it I said 1 But theres there's a knife somewhere around these clothes and If I can find it perhaps perhaps perhaps per per- haps you can cut the leather As I gave her the knife kniCe she turned it over examining it with a peculiar expression bewilderment rather than surprise But she said nothing She Sheet yet et to work deftly and In a few mins minutes minutes min min- utes the bag dropped free better I declared sitting tip up Now if you can pin my sleeve I io to my coat it will support the arm armo o 0 we can call get away from here The pin might give she objected and the Jerk would be terrible She looked around puzzled then she got up comin coming back in a minute with a draggled partly scorched sheet This Rhe tore into a large square and after she he had folded it she slipped it under I tho broken arm and tied it securely at the back of my neck The relief was immediate and picking picking picking pick pick- ing up the sealskin bag I walked slowly slowly slow slow- ly iy beside her away from the track The first act was ov over r the curtain fallen The scene e war wat struck CHAPTER IX The Halcyon Breakfast i We Ve were still sUll dazed I think for w we wandered like two troubled children our Ur one idea at first to get as far farAway faraway Away way as we could from the tho horror behind beHind be be- Hind Us as us We were both bare head headed r d grimy through the grit Gilt Now and then we met little groups groups of coun country try folk Ik hurrying to the track they the stared at ta tm m curiously and some wished to question cIS as But Dut we hurled hur ned led pant past them we had put the wreck j behind OB 00 That way lay madness Only OBly once moo t the e girl Irl turned and looked look look- ed oed behind her bel The fhe wreck was hid hid- den Jen but b the smoke e cloud hung heavy c rand tand nd dente dense For the first first time I Ire re remembered remembered re- re that my companion had not been glans on the train It It t Is ft h qu it here nere I sn suggested If sr il 1 j I d' d t n wn on nn the J 1 will J go back and make some Bomo inquiries Ive I've been criminally thoughtless Your traveling companion companion- She Interrupted me and something of her sp splendid poise was gone Please dont don't go back she said I Iam Iam lam l I am afraid It would be of no use And AndI I I dont don't want to be left alone Heaven knows I did not want her ber to tobe tobe tobe be alone I was more than content to walk along beside her aimlessly for tor any length of time Gradually as she lost the exaltation of the moment I Iwas Iwas Iwas was gah gaining ng my normal condition of n mind Ind I was beginning to realize reaUze t that at atI I had lacked the morning grace of a shave that I looked like some lost hope of yesterday and that my left shoe pl pinched outrageously A man does not rise triumphant above such handicaps The girl for all her her- disordered disordered disordered dered hair and the crumpled linen of her waist In spite of her het missing hat and the small gold bag that hung forlornly forlornly forlornly for for- from rain a broken chain looked exceedingly exceedingly ex ex- lovely Then I wont won't leave you alone I Isaid Isaid Isaid said manfully and we stumbled on to to- gether Thus far Car we had seen nobody nobody nobody no no- body from Crom the wreck but well up the lane we came across the tall dark darC woman who had occupied lower 11 She was half crouching beside the road load her black hair about her shoulders shoulders shoulders ders and an ugly bruise over her eye She did not seem to know us and refused refused refused re re- re- re fused to accompany us We left her there at last tast babbling Incoherently and rolling in her hands a dozen pebbles pebbles pebbles peb peb- bles she had gathered in the road The girl shuddered as we went on Once she turned and glanced at my bandage Does It hurt very much 1 she asked Its growing rather numb But it might b be worse I answered menda menda- If anything in this world could be worse I had never experienced experIenced experienced it And so we trudged on bareheaded of the photograph on John bedside table The girl McKnight expected expected ex to see Beo In Richmond the next day Sunday She was on her way back to meet him Well what difference difference differ differ- ence did it make anyhow We had been thrown together by the merest chance In an hour or two at the most wo we would be back in civilization and aoel she would recall me me if it she remembered remembered remembered re re- mo me at all as ns an unshaven creature In Jn a aired red cravat and tan shoes with a soiled Pullman sheet tied around my neck I drew a deep breath Just a twinge I said when she glanced up quickly Its very good goodof of you to let me know Miss West Vest I have been hearing delightful things about you for three months From Richey McKnight She was franl frankly y curious Yes From Richey McKnight I assented Was it any wonder McKnight Mc Mc- Knight was was crazy about her I dug dub my heels into the dustI dust I I 1 have been visiting near Cresson in the mountains Miss West was saying say say- ing The person person you mentioned Mrs i Curtis was my hostess We We We-we we were on our way to Washington to to- gether She spoke slowly as if she wished to give the tho minimum of explanation nation Across her face had come again the baffling expression of or perplexity perplexity perplexity per per- and trouble I T I had seen before You were on yo your r way home borne I suppose suppose sup sup- pose Rl spoke Richey-spoke h y spoke about seeing you I I. I floundered finding it n necessary to say som something thing She looked atwith at atm m me with level direct eyes No o she returned quietly I did not intend t to go home I I well well it doesn't matter I am going home new A woman in a calico calic dress with two children each an exact duplicate of the other had come quickly down the road She took in the situation at ata at ata a glance and was explosively hospitable hospit hospit- able You poor things she said If you'll take the first road to the left leftover leftover leftover over there and anel turn in at the second Pigsty you will find breakfast on the table and a coffee pot on the stove And theres there's plenty of soap and water too Dont Don't say one word There Isn't a soul there to see you you We accepted the Invitation and she hurried on toward the excitement and the railroad I got up carefully and helped Miss 1 West to her feet At the second pigsty to the tho left I repeated we will find the breakfast I promised you seven eternities ago Forward to the pigsty We Ve said very little for the f D y l uv i r N ar L 1 4 I w l 1 r Then Its It's Too Late to Help HeIj She Replied Solem Solemnly ly under the summer sun growing parched and dusty and wearY weary doggedly dogged dogged- ly leaving behind us the pillar I of smoke I thought I knew of a trolley line Une somewhere in the tho direction we were going or perhaps we could find finda a horse and trap to take us into Baltimore Bal Bal- The girl smiled when I sugg suggested suggested sug sug- g It We will create a sensation wont won't w we she asked it queer queer queer-or or perhaps its it's my state state of mind mInd but hut I keep wishing for a pair of gloves when I haven't even a hat bat When we reached the main road we sat down dOVID for tor a moment and her hair which had b been en coming loose for some sometime sometime sometime time fell over her shoulders In little UttIe waves that were most alluring Itse It se seemed med a pity to twist it up again but when I suggested this cautiously she said it was wa's troublesome and got in her ber eyes when it was loose So she gathered It up un while I held beld a row of little shell combs and pins and w when en enit it was done it was vastly becoming too Funny about hair hall A man never knows he has it until he begins to lose it but its it's different with a girl Something of or the unconventional situation situation situation situ situ- began to dawn on her as she put in the last hair pin and patted some ay stay locks to place I have not told you my name she said abruptly I forgot that because because because be be- cause I know who y you u ar are are you know Lothing about me I am Alison West and my home Is In Richmond So SD was v it This was the girl I r er or of that walk I II II had bad almost reached the limit of endurance with every step the broken ends of the bone grated grate together We Ve found the farmhouse farmhouse farm farm- house without difficulty and I remember ber her wondering if I could hold out to the tho end of or the old stone stono walk w lk that led between hedges to the door Goor Allah be praised I said with all the voice I could muster Behold the coffee pot It And then I put down the cup and fold folded d up like a knife jack-knife on tho the porch floor When I came around something hot was trickling down my neck and a despairing voice was saying Oh I dont don't seem to be able to pour It ft into your mouth I Please open your eyes eyes But nut I dont don't want it in my eyes I replied dreamily I haven't any idea what came over me It was the shoes I think the left one Is a red hot torture torture tor tor- tor- tor that time and ture I was sitting by looking across Into her face Never before or since have I fainted fainted faint faint- ed but I would do It joyfully a dozen times a day if I could waken again to tb the tho blissful touch of or soft soC fingers on my In- face the hot ecstasy of coffee spilled by those fingers down my neck There was a thrill In every tone of her voice that morning Before long m my loyalty to McKnight would step between me Inc and the girl ho loved life me would develop new complexities In these early hours bours after the wreck full of pain Imin as they were there was nothing of the suspicion and distrust that c mo later Shorn of or our s 's sand 8 and r baubles wo were primitive man nn and I woman together our world for the the hour was the deserted farmhouse the thi th slope e of wheatfield that led to the tho I road the woodland lot the pasture We Ve breakfasted together acro across s tho the I homely table Our OUI cheer cheerfulness at nt first sheer reaction became less forced as we ate great slices of bread from the granny oven back of the tho house use and drank hot fluid that smelted smelled like coffee corteo and tasted like nothing that I 1 harp ever swallowed We Ve found cream in stone jars sunk Bunk deep in the chill chiU water of or the springhouse And there were eggs great yellow brown ones ones ones- a basket of them So Soi like two children awakened from froma a a nightmare we chatted over our food we we hunted mutual friends we laughed together at my feeble witticisms but wo YO put the horror behind us resolute ly After all it was the hat with the the green ribbons that brought back the strangeness of or the tho situation All along I had had bad the impression that Alison West Vest was deliberately put A t t No I Did Not Intend to Go Home ting Ling out of her mind something that obtruded now and then It brought with it a return of the puzzled expresSion expression sion slen that I I had surprised early In the day before the wreck I caught it once once when breakfast over she was tightening the sling that held the broken arm t I had prolonged the morning meal as much as I could but when the wooden clock with the tho pink r roses ses on the dial pointed to half after ft r ten and the mother with the duplicate youngsters had not come back Miss West made the move I had dreaded If we are to get into Baltimore at atall atall atall all we must start she said rising You ought to see a doctor as soon as possible Dont Hush I said w warningly mention the arm please it Is asleep now You may rouse it ft If I only had a hat she refi reflected It wouldn't need to be much of ot one but but It She gave a little cry and darted to the corner |
