Show omary jr aLoe lucz AUTHOR MARCIA dawn of THE ETC y at boar JO Ar 10 SYNOPSIS avron dunham just alighted from a train 11 approached by a beautiful girl who asks his protection she la in tear of pursuit but declines to give the cause of her dunham takes her to his home and in the absence of his mother and sister borrows a hat and a cloak for her lie takes her to a dinner party at th home of a friend and gives her name as mary remington her actions stamp her as a girl of refinement and breeding after the dinner she requests to assist her to leave the city lie puts her on a train for chicago and supplies her with money dunham has become in tensel interested in the girl and anxious to solve the mystery which BUrt her stories in the of missing girls add to ills bewilder anent arrived in chicago the girl buys bome fome cheap clothing in an attempt at and starts out to seek employ slie gets work as a waitress in the home of mrs dunham receives a package containing the borrowed hat and cloak with a note of harks signed mary dunham goes to chicago on legal business and exerts ev arv effort to find man he Is invited to ahe home of a friend for dinner As he the house he hears a man directions to a shabbily dressed in dedual regarding some one who goes under the name of mary he recognizes in the waitress at the dinner table the much sought mary and arranges for an interview with her the following day at the Y iv C A he proposes propones pro pones to her but before che will give her answer she on telling him her story her uncle had died leaving her his fortune A copson who had been disinherited had plotted 0 o place her in an insane asylum BO that be might get control of her money she had just discovered the plot and had escaped from cousin when the cirit met dunham she agrees to marr dunham at once CHAPTER XI Continued she opened the large box and read the card lying on the top these are my wedding gifts to vou dear put them on aid coma as soon aa pos alile to the one who loves vou better than anything else in life TRYON her eyes shone brightly and her grew rosy cedias she lifted out from its tissue paper a long rich coat of alaska seal with exquisite brocade lining she put it on and stood a moment looking at herself in the glass she felt like one who bad tor a time lost her identity and has suddenly had it restored such garments bad been ordinary comforts of her farmer life she had not been aarm enough in the coarse black coat the other box contained a beautiful hat of fur to match the coat it was simply trimmed one long beaucl ful black plume and in shape and gen eral appearance was like the hat he had borrowed for her use in the fall she smiled happily as she set it upon her head and then laughed outright as she remembered her shabby silk glover clever mind she could take them off when she reached the churan sh packed the little black dress into the suitcase folded the felt hat on the with a tender pat and putting on her gloves hurried down to the one who waited for her I 1 the matron had gone upstairs to the elnen closet and left the girl with the discontented upper lip in charge in the office the latter watched the in the rich furs come from the elevator and who she was and why she had bebej upstairs probably to visit bome poor she thought the girl the lovelight in the eyes of as he rose to meet his arnle and she recognized him as the who had been in close hi H k I illi hurried 0 o 1 r VP tire dressed in hour before anc nhat the fine tore ifould hank if she kaev then they wn the key shrank back sud denly a stone column am tV 11 AV bunh be lookeb a blight mail tye Hand nafi hurry up am touch shoulder dei their cai dij see said tun tam I 1 bellev around the girl forward to look an then drew back with an of aror as ilia carriage started oh that man Is my cousin rich ard she cried are you suet he asked and a look of determination settled into bis face perfectly she answered looking out again do you suppose be has seen me I 1 suppose he has but well soon turn the tables he leaned out and spoke a word to the driver who drew up around the next corner in front of a telephone pay station come with me for just a minute dear I 1 II 11 telephone to a detective bu reau where they know me and I 1 have that man watched he Is unsafe to have at large he helped her out and drew her arm firmly within his own don t be afraid any more I 1 will take care of you he telephoned a careful description of the two men and their whereabouts and before he had hung up the re celver a man had started posthaste tor the Y W C A building the minister met ahem at the door with a welcoming smile and hand shake and led them forward As the music hushed for the words of the emony he leaned forward to the young man and whispered I 1 neglected to ask you her name TO on oh yes the young man paused in his dilemma and looked for an in stant at the sweet face of the girl beside him but he could not let his friend see that he did not know the name of his alfe to be and with quick thought he answered mary the ceremony proceeded and the ministers voice sounded out in the empty church do you tryon take this woman whom you hold by the hand to be your lawful wedded wife the young mans fingers held the timid hand of the woman firmly as he answered I 1 do do you mary take this man came the next question and the girl looked up with clear eyes and said I 1 do then the ministers wife who knew and prized tryon dunhams friendship said to herself it s all right she loves him when the words were spoken that bound them together through life and they had thanked their kind friends and were once more out in the carriage tryon said do you know you haven t told me our real name yet she laughed happily as the carriage started on its way and answered why it Is mary As the carriage rounded the first cor ner beyond the church two breathless individuals hurried up from the other direction one was short and baggy and the sole of one rubber flopped als mally as he struggled to keep up with the alert strides of the other man who was slim and angry they had been detained by an altercation with the matron of the i W C A building and puzzled by the story of the plain ly dressed girl who had taken the room and the fine lady who had left the building in company with a gentle man until it w as settled by the eleva tor boy who declared the two women to be one and the same A moment later a man lo 10 citizen s clothing who bad keen eyes and who was riding a motorcycle rounded the corner and puffed along near the two he appeared to be looking at the numbers on the other side of the street but he heard every word they said as they caught sight of the disappearing carriage an hurried after it he had been standing in the entrance of the Y W C A building an apparently careless observer while the elevator boy gave his evidence the motorcycle shot ahead a few rods passed the carriage and dincov ered by a keen glance who were the occupants then it rounded the block and came almost up to the two pur auers again when tiie carriage stopped at the side entrance of a hotel the man on the was ahead of the pur suero nd discovered it first long enough to eee the two get out and go up the marble steps one the pursuers had 0 their prey as the elevator shot upward they managed to evade the aled into the street forgetful of en the protection of her husband mary dunham opened the door she supposed of course it was the bellboy with a pitcher of ice water for which she had just rung ah here you are at last my pretty cousin it was the voice of richard that menaced her with all the stored up wrath of hta long baffled search at that moment the man from the motorcycle stepped softly up the top stair and slid unseen into the shad aws of the hall for an instant it seemed to mary dunham that she was going to faint and in one swift flash of thought sh saw herself overpowered and carried into hiding before her husband should return but with a supreme effort sh controlled herself and faced her tor mentor with unflinching gaze her strength bad deserted her at first every faculty was now keen and col lecter As if nothing unusual wen happening she put out her cold trem blang fingers and laid them aba over the electric button on the wall then with new strength coming from the certainty that bome one would soon come to her aid she opened her alpa to speak what are you doing here richard I 1 TO come after you my lady A nice chase you ve led me but you shall pay tor it now the cruelty in bis face eclipsed any lines of beauty which might have been there I 1 shall never go anywhere with you she answered steadily lie seized her delicate wrist rough ly twisting it with the old wrench with which he had tormented her in their childhood days none of them saw the stranger who was quietly walking down the hall toward them will you go peaceably or shall I 1 have to gag and bind you said rich ard choose quickly I 1 m in no mood to trifle with you any longer although he hurt her wrist cruelly she threw herself back from him and with her other hand pressed still hard er against the electric button catch that other hand mike corn banded richard and stud this in her mouth while I 1 tie her bands behind her back it was then that mary screamed the man in the shadow stepped up behind and said in a low voice what does all this mean the two men startled dropped the girl s hands for the instant then richard white with anger at this in ter ference answered insolently it means that this girl s an escaped luna tic and we re sent to take her back ashes dangerous so better keep out of the way then mary dunhams voice clear and penetrating rang through the halls tryon tryone come quick help help As it in answer to her call the elevator shot up to the second floor and it was all over in a few minutes tryon dunham stepped out in time to see the two men snatch marys hands again and attempt to bind them behind her back in an instant he had seized richard by the collar and landed him on the hall carpet while a well directed blow sent the flabby irishman sprawling at the feet of the detective who prompt ly sat on him and pinioned his arms behind him how dare you lay a finger upon this lady saad tryon dunham as he stepped to the side of his wife and put a strong arm about her where she stood white and frightened in the doorway no one had noticed the bell boy had come to the head of the stairs and received a arfet order from the detec alve in sudden fear the discomfited rich ard arose and attempted to bluff the stranger who had so ly in just as his fingers were about to close over the golden treasure of his cousin s fortune indeed sir you wholly stand the situation he saia to dun ham with an air of injured innocence though perhaps you can scarcely be blamed this girl Is an escaped luna tic we have beeb searching for her for days and have just traced her it Is our business to take her back at once her friends are in great als tress about her moreover she la dan berous and a menace to every guest in this bouse she has several times attempted to murder stop roared dunham in a thun derous alce of righteous anger she Is my wife and you are her cousin I 1 know all about your plot to shut her up in an insane asylum and steal her fortune I 1 have found you sooner than I 1 expected and I 1 intend to see that tha law takes its full course with you two policemen now arrived on the scene with a number of eager bell hotel authorities and get up the wide staircase without observation by keeping on the alert they discovered that the elevator had stopped at the second floor BO the people they tracking must have apartments there lurking in the shadowy parts of the ball they watched and soon were rewarded by seeing dunham come out ot a room and hurry to the alei ator he had remembered his promise to his mother about the engravers As soon as be was gone aney presented anem selves boldly at the door filled with the joy that had come to her and feeling entirely safe now in boys and porters in their wake ready to take part in the excitement richard had turned deadly white at the words she Is my wife it was the death knell of his hopes of cecur ing the fortune for which he had not hesitated to sacrifice every particle of moral principle when he turned and saw impending retribution in the shape of the two stalwart re presenta lives of the law a look of cunning came into his face and with one swift motion he turned to flee up the staircase close at hand not aisch you dont said an en bellboy flinging himself in the way and tripping up the scoundrel in his flight the policemen were upon him and had him handcuffed in an instant the irishman now began to protest that he was but an innocent tool ared to help discover the whereabouts of an escaped lunatic as he supposed he was walked oft to the patrol wagon without further ceremony it was all over in a few minutes the elevator carried ott the detective the policemen and their two prisoners the door closed behind dunham and his bride and the curious guests who had peered out alarmed by the uproar saw nothing but a few bellboys standing in the hall describing to one another the scene as they had witnessed it dunham drew the trembling girl into his arms and tried to soothe her the tears rained down the white cheeks as her head lay upon his breast and he kissed them away oh she sobbed shuddering it you bad not come it was terrible terrible 1 I 1 believe he would have killed me rather than have let me go again gradually his tender ministrations calmed her but she turned troubled eyes to his face you do not know yet that I 1 am all I 1 say you have nothing to prove it of course by and by when I 1 can get to my guardians and with your help perhaps make them understand you will know but I 1 don t see how you can trust me till then for answer be brought his hand up in front of her face and turned the flashing diamond her diamond so that its glory caught the single ray of setting sun that filtered into the hotel window see darling he said it Is your ring I 1 have worn it ever since as an outward sign that I 1 trusted you you are taking me on trust though in spite of all you say and it Is beautiful he laid his lips against hers yes he said it Is beautiful and it la best it was very still in the room for a moment while she nestled close to him and his eyes drank in the sweet ness of her face see said he taking a tiny velvet case from his pocket and touching the spring that opened it I 1 have amused myself finding a mate to your stone I 1 thought perhaps you would let me wear your ring always while you wear mine he lifted the jewel from its white velvet bed and showed her the in script lon inside mary from tryon then he slipped it on her finger to guard the wedding ring he had given her at the curch his arm that en circled her clasped her left wrist and the two diamonds flashed side by side the last gleam of ahe setting sun ere it vanished behind the tall buildings on the west glanced in and blazed the gems into tangled beams ot glory darting out in many colored prisms to light the vision of the future of the man and the woman he bent and kissed her again and their eyes met like other jewels in which gleamed the glory of their love and trust THE END ctet |