Show 4 4 it xa A 0 J 0 A ac r leZ rive lop copyright W 0 chapman JACQUEL lNE NEf jacqueline paul hewlett loitering at night tn in Al madison adleon square new lork Is s approached by an I 1 dog lie follon a the dos dog to a gambling house and meets the animal animals g bistre ai coming out iab with a large amount of money she Is ili beautiful and in din tress and he follows her after P protecting her from two assal assailants lantIg he takes har h in charge T CHAPTER I 1 continued 2 alien the taxicab delo sittI up u in front rt of the house I 1 glanced hast 1 li up and down doun the road nus sis another cab at the east oust end of the tile street but I 1 could not discern it t tt it win approaching me or stanimir stat tak Imir lonar I 1 opened the front door quickly and ani f 1 wilted my then 1 ld if her up the uncarpeted stairs to ID ili little abetment apel apet ment on the top floor As I 1 opened the tile door of my apart ment the dog pushed past me A ag tin I 1 had forgotten it but it lind not for gotten its mistress all tomorrow mademoiselle I 1 said aid aad non wont t you tell me lour our illie lne she answered and yours paul I 1 said au an melr Alons monsieur leur paul then and take tn gratitude with you for your goodness 1 I let ie her hantl fall and I 1 do down n the stairs confused and 4 hoking for there nas as a wedding ring upon her linger finger CHAPTER II 11 95 back in the room the situation had become more preposterous than beet ee two tio hours before it would have been magin able one hour ago I 1 had merely been offering aid to a oung wont wonna in in lit dl distress now she was wak occupying mi robins and I 1 was hurril ing ng along tenth street cir careless eless as to my destination and feeling as though the whole hole world was uns crumbling about my head because ehe she wore a wedding ring plug As I 1 passed up the street the tile taxi toll 0 b cub cab which I 1 had seen at the east on end came rapidly toward me it passed and I 1 stopped and looked after it 1 I 1 vas certain that it slackened speed auh ade the door of the old but again it went on quickly until tt it was As lost to view in the distance had I 1 given the pursuers a clue in ili my mv reappearance I 1 m watched for a few mo moments niente longer but the not return and I 1 dismissed the idea as folly after all bew lork was uns a civilized city and ant I 1 could be sure of the gi all I 4 safet be hind the street door lock and ibb of my apartment door so I 1 refused to feld to the lm impulse pule to go hack bach and assure myself that hat she was ung all right I 1 must find a it hotel and get a good nights sleep As I 1 went on new nen thoughts began to press on mi imagination the tale about the father the assumed ignorance of the conventions liow hou could be believed ila had ehe she not probably left her hus band band in some canadian city ant and come to new york to enjoy her holiday in her own oun faz fashion hion could she inno cenal have adventured to naive s door and ond actually have succeeded tn in gain ing nd mission she was ins ao se than I 1 was as eien now imagining perhaps if I 1 had not left her lier per hope if I 1 turned back I 1 clep clenched ched m lists and hurried on I 1 would not glie ghe rein to the footlights thoi loot ight lights that were making my heart bound like a run auar horse I 1 had lint turned up fifth aenus and bid reached Tuel twelfth fth or street when hen I 1 thought I 1 heard the pat ter of the eskimo dogs logs feil feet behind me I 1 spun around startled but there is was as only the long stretch of pa pavement ement I 1 had find resumed my course ilia 1 I was sa pure I 1 heard the file pattering puttering again and again I 1 saw not nothing liln g A moment oter ater I 1 ens hinmin z hick bick b ick oward the apartment house my bieri had hod suddenly become unstrung I 1 felt sure now that some imminent 41 lp cr was m as threatening jacqueline I 1 auld not benr bear the suR suspense pense of w lit ill ing lilt s mor monlong ieng ali and nf as I 1 run ran I 1 thought I 1 heard the 6 p 1 itter of the dogs feet pacing mine I 1 was as bounding the corner of tenth 4 erect street gioi no A and ng aln file folly of im in bilia for struck home to me tile I 1 stopped ind inid tried to think U ns it t some rome in that was x as tal ing me baik bock or was A as it the marance of Ioe lienus aut 9 vas was it not the desire to 0 o tee ee lier her to ask her about he tile ring had ner merrilly rilly swung around when ahen I 1 jaird the Chea ii patter of the tile feet jialin close at itt ny my side I 1 emde m mi 1 dohlon ludt ton in that instant and humid swiftly on my ray course back toward the flip t hoise ho ise 4 kr A 1 ahen hen at tit its t I 1 found mv door fiands very trembling s ro that I 1 hardly fit ill the flip I 1 ey into the lie lock I 1 bound bounded cZ lip tip the 4 stairs rut pat on the top ton I 1 hid it id IQ irl pause to gt im in breath and then I 1 1 d I ired irei not ente I 1 listened itsie allure ua was no sound round froni within It liln tile tu two 0 rt rooms oma I 1 that ba t I 1 m epif 1 I were N ere separated otil b in a curtion uliah fell fiort fiort a foot front lie tile floor and was una slung on a wooden pole disclosing two aso feet between the tile top of it find the filing telling llie roots ut were re thus one and even lint that invfio have hae been trilled c sin mall ill for flip iad in allie he rear room w i is nat a dozen p ici let 4 from the door I 1 listened for the bre breithling athing of he the sleeping girl if 1 I li heir he ir tr lier her beathe I 1 thou thought lit I 1 would po go duleth awne and find a hotel in ili to tleta I 1 minute after minute but I 1 could not lit ar a sound round at last I 1 put iny my bouth to he the key hey hole and pole spoke to her jacqueline Jacquel lne 11 I 1 called there mas un no answer ansier then a little louder I 1 I 1 and lien then quite loudl 4 jacque title elnel I 1 then ilien out of the tile slier silence fee li ammering on mv eardrums eardrum burst the loud tick ing of the little amatul cloch that I 1 had find left on the tile mantel niante of the bedroom I 1 beard that and li it must have bien ticking minutes before he file bound reached me perhaps it if I 1 waited a little longer I 1 should alitar in ar her tier breath ing I 1 took tool the key of the apartment from my pocket at last and filled it into the lock I 1 stood here trembling and irresolute I 1 dared not turn lie the jm ve once ventured jaquelin ln jacqueline there was not hie the sm ingwer ins ing artir within and so with shaking fingers I 1 turned the ke 0 rhe file room was teh dark lark ex capt for a little patch of light high up iiii on the bedroom wall which baini aint through ali 1 lie hole the workmen had made when hen alty began demolishing R tc te T c scene stamped itself upon my brain the bulbils I 1 hesitated a moment then I 1 vew n match from m pocket and rubbed it softly into a flame flume against A m mi trousers leg I 1 up tip to the gas abole th table tattle turned it on oil and lit the imar inar descent mantle lowering Im sering flip lie light in dut lint een then there no sound ahe oppressive stillness was as not thit of solita ie le slie site must beneake ben be awake jake she must be listening in terror I 1 went nent toward tze the curtain and when ulten I 1 spoke I 1 heard the cords come through my lips in a 0 o e that I 1 could not recognize as mine lne I 1 I 1 whispered it Is t atul piul aur our friend are aou ou safe jacqueline biow I 1 saw rau under the curtains what looked like the bodi of a ver er frinell it might hate hane been a woolly dog or a black lambkin and tt it was nas ining stiff I 1 pulled tig dethe idellie curtains and stood be between teen them and like scene itself upon ili mi train as clear as na a pho lo graphic print forcier fo reier th thi woolly beatt beast ua was the fur cap of a dead man who la 1115 across the floor of the little room there wis a tiny hole in n his lits bread t oer the heart from which A little blood had flowed the wound end pierced the heart and death had eilden evidently tily been jn instantaneous it t ati it the pion is whom hom I 1 i ad no seen sen staring at ua m acro across s herald beside lize u window Jacquel lne crouched lied and at hec bec feet lay the pi P i kikuo log dog matching me silently in her hand flood she held iteld a tiny d knife with a thin red stained hlade aade her tier pray aies ec black la in the Cu gaslight slight 4 z stared into mine end and there ans om joet ther fear nor recognition in them sha she was fully dressed ami and he bed had not been becu pled I 1 flung mi avsek relf nt tit her dept 1 I took life tire weapon earion from tier her hand jacqueline I 1 I 1 I 1 cried in terror I 1 raised her hee hands to my lips and enre them she quite uni unie expensive til Taque quelene Hiie I 1 I 1 cried vou ou ore tire not no hurt think th ink god aou ou art arf not hurt ant hai happened happe 1 A I 1 don r t I 1 now nou she rho ered 1 I don t know u where here I 1 am nin Tac dear I 1 said wal vou voll not try to think I 1 am baul venir friend paul do vou ou not remember mea me 0 no so monsieur monNi nion leur eur she sighed hut but then liken ho hov did lid sou ou tome ome here I 1 n aad kad I 1 I 1 do pot vot know knon che hp and a inter later I 1 I 1 do not know paul tit tint it encouraged mp me a little ri ro dently ih remembered hat lint I 1 had curf said sold to hw her abere wis i iq z more to be said it was hurt lillo wai NOR that I 1 U ho she inquired looking at tit me with the file inie patient biye that man ill lint it dead man I 1 mait it it beld de id aln P pul till she he was staring at t he lie iod 1 od and nt tit lint I 1 realized zed that ahe rho not onh ill did not remember but lid not een ice e it alik hock hoch blikh she site had received upon the nervous state tale in slie she find been belan when I 1 en ell coun count counted tend dd bf her r hid produced one of those thore mentor inhibitions 4 in which he the mind to sie s ie 1 e the reason obliterates not only all till memory bf kf he the past but also nil fill present sights rl it inq and sounds ulilah may sene to ie le call it I 1 si that it was an useless to say anything more upon this subject ion lou are very sery tired jacqueline Jacquel lne I 1 ached 1 I ls 4 mon she answered twining bilich a alnut mv mi arm 41 and vou you would like ille tri to sleep les leg mon monsieur beur I 1 raised her ber in mv my arms and laid told her on the bed telling her to close her ees and sleep she was almost after her head rested upon lie the pillow I 1 watched hertford hert for a while title until I 1 heard board a distant clock strike three this recalled me to the d dinners dingers ingers of our situation I 1 struck a match and lit the gas as in lit the bedroom hut but the vellow glare was ns fo so ghastly and in tolerable that I 1 turned it down doin and then I 1 set about the tile tasks before me mc CHAPTER III covering the tracks there aas as a fire escape running up to the lie floor of that room on the outside of the houe I 1 raw aw tint tivit it would he be 1 oriole hy by qt mantling Anding on oil a hair chair to wing suing m i belf up to the hole in the tile wall sail and reach down doun to the tron iron stairs up hach which I 1 assumed the dead man end nad crept after I 1 had given him jilin the hint of abndt by emerging from front the front door I 1 raised the dead man in my arms looking eb toward the tile bed I 1 was afraid jacqueline lne would awaken but she slept in heavy peace pence undisturbed by the har hartli h creaking of the sagging floor beneath its double burden I 1 put the fur cap cup on oil the he grotesque nodding dead head hend and push ing a chair toward the wall with alth roy my foot mounted it anil and managed with a great effort to squeeze through gh the fible pulling up the bod with rue me as I 1 did so ihen I 1 felt with my foot for the little platform at the top of the iron stairs outride outside found it and dropped aate ward I 1 dragged the dreadful bur den donn down n f from rom the hole 1 I carrad the dead man all till he lie war av down donn the fire escape clinging and straining the cottin ng c rusting bari barq at the tile inck hick of the house boure was a little lacont laco nt space filled aith heaps of dp debris bri from the tile demoll demol Wied hed portions of the building and with lilt refuse which had been dumped there by tenants who had bad left tind hid find neier neer aten re fokd mond tills till aid wai alv h bs a rotting fence with ith it nil wood nood n roll rall from a sin ill blind nifty I 1 took up lit no buldan and placed place it at lit the he md of the tilt title allo toi tring it ro ulily with some old burlap bag flags blitch li pi l i there I 1 thought it safe afe to I 1 assume urne tint that the police would look upon the tile dead lead inin in in as its tilt ali vl iain ilni of olpe footpad hewlett plans to protect jacqueline elme from the consequences of what he believes is her deed and to take er to her er home horne 1 tia 10 BE COT collum lUM |