Show E DOUBLE URO CHAPTER III HI continued 3 well admitted air colby one never neier enn can be certain in these diat mn teis but of recent weeks my aging eyes have been wore mure or less offended by file lie continual presence around this fills house of rollin waterman and jim stanley am I 1 worm youre hot said the girl being the rase case I 1 have to say that I 1 would cheerfully poison belli bof of them hut hill from that I 1 have 1 1 nu no particular complaint to make of ither 1 she sighed and murmured youre a darling daddy but you dont help ne e very much adl aril ill toll tell you ou sald her mathei 1 have an opinion in tile the mutter matter I 1 admit thor I 1 have a decided prefer wee enve for one of these candidates over the he other hut but I 1 dont intend to andl vote cate it I 1 to do not wish to illy favorite j dont ile he absurd the girl no insisted tier her father with fl fi aln u ZU so far or as im ill concerned my lily on n Is going to have a run for WR wf oney dont think you can fool tue me papa know which one you tike like boat best it if you know why ask tile me daddy youre youre exasperating you I 1 your only child Is a crisis in ber perhaps the greatest crisis in her and you wont say a word to help not true my lily dour dear im pertly willing to analyze the characters these two young men so far as I 1 ow them but when it comes to ing which of them you ought to rry I 1 I 1 quit because tse if you take idolce and it turns out badly im for a bail quarter of till an hour and you dont take my advice and it us its out badly youre in for one so re ire well she said it youve really anything to say in tile the matter now he time to vay cay it ILI oh 1 I lie he answered as near as aa h t 11 ajust as near as that tor er fattier father rose and pushed hack back his I 1 r come up to the library lie he CHAPTER IV wish to td see miss colby said and tid what Is the name please I 1 barker closing the front door bei tier her bergun argun mise als morgon jou will kindly watt wait in the draw room ill see if miss colbas tit it try ry well ilease suy say added that I 1 wilt will not keep her long hat my illy business Is important ly butler buller bowed and departed as ae I 1 nerve wits was good and her life her to the taking of 0 es or of livers divers sorts nevertheless elees us excited she had made up nd ild to do a certain a thing required an impudence amount amle and yet nt nl the last molie melie had an impulse to leap to apt t and run from the house bouse be willi too late inie she had sufficient oil n to control the impulse cud and e was making a last attempt to all 1 l of her resources to do the ie e had come coma to do cn a rough world tor for nina to Pu poverty the daughter of a 1 futher and an anemic woth looth was well veil on toward woman I 1 fure fore she realized that there but hardship in this ell As she he blossomed into woman bl P her good looke become a set ghe he found that they fit little but persecution ti bi hud sense enough while mille yet aa jo realize that education meant burning capacity site she read papers alers and discovered that 16 1 various ways whereby some 1 cation could ile be obtained at t pene there were night tree free lecture courses cor ve schools museums tub pub es 3 to fill all of these aliese sources 0 10 I 1 time thile slie site applied with n no 11 it ible le results but through rog tesS from the lie depths ot of 1 l liti ignorance orance to a moderate B intelligence and 1 wd I found tier her voth path beset by had lit found many men acx prove her education but bill the ft T few 0 of these instructor inspru aitor s t to f be altruistic by the old us twenty years old she t remira q men as a ruce of ate nd milled no eu by A E E THOMAS coper copyright lit ily by dodd mead 1111 and company las laru W N U service anti ami it was in pursuance of this con tinned drilled philosophy ot of life and action that she had come tonight to the howe home of doris colby and now nov that she was here even tier her settled assur once was a little ruil ruffled led sho she had no thought of turning back slie site was not even daunted by tile the sudden appearance of tile bl beautiful auti ful miss colby herself when the latter came into tile drawing room a 0 moment later inter low HOW tie do you do said rr hurls ls allow do you do sold said nina there wes aps a mutual in sPec tion as aa always between two woin vom en who meet for the first time and it la Is probable that in that fraction of a second each one of them lind had come to tome cine t definite conclusion about the other each one of thein had probably said to herself 1 I like her or 1 ilont dont like her but aloud miss aliss colby ald what can I 1 do for you aless mur nant gana that was the name was it not 7 yes nina morgan 1 I 1 dont think I 1 know you do 17 I 1 sold said the laughter daughter of the house no said nina we havo have never met but I 1 have seen you several times ah yes you see ace I 1 am a secretary lit in tile the office of stanley and waterman indeed said doris Iller perhaps haps you aring me a from one of if them not exactly replied nina and yet in a way perhaps you interest me murmured doris wont you sit down nina summoned all tier resolution and begun began ive come to tell you something rom ething miss colby which it Is 1 I 1 4 I 1 I 1 f ar now you must decide yes yea or na most important you should know for your own sake before it Is too late but before I 1 tell you what it Is I 1 want you to promise on your word of honor that you will never repeat it to a living soul 11 really said miss alles colby 1 I 1 cannot imagine what you can have to say eay that could concern me so deeply you will in a moment but I 1 qan cun not speak without your promise 1 I cau can give you no such promise lightly 1 I 1 dont ask it lightly when I 1 have told you what I 1 have to say you will realize mat only after long and acx ous thought have I 1 persuaded that it Is my duty to come and tell you it Is s it a mutter matter that concern my happiness deeply and your own also perhaps even more deeply than mine nut but it if you cannot give me your word wora of honor never to repent repeat to anyone what am going to tell you there lia IB nothing tor for me to do but shut my mouth and go away miss colby smiled ab A she said this sounds like melodrama 1 I call it what you please its ite a thana thin that strikes at the heart beart of uie the happiness of two women you and me and now you decide ade yes or no do miss colbas smile stul lingered playfully she by no means moved to te any sort of aux lety but her curl osley was engaged so bo after a mo 1110 Il lents hesitation she etie sald said V very e ry well I 1 give you my lily word of honor 1 l very good od sald nina yes doris darls whilo while the still lingered in the corners of tier her mouth it shall be our little so acrel arid and now what Is it nina lifted her block black eyes from tit alx rug arid used them upon tile eyra eyes of 0 tile lie other 1 I 1 suppose she you will be curious us its to my motive va you will perhaps pertin pa cull call it revl revenge tige anil and it Is partly eliat l dont deny it but bul it Is more than that thal I 1 am determined that iby illy ha happiness an ond yours youra shall not nol be ruined by tile sumo same nall man it if I 1 cat prevent it the violet eyes widened in surprise really eally ri breathed breathe doris 1 I 1 do holic dupe went vent on tile the other you veil wont vont think me impertinent or impudent or curious and I 1 am sure you wont when you have tit haard aird tile me out out but tile fact Is that I 1 have rea son to suppose that you yen tire are considering the file possibility of marrying a certain man upon my illy word cried durla doris with a touch of sirca sarcasm sm how things do get about I 1 and how low may luny I 1 ask have you arrived at this conclusion fron from various sources answered nina 1 I 1 have seen you in public in company with the man I 1 mean I 1 have seen frequent references to the possibility of your engagement to one or two of those gossipy soviet society y papers and more I 1 havo have hart had some talk with the man himself upon this very subject 1 I 1 suppose sold said doris colby that I 1 ought to ask you to go away ai at once please ilease please pleasa dont said nina quickly and something in ID tier her sudden earnestness caught and helo held theother the alier if you do you will regret it as long as you live believe me very well said doris after a mo ments reflection but bill I 1 warn you it if what you have lave to say Is merely silly gossip actuate actuated ed by a spirit of petty malice it will have no nn effect whatever upon we ill take that chance said nina for I 1 know full well that when you have heard me you will recognize that what I 1 tell you must be tile the truth the golden head bowed slightly 9 1 am walting waiting suld doris very well then said nina and again I 1 remind you that what I 1 am going to say Is said upon the assurance of your solemn word of honor hono never to repeat it it you will say to me right here and now that you have no intention whatever of marrying jim stanley why ill say goodnight and goodby good rood by without further ado so it said doris quietly well inquired nina shall I 1 go on or shall I 1 say goodnight good night go on said doris briefly after what I 1 have already told you continued nina the mention of his name almost completes my story ile he has wrecked my life that Is tile the long and the short of it ILI in the usual asual way murmured doris oh yes cried nina passionately 1 I know I 1 know I 1 it Is the oldest story in the world but I 1 suppose it will be told and told and told again as longas long as the world stands and men arp are what they are of course I 1 dont believe it 1 said doris quietly why not said nina because I 1 know jim stanley then perhaps said nina per naps haps you will tell tile me what you think my motive could possibly be in doing a thing like this do you think any thing but a sense of desperation would have driven me to it the shot went home and nina saw savi it IL 1 I 1 cant believe it IL I 1 cant believe it murmured doris jim stanley of all men in the world I 1 oil oh yes I 1 know said nina 1 I 1 know well enough how you must feel about him ive been through it all I 1 had any too square a deal from life when I 1 first met jim stanley and when he came into my life I 1 felt as you boudo ido that here at last wasa was a man I 1 could tie to oh he has a way with him why he marry you said bald doris of course he promised to sald said nina not once but a hundred times if he I 1 be here but now ho he only laughs mauslis arvrid is Rid oil efly ive bean a fool foe WIll im iii said doris gently 1 I ant thinking of you for tile tho mo mn ID duent cut yes and a tool fool I 1 have been I 1 ought to linao live k known down that lot aliu still stanle ay could have only one use for a 11 woman like me file hut but women ilke tile nio gain knowledge only tit at the lie cost of hard us ex per lence nce and I 1 wits in love you con can understand that you who lio know eliu stanley so 10 well you know kilow how charin ing tic he call tie ile find I 1 sometimes that n woman in love Is always a tow fool welt well lints tie ilia story port part of it il what more yut yet demanded darls borla more yet said nina 1 I 1 have a child to think of will you come and see feeo him in god cod 11 replied the other she grew suddenly cold little ran up and down tier spine slie she wanted to RO go away all and bo be alone she blit hated tile alio sight of this dark womac sitting there implacably before tier slie site hated anted tit the sound of tier hor voice anti the glatice glance of those spanish binck eyes something of this feeling nina must have senka for she went on quickly try and think what it cost no me to come and tell ell you tills this try ond anti put yourself for a moment in my lily position I 1 have come coina tit nt till nil I 1 could have hot held my lily tongue I 1 could have dono done well for myself from ono one point of view tie llo tins hns offered to buy me off to buy my silence JI I 1 could have lived in comfort for tile the rest of my life urns jims got plenty of money and I 1 had him film where 1 I wanted titta all this ive thrown away by coming here tonight at least ive risked it and now it if I 1 invent convinced you that im telling you the truth I 1 cannot see how it eat can he be done doris rose she shivered a little as she said enad perhaps I 1 ought to monk you but somehow I 1 cant dont thank me ine answered nina believe me a all 11 1 I w want a t it A and D d suddenly silently as ever she w was a ss gone doris rang tile the bell light the me ire fire barker ll 11 she sold said its cold directly across the avenue a young man had been pacing nervously up and down for twenty minutes with his eyes constantly upon the colby house As he saw the door swing upon its hinges and close upon the emerging figure he hurried across the avenue nimbly lodging dodging a bus and a hock flock of hurrying motors and approaching nina from the rear seized her by the elbow well he be said well what did you tell tier her nina looked at him with mocking ey eyes es find out for yourself sho she said bald 9 CHAPTER V tile the St rollers club was an institution to ro old and exclusive that if you wished to become a member of it before you were too old to use it you had bad to be proposed about tile the time you vere ere born Water father had bad in tact fact proposed him for membership three years before he came of age it was the kind of a club that contains many ancient members who have favorite evorite easy chairs which they regard as their personal property and which can be occupied by others only at the he risk of their severe displeasure it may be imagined therefore I 1 that the St rollers wits not Water muns fa evorite club lie he wont went there only he wished to he be mone tonight wu one of those occasions thus far liv hf had nut not been disturbed by uny any ne acquaintance but at this moment do di attendant arrived at his elbow dhow with a slip from the telephone holle operator waterman glanced at it ft arid read mr air Brott ifield lie ground ills hitt teeth tell ren him im not in he said hui as the attendant turned awny ho added no d n lt it ill spank fl to him and as lie he round found his way to the ittle telephone booth he muttered the devil does he want now mit lint no hf knew what bromfield wanti d rill gether too well mr bromfield wits a burly gi grutle nitle man who operated operate d guinea of chance in a elde street just off tile Aver avenue jue next door to one of the famous resto of the tha world he e was a genial person geniality wits part ut ot tits hla stuck stock lit in trade ile ie knew how to make it pai and he was presentable ID a way yit yi t lie he never allowed lils to inter fere materially with tits his hank on the contrary consequently though big conversa tion lion with Water waterman nitin on the was most polite Water waterman mari had tit D doubt as to its meaning reduced it its essentials it thul that it if notes made by waterman and now lit in ahe possession of tile the sporting man were not taken up within a reu time steps would be taken steps nor agreeable to contemplate the bellev reflections induced by this knowledge knowl edgo were not lot conducive to good diges digestion doll nor aside from U alla as was wal water mans mind entirely fit at ease in n the farset place he really the slightest idea what nina morgan was going to say to doris colby Col lv no knowing which way that cat would ju limp rip reflected and even it she jumped way tie nc was by that very act placed un pleas antly in tier her hands jut but he see any escape from it IL unless he married doris colby it appeared it to him film that his fits goose was cooked if ft this marriage came off it would at least give him time to turn around |