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Show "Well, ! suppose a pair of old bucks like ourselves are entirely out of place here right now," remarked Gray Eyes with forced gayety. "Could you kids possibly excue us; we want to talk over some plans. I'm giving up all of my connections in Chicago. Your dad and I have In mind a farm proposition, proposi-tion, on a large scale, down near Elgin." El-gin." lie did not wait for an answer but walked toward the door, his arm about I.olira's father's shoulders; tliey passed througb the door and closed it. '1 never knew him by any came out 'Charlie.'" explained Don; "nobody "no-body ever called him anything else. Can you forgive in 3 for having doubted doubt-ed you':" I'or answer she snuggled into the circle of b.'s anus and raised her bead, for what purpose Don was not long in discovering. "We've still got time to catch the Century for New York, for a honeymoon honey-moon among all of the people you and I have been selling, or trying to sell stories to. for so long. It's a great town for a honeymoon. Can't yon just throw some things into a satchel and come. I want to get you a whole new outfit, anyway. In New York. I don't want you to have anything you can possibly get rid of to remind you of till the things you've been through." "I can do It." she agreed, and Mew about the room, gathering up things tier eye lit upon the package on the bureau and she tore herself from her husband's arms to run back a moment. "Might be some sort of a letter or something in it," she pleaded. "I'd M r- i --k ; v N 1 ) Tsy'-t fez ;'f - tAr V, The Girl Who Came I Bsck j i o a a ; ; By l?.di Vcor! ':r.l a Q a q i j ' - i i -i Copyright ,j W. N. U. Ssrvics I J CHAPTER X 1 1 1 Co n ue J :o I.aler, steiplng out of Hie bath, she rubbed down briskly, and, clad only In her halhrobe, went back to her room, the landlady following her. Determin lug to spend the night In either writing writ-ing or reading. In order to staunch what seemed like a literal How of blood from her, heart, she dressed fully and carefully. But when she hud fully dressed she could not read She opened a book and for diversion started to read It aloud to the oilier wllh the result that the landlady went Immediately to sleep again, to awake Instantly when there was a peal at t lie front door hell below stairs. Lolita paid no attention as the worn an rushed from the room, and she still ignored the sounds of several people entering downstairs until suddenly, as they ascended, a husky laugh galvanized gal-vanized her Into almost painful attention. at-tention. I'resenliy there was a knock at the door. It seemed to Lollta thai her knees had turned to water. She supported herself wilt) one hand upon the bureau bu-reau as she managed to squeeze out a squeaky: "Come in." The door opened. A solemn-looking Individual whom she bad never seen before strode through, Immediately followed by a man and a woman whom she did not recognize; then Gray Fyes followed them, and after him an apparition which sent her llylug across the room to in her head in a familiar old gray sack suil soaked with tobacco fumes. "Father," she managed to get out, nnd then she buried her bead on his shoulder, afraid to look up at bis face for fear of seeing disapproval there "Y'ou'll forgive me and take me back, won't you, dad? I promise to be ever so good I I'n- so rorry at out what happened." Suddenly a misty form resolved itself it-self before her eyes. At first she thought that it was merely an illu slon but us her eyes cleared of tears she saw that it was no illusion. It was Don, In the flesh, and looking Kke a small bey at a funeral, lie smiled relievedly as she looked at liim. as though her notice had marked him as on who had some right to be loesent. She rose and walked over to liim. "Don," she began, "won't let ine explair " "No," he said almost roughly, "not what you're thinking about explain Ing, but if you can explain to nie how you manage to have any patience with a c. d who jumps to conclu.' ions like a schoolboy and runs t ii. a buff, without an ounce of faith, from the most wonderful girl in the world whenever it appears thai she needs hi in most" "Oh. Don; there's nothing to ex plain about that who could blame you? I seem to have a perfect geuiu for getting Into ridiculous situations, but I do love you t'. en if I do gel Into all sorts of "ra;.y fixes. You'll believe that, won't you?" He .ooked like a man who fully believed The room was literally crowded The strangers, one ot whom l.olita now saw was in clerlca' garb, stood about uncertainly the landlady stood In the door wide-eyed. Gray Eyes, apparently appar-ently coming out of a reverie. If one could only conjecture what thoughts, motioned to the aiin.ster. lie came ucross the room ai1'' stood before Don and Lollta. quietly opening his. Bible. It all seemed like a dream i the girl as the l!o: ing words u. . tl e ceremonj were ,ooken nnd Don kissed hei for the tirsi time as her husband. Shj was i.r happy to ask questions, contenting herself merely with answering one enthusiastically When It was all over, the two other oth-er strangers signed a paper and Gray Eyes gave theiu each a bill. They lefl the room, and closed the door, leaving l.olita. (.ray Eyes, her father and Don alone together. It was holitn's father who first broke the silence. "I'm no end glad to see you mar ried. l.olita ; you need a husband. Lord knows, with such a stubborn old bigot for a father. I'm ashamed of having acted toward you as I have especially since Charlie here told me of your brave fight all alone, after your trouble. I'm ashamed of the way I've acted toward Charlie all of these years I was brou;hl up in an aue when damnation was automatically supposed to follow a wrong action when gan.bling and all gamblers were considered emissaries of hell J 'still don't approve of gambling, and that sort of thing, but (hid only knows where you'd have been by this time it It hadi' t been for Charlie here, my brother. You never lieord him mentioned men-tioned at home, another one of my stubbornnesses. I'm downright . pshamed, ufter the waj he's acted." 'Oil, Don, There's Nothing to Explain About That." think about it all the time we were gone if I don't see." Torn open, the package proved indeed in-deed to be her returned story. On top of it was a typewritten letter. She glanced through it. then read it again aloud : "Dear Miss Forbes: Tins is a tremendous piece of work. We are pleased to accept it. We wish to start it running in the paper in not less than two months. We are returning it so that you may write subcaptions and chapter headings for the chapters we have marked. When this is done, return the manuscript manu-script and we will forward our check." For a moment Lolita stood by the oureau literally petrilied. To think r hut her message would now go to thousands of girls throughout the city, perhaps be published in book form later, perhaps even in motioD pictures the vital arid true message that a girl, exactly like a man may be down, but never out. The thought was transporting. Don. watching her face, rea'ized that he had only begun to know her beauty. He opened bis arms, and she ran to them with n happy cry (THE END) |