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Show ihtand Dawning. ! ; 3:! i!B Br H. M. EGBERT I (Copyright, 1915. by W. O. Chapman.) "I don't know whnt to do with my-solf my-solf evenings," sighed Ronald Cray, leaning out of tho back window of his bacholor apartment and surveying survey-ing tho glooomy lints around him. Two months beforo ho had been summoned, sum-moned, home from Now Mexico, whero his power dam had mado him famous, to tako chargo of tho engineering department de-partment of his company at headquarters. head-quarters. Ills salary was ample, ho had wealth, ho was only twcnty-flvo; yet he hnd managed to mako no acquaintances ac-quaintances In tho big city. A freo life In tho West had mado him different from tho nverngo city-bred city-bred young man; ho thought tho metropolis me-tropolis stiff and Its peoplo devoid of Interest. Suddenly, as ho leaned out, surveying survey-ing tho hugo buildings and speculating how many thousand lives ran on in them, a light sprang Into being In tho' building opposite on tho fifth floor,-on floor,-on n level with his. Behind a drawn shade ho saw tho stlhouotto of a man. Ho was Btooplng over a tablo and, ns Cray watched, ho saw tho shadow of a woman behind him. Suddenly her hand plunged downward. Tho elongated elon-gated object In It looked llko a poniard. It struck tho man In tho sldo of tho neck nnd ho rolled over. Tho woman stood looking at him for a momont; then, with a gesture of triumph, sho flung tho poniard out of tho window, raising tho shado a little. Cray heard a metallic tlnklo In tho court below. Then followed darkness. Ho leaned out, astounded at what ho had scon and hardly bellovlng it real. How long ho waited ho did not know. Suddenly his bell rang. Ho went out Into tho paBsago and saw, standing outsldo tho door, ono of tho most boauttful women whom ho had over met. Sho was twonty-thrco or four. Hor oyos gleamed with feverish Intensity, her hair was disheveled and hor hands wcro red. "Savo mo! Hido mo! Help mo!" sho pleaded. Cray did not hcsltnto an instant. Ho pulled her through tho doorwny nnd led hor to tho bathroom. Ho filled tho Saw the Shadow of a Woman Behind Him. basin and washed her hands, drying them on a towol afterward. Then ho took her into his sparo room. "You're qulto safo hero," ho said in a low volco, "Nobody saw you come In. You can stay as long aa you want to." Sho crouched In a corner, glaring at him llko n hunted beast. Ho hesitated, hesi-tated, then ho closed and bolted the window and withdrew, leaving tho door open. For half an hour ho watted, fearing that ho would hear tho bolt snap, that sho would try to plungo down into tho court below. But hardly a sound camo from tho room. When at last ho returned sho was lying on the floor asleep. Ho placed her on tho couch and sho did not awaken. Her sloop was of profound exhaustion. All night Crny Bat up, waiting. Somotlmos he stolo in to look at hor, but sho never stirred. It was not till tho sun was well up that he heard her moving. Sho came forward unsteadily and looked n at him as ho sat by the window. "Whero am I?" Bho cried. "Who nro you?" Cray rose and took hor by the hands. "I am a friond," ho answered. "You nro safo horo Bafo to como or to go." Sho burst Into hysterical sobbing. When at last ho had quieted her tho girl .told Cray her story. Sho had 'mot a man in hor homo In Virginia, thrco months beforo. He hnd asked hor to bo his wlfo. Hor paronts mistrusted him; sho followed jhlm stealthily, to learn too late that 'all that bad boon said about him was .truo. Ho was a gamblor, a swindler. Sho remembered thoso threo months with loathing. Her horror of htm bad grown. Ho had deceived her with a mock ceremony, lied to hor at last one had learned that be had a wife 'already. . . - Sho had written home, but hor letters let-ters woro returned unanswered. Sho had nowhoro to turn, sho was Ignorant of any trade, and tho man held hor by his lying promises, Ho had almost got his dlvorco, ho said; ho loved her; for her sako ho would reform, if only she would trust him. Sho had waited for him tho evening boforoj then thero was a dreadful blank In her mind, and sho had recovered re-covered to find horself standing over tho body And sho had Hod wildly for eholtcr. Cray patted her hands. "You stay with mo until tho trouble blows over," ho said. "I want a housekeeper. You will bo quite safo horo. I shall lot it bo known that you answered an advertisement. ad-vertisement. When all Is ready I will help you to a now llfo. You trust mo?" Sho looked at him helplessly. "I am so Ignorant," she wept. "I must trust you. I have nobody olso." "You will not regret It," said Cray. And ho know tho girl was safo there. Nobody c-atuo to call at his littlo apartment. apart-ment. Tho murder occupied two columns of his morning paper, but tho only clue was that afforded by a negro Janitor, who had Been a woman ascending the steps a fow minutes beforo tho tragedy. trag-edy. And ho stated that her hair was fair. Tho unknown woman's was obony dark. Cray felt safo. Tho poulard was found, but gavo no cluo. And gradually tho Interest waned. N'obody know tho murdered man, who had very good reasons for disguising his Identity. As tho days passed Helen Wnro camo to trust Cray absolutely. Sho cooked for him, mended his clothes, rosolutcly refused to tako tho money that ho pressed upon her. "I can nevor forget what I owo you," sho would say. But sometimes thero would bo opcllB of weeping. "I did not mean to kill him," tho girl would moan. "I do not remember anything, except sitting sit-ting at homo watting for him with blttorncss of heart; then I heard him como In and went to him nnd I was standing over him with tho daggor In my hands." "You don't recnll the dagger?" "Ye3. It was a curio of his; somo friend from a savago country had given it to him. I must have snatched it from tho wall and stabbed him." As tho weeks turned into months, Cray found himself torn between two Impulses. Ho wanted to let tho girl co to somo scono whero bho would bo nblo to tako up her llfo anoy. And yet ho know that ho loved her. Hor helplessness, her charm, tho bond between them hnd created an Intimacy that was Infinitely Infinite-ly sweet. Ho had been offered a now position In tho West. Ono night ho took his courngo In his hnnds and asked her to bo his wlfo nnd go with him whero all memory of tho past could bo forgotten. Ho know by her looks that sho loved him. But sho would not. "It" is" your pity for mo, Ronald, not love," sho said, sighing. "I lovo you, but I can never bo your wlfo so long as this curso of blood lies on me." "You acted rightly," ho cried hotly. hot-ly. "No jury would havo convicted you. Helen, dearest, foigct It and como with mo." "I cannot," sho answered sadly. "I must leavo you, nnd you must forget." for-get." But on tho noxt day something happened hap-pened which drovo all thoughts of parting from their heads. Tho wlfo of tho murdered man wns arrested charged with tho crimo. It was known that sho had been In tho city that day. Sho had threatened threat-ened him; tho negro Janitor identified her ns tho woman ho had seen near tho apartment house. And Ronald and Holcn watched tho unfolding of tho grim trial with dismay. On tho evening beforo tho last day Helen apoko to Ronald about what lay uppermost In her mind. "I cannot let that woman bo convicted," con-victed," sho said. "I must go down to tho court and offer my confession." confes-sion." Ronald could not dlssundo her. Ho know that It was tho only posslblo thing. And nil day they sat In tho dreary courtroom listening to tho Intolerably long summing up. Tho Jury had at last retired. Ronald had persuaded Helen not to speak unless tho verdict was "guilty." It was hour's beforo tho Jury ro-turned. ro-turned. A murmur spread through tho courtroom. Tho fnco of tho foreman was deadly white. Ho trembled nisi looked away from tho prisoners straining eyes. There could bo no doubt what tho verdict was. Suddenly Helen sprang to hor feet. Ronald rose and kopt his nrm about hor. P"! faced tho prisoner and stretched out her hand. But beforo a word could leavo her lips Iho woman In tho dock I'ttr-cl n shriek und recoiled, clutching at tho air. "Yes, I am guilty," alio cried. "Ho lied to mo, deceived me. I learned that he was supporting another woman, wom-an, who was passing ns his wlfo. I dogged him to his homo. I entered after him. I saw him In tho hallway, and over his head a daggor hung. It Boomed plncod thero for me. I struck him and then tho other woman camo out nnd Bho stands thero!" And sho crjpsed unconscious upon tbo floor. Helen foil Into Ronald's arms. "It Is truo! It Is truo!" sho cried. "I remember ovorythlngl" Tho verdict of "manslaughter" was furthor eased by a mercifully light sentenco, and, with the obstnelo to tholr marrlngo romoved, Ronald and Helen went West, where they started upon their now life togethor. |