OCR Text |
Show I -"Jim TEe Girl Who Had No God Mary RobtrU Rbfhart Low TW mc HHMBHNBMHiVHMMiHiVHMi (CawUk UT Sis UacauO SYNOPSIS. CHAPTER I-Old Hilary Kingston, starting with Socialism, drift! Into anarchy, an-archy, and gathers round him In tho hall above the illne of Wofllngham a band of accomplished desperadoes who rob the rich. Incite (edition and arm the rebellious. re-bellious. Ill motherle daughter, Kllnor, I railed to fine living nnd wrong thinking, think-ing, to no law and no Christ. CHAPTRn H-In an attack on the Agrarian Ag-rarian bank messenger, old Hilary l killed, but Is not suspected of complicity. Doroday bring the body home to the halL CHAPTER Ill-Ward, assistant rector of St. Jude's. make a call of condolence on Elinor, who consent to have her father fath-er burled from Ht. Jude's In the odor of sanctity. The chlet of police recognise i Doroday and 1 auspicious. CHAPTER IV-Arter the funeral the ' band meet nt the hall and agree to go on a before. Elinor acting In her father's stead. Hurt ask Elinor to marry him nnd she consents, though she does not love him. Doroday Is arrested and threatened. CHAPTER V-Doroday In Jail. Talbot Flan a raid on the Coun'.iy club. The rlendshlp between Ward and Elinor ripens to something deeper. Bhe envies him his faith. i CHAPTKn VI-Hu burn' St. Jude ' parish house. Elinor offer to help re- . lulld it and I angry with Huff. CHAPTER VII-Huir plan to rob ' Ward of the money collected to rebuild the parish hotvse. Elinor object and Huff , la Jealous. CHAPTER VIH-Mrs. Rryant, who ha loat a vnluatile penr-shaped penrl in tho ' Country club robbery, tries to poison Ward's mind ngnlnst Elinor: $'8,000 Is subscribed toward tho rebuilding of the parl'h houce Elinor drops the Dryant peurl Into the almsbox near the church door. CHAPTER IX-Talbot tell Elinor that the chief of police demands of Uorodny the Bryant pearl ns the price of his freedom. free-dom. By anonymous letter they advise the chief where to And It. Elinor tries 'to dlssusde Huff from robbing Ward of the church money, but only makes Huff more Jealous. i CHAPTER X-Ellnor calls Ward to I her and In despair tells him that she Is 'head of a band of thieves and warns him of the plot to rob him. As Ward Is on his way home from the hall Huff shoot him down. CHAPTER XI-The chief o," police re-(.over re-(.over the llryant pearl rvd releases Tor. oday. Ward Is taken to the hall. In till ,her troubles Elinor finds herself alono and turns to a higher power for help. Iloroday comes to tho hall and advisee Ellnorlto leave. Tho chief sees him leaving leav-ing the hall and shadows him. Doroday sends Huff to the hall to hide the Jewels. . CHAPTER XII-Huft bid Elinor good, by. She leaves her home. A year later Ward meets Doroday In England und 'learns that Elinor also may be there. He finds her In St. Paul's, I-ondon, kneeling and In tears, Ward tells her ha loves her and she promises to go with him. "And your Ood shall be my Cod," she said. ' torbed to notice that she had thnnfced the God In whom she did not believe. The fire had gained too much headway head-way to be checked. All tho efforts of . tho volunteer department nnd the small engine were directed, toward saving I tho church. For a time It seemed as If Saint Jude's must go. I Elinor watchod tho destruction. It Roomed ns though n band had fastened Itself around her chest. Then she snw ' Ward. lie wus on the ridge-pole of the . church roof with a hatchet. The ridge-1 pole was burning slowly. She could see him chopping. Froth that time she never took her. eyes away from him. Other men were ' there. She did not see thorn. She saw only Wnrd battling on tho ridge-pole,, and high above on tho steeple the sturdy cross of his faith. I On'co the men on tho treet below turned the full force of the hose on , him. She' saw htm reel, saw him re-' cover himself by n miracle. ( The fire glare died Into tho tlnwn. I Saint Jude's was saved. Rehlnd It In ' Its park tho charred skeleton of the I parish house showed how thoroughly young Huff hod done his work. Not' ffntll Ward hud descended safely to tho street did Elinor relnx. Ward found her sitting In one of the chairs along the pavement, her hair still In Its long brnld, her feet thniit Into slippers, her eyes red from long staring. The fire engine was bring dragged away. The crowd had dispersed. Ward, blackened and depressed, was purveying the ruins with n heavy heart, lie turned nnd saw the girl. Just at first ho was not sure of her. no was always seeing her, mentnlly. Then he went toward her, his hand out. "You Ree,"'he wild, "what an hour may bring forth 1" And then, "You reekless child, here In slippers I" "I Raw you on the roof," said Elinor, bnrely able to nrtlculato. "Once I thought you had fallen." "They nearly got me. It'tt rather Rail, Isn't It?" Ho Rtood, ntircnendcil In the cool dawn, nnd surveyed tho ruin. People meet grout crises simply. She tried to find some word of Rynv pnthy tr say, but what was there, poor child? She know the true InwnrdnoHS of thnt disastrous night. So, with pathetic pa-thetic oyos, hIiu turned nwny. "I'll go home now," ho said. "I snw the glnro I " Quito suddenly her lips trembled. "I should llko to help you with tho now building." "Fine!" said Ward heartily. "Wo'll get to that before long." I "If you hnd fallen" ' He was not listening. It camo to her then how far apart they were. To her his fulling would hnvo boon nn end of nil things ; to him, It would have meant ' the beginning of n useful eternity. "If you wait n little, I'll run around and get my enr nnd tuko you up." She sat down up In, obediently. She wns glml to bo with him) n llttlo longer. Until recently, (ho work of tho hand had nlwnys Roomed n vngtio iibstrnty tlon. .Now ono of Its results lay before her. And there wero other things fresh In her mind old Hilary, dead of his revolt iignlnst law, and lying In Rtatq before nn nltnr erected to a God he hnd not recognized. And Ward, watching her windows and thinking her tho embodiment em-bodiment of what u woman should bo. Over her bitterness ros a hot wave of anger ngnlnst Walter Huff. Shu had -forbidden this thing and ho had dono It. CHAPTER VII. Wnrd brought her a cup of coffee, and stood by with satisfaction while she drunk It. In his eyes there was a mixture of depression and Joy. The pitrtRh house was gone, nud this girl before hlra was to marry another man. Hut they would build another parish lioui, nnd who knew He drove her up tho hill in his smnll enr. At tho toji of a rise ho stopped "ZElZ-- eg- fr " Mim 7il cr-" ' The Car Climbed Slowly. the car and looked back. Tho night's devastation Miowod clearly, n black wound In tho smiling heart of tho valley. val-ley. Elinor watched him. "It means a great deal to you, doesn't It?" "It's rather a fneer Of courso we will build ngaln, but there nro things thnt could not bo replaced. That Isn't what troubles me. Tho fuct Is, I am afraid I'm responsible. "I was there last night, alone. I have a bad habit, when I havo a men tal problem to worry nut, oT.-rJJ lBB up and down a room nnd ltghtltHt m Vs! cigarette after another. I am rtcUen fl H with matches." fll Then perhaps, nfter all, Walter ti 1H M not done It I i 3m W The carfrlfuihcd slowly. Ward kjl WsaB his eyes straight ahead. Elinor oat Sfl little Rhy glances nt his profile.. ' H "You Rntil you had somctulBc; tt , worry out?" jpbH Ho (lrw n long breath. MW "I have bad an offer to go to Kt H Tork to n big church. It's rattxr jH wonderful opportunity." IH Kllnor made no Rlgn except to tafcft jH her hands as they lay ungloved tm ttx llia! lap. itH "Then you will bo leaving unT ' JILH "No," ho said. "I shall not bo ksTfis I iH I Ifi' "You like It hero?" I UH "Very much." He tnrned and taafenl ' ijlH down at her. It was unwise. He res I tSai Izod that a,t once. So frail she loetassX lliH so softly, tenderly feminine! Art4 tse tflia! cause he know thnt, nfter the nlfjfesX, lil lie hnd not yet got control over Dimwit, jfiH tlio merest hand-clnxp ns she gotoatejf Msi tho machine was all he dared. Retail ' i?sfl the top of the stops Elinor turned. liaLi "You will never know Just how iwtrj rlsi I nm," she said, nnd went through tsar SLI gnrden to tho house. 3iai From thnt Friday morning until Cr IH evening of tho following day IT!ir !l!ai was quite alone. all Hour after hour Rho RpentpadniraT KH terrace, looking down Into the vatly L fH On Frldny night, unnblo to sleep, S "H threw n negligee nver her shootden jf VU and went down to her garden. Ttbt ffi tH vlllago slept quietly, but there was a f' J light In Ward's smnll window near Km j v AH church, Sho remnined on the trnae fVflH until the light wnH extinguished. w MH t dinner thnt Saturday Borodsyt if RH empty plnco cast n gloom over Um II H meal. Walter Huff camo a llttlo late 9 1 Under the case of his greeting titer 1 nH was n touch of unenRlness as Im BMt I f Elinor's eyes. When the servants Ml !lL'si tho room, Talbot leaned forward to ( 3 IfH Walter. U IH "Now toll us about It," he said. i fj WM IIufT wns frankly triumphant, bet bt Ig IH still nvnlded Elinor's eyes. !iHl "It's working out exactly ns I kr Ik'HiH It would," he explained. "Having once li MaH hnd n parish houso they cannot 04 E al without It. The vestry carried oat S aH nbout n third enough Insurance. And VH there's another point In our fiwor-r-Jt B BH rector's nwny. He's got rheumatism Bl They aro going to tnko up nn addlUaoal HH Imrso to send him to Baden-Baden.'' 11 "When?" V . "Tomorrow morning. And tornonr j iH being Sundny, tho osslstant rector, Wi- " '' M nor's friend, will hnvo It In chrgTB- ' til Monday morning." $ i 'H "I Rhnll warn him," said Elinor n i M deuly. ' 1H There was silence for n moment. 1- ' H' JH lint Riulled. Lothlirldgo looked .nbtound- ?M od. Hurt, bending forward with lib 11 IH arms out before him on tho table, coo- ' j ftH fronted Elinor Rniiurco'y. I ! U "That'u It, Is It?" he said. J HB "I asked you not to do what yo IvJ have done. The children URed It sO , MM the time. They played basketball Ikem. , Resides, my wish should mean sonu- j B-H thing to you." WM Huff shrugged his shoulders. M "It I had burned a tenement full of j iM people !)H "A man was nearly killed. Ho was U M on tho ridge-pole of tho church and mM they turned tho full strength of the '11 water on him. I sow It. I almost H fainted." "You snw It." ' B "I wns there," snld Elinor quietly. , B Huff rose angrily. , B "You wero there 1 And who was It H who nlmost fell off tho roof? Your " tU parson, I Hiipposc." I H Talbot silenced the boy. It wwl B I.cthbrldgo who took up tho argument. H Ho uiulerKtood her position and iin- H pnthlzed, ho snld. The tire wes a ml I flH take. Rut now thnt It was dono UVfl Ho spoko of Roroday's critical orcdt- MSB tlon, of their safety thnt depended o f IH his, nnd finding her attitude to be ua- i mM yielding, took refuge in her Xather! Wmm memory. Ifvsl "If anything comes out. It vrlTl tCH 1j como out," ho reminded her. "It seems ' Hl to me, Elinor, that you owo it to your MM father not to Interfere. This Un't a H new plan. Four or five years ago when BBJ tho parish house was flrnt built we ! mW talked It over here. And It Isn't uj jBBJ though wo mean to hurt this fellow i Wnrd. It will 4)0 three to one; bell &VB make no resistance.'' i VAV "Yes," she said. "Three to one j jSAV That Is tho way we fight. Ob, I'm one j jH of you, I know that but It sickens me, i AvJ sometimes." !Val Tho men wero astounded, frankly AH uiiroiufortnble. Thu conference got nowhere. Elinor H ucknowledged their duty to tho It us- , W slun, nlTered nil her jewels. In fuct, for W his defense. Rut iho stubbornly re- H fused to countenance tho attack oa IBBj Mr. WarC. Huff lapsed Into s illen si- i lH U oce, his eyes on her. Tho other men I H found every nrgumout met by silence, t.'VA except for ono pnsslonnto outblli'st. t'iil "Ho Is my friend," sho cried. "1 iffal havo never had any friends, except ; i M once, years ugo, a girl. It was Burn- tlay thou who used my friendship for 'MU her. It was tho Rutherford matter. j . MU Walter would not remember, but the ' ' AVJ rest of you I tell you, I won't do this iaWstal Talbot tried n new method. "It's IH a wealthy congregation," ho explained. ibIb! "It Is not much for them, and It's fH safety for us. If wo let Boroday go $' up, and ho thinks what ho will about us, ho can mnko It bad for all of us." Mmm Elinor turned on him. f9 "I don't euro a rap for tho congrc- jH gatlon. Do you think ho will let thnt i ISH money go without a struggle? Tho , AVI moment It goes Into tho offertory It I H censes to bo money and becomes a dl- H vine trust to hlra. He'll light and W 'Bomcono will bo killed. 'i VaH JIS. XTo be continued in our next issue.) !H M JBBBBBBBal |