Show a en nm The Thirteenth By gy tR i t R RUPERT JP PER RT H HUGHES UG G i S Commandment Copyright bf n CHAPTER Continued II 15 15 Mrs nom Romilly Illy finished her wholesale order and wheezed out like n a gram grand old automobile of oC an early model When they were alone the partners gazed at Daphnes Daphne's list and then a at each other What on earth made you take It Mrs 1 exclaimed You know we wg wf cant can't fill it it Were Vere going to fill It it But how know butWell Well but Well Well Well Wel Darned If I but have to get a n lot of se women sewing omen in inand inand and sit up nights But the material We cant can't buy those things on credit Then Ill I'll borrow cash and pay for forIt It Borrow where You said Bald you wouldn't trouble your our brother Im not responsible for what I have said or may say saY- Besides I dont don't mind going to Ba Bayard ard now that I can go with success Ill I'll call on him in a business way and offer him Interest and all that I guess Mrs name Is good enough collateral All unconscious of Daphnes Daphne's affairs Bayard was approaching his om office c I r 6 rj I I bra f I I I f Mrs Romilly Finished Her Wholesale Order and Came Wheezing Out Like a Grand Old Automobile of an Early Model with the brisk manner of a triumphant capitalist But that was bluff for outward outward outward out- out ward effect He was actually dizzy with loss of bearings and control Bayard had carried heavier burdens than Clay and under the sting of Leilas Leila's whip hip had taken greater risks for hIgher prizes The crash in the street had imd found him so extended that he could not recover without additional addition addition- al help That v very morning one Of his brokers had called on him for a renewal renewal re re- re- re newal of margins He had to have five e thousand dollars or he would lose fifty Rebuffed from every door Bayard had gone to Wetherell's office office office-a a mysterious mysterIous mysterious mys mys- sort of place surrounded by guards and secret service men to toward toward toward ward off oft the menace of spies real and imaginary Bayard Barard bad had unusual difficulty in passing the lines The reason he soon heard A new pan man was In charge in Wet Wetherell's place a retired British officer officer officer of of- whose natural and affected gruffness gruff gruff- a uess ri ness ss was aggravated by the unpleasant ant nature of his tasks He Hc had only one eye ere H He ma matte made e Bayard describe who and what he was and what he wanted Only Bayards Bayard's desperation gave hIm strength to ask this old Cyclops for foran foran foran an advance ance on new contracts Bayard went away away In a stupor He had intelligence enough to feel that he could less safely attack Wetherell now than before He would seem to be implicated in the fellows fellow's ance He would only advertise to his creditors that his vaunted contracts were worthless Business men will endure endure en en- dure much to escape s such ch publication of their wrongs Bayard kept his head high till he hc reached readied his own office Then he fell Into his chair and propped plopped his elbows on his desk and gripped his hot br brows ws In his hands as If he were holding his skull together It is the business mans man's attitude of prayer It was thus that Daphne found him when she opened the door narrowly and dosed closed it behind her ber as softly as La Tosca Tasca She was beaming with affection affection af af- af- af and Importance and when a at t her mischievous Ahem 1 Bayard Baard looked up she was so pretty that li he e forgot himself long enough to smile smil e and rush forward to embrace her She was wondering how to r errand when the telephone rang I It t startled Ba Bayard strangely He TIe caught It to his lips as a toper taper lifts a glass He pressed the receiver to his ear car anc an and C d evidently recognized the Uie voice that tha t said Hello from somewhere H He Hi answered in monosyllables othe o of f I the I least least- importance Jut hat Daphne e heard benr gl gloom o iu lu th them m. m Or J Bayard hung up the receiver pushed the telephone away as a bitter cup and laughed sheepishly Great convenience the telephone I Just learned that Ive I've dropped more money than I ever hoped to have For want of a nail the shoe was lost Oh well it saves me from spending it foolishly But If Id I'd had five thousand dollars dollars- My God 1 if Id I'd had five thousand dollars Daphne could think of nothing more helpful to say than a casual Hows flows Leila Dont ask me I Bayard smiled Tell me What can I do for you honey before I go to take some nasty medicine from the president Nothing dear I had to come downtown downtown downtown down down- town on an nn errand so I thought Id I'd run in and say hello Well VeIl hello I 1 Ie He e kissed her Iler and patted her back backwith backwith backwith with doleful tenderness and she went out of his office Into the elevator Its Iron-barred Iron door and its clanking chains gave it a n congenial prison fe feelIng feeling feel feel- l- l Ing and the bottomless pit it dropped Into seemed even more more appropriate CHAPTER Daphne wanted to run away from her thoughts an and she walked for iOl amile a n mile or two up the thc deep ravine of Broadway She dared not go back to Mrs ls just yet with her bad I news lews She thought of asking Clay for fora forn a n loan She swept the appalling Idea from her brain with a puff of derision I Besides he was out of town Bayard had md said saId She thought of asking Tom Duane Duane for it She tried to blow that idea dea from her mind but it kept drifting drIftIng drift- drift Ing ng back lIke like a bit of stubborn thistle thistle- down She could not it At length she grew so desperate that hat she stopped at a telephone booth and brazenly called caned up Duanes Duane's num- num ber er II Hd He chanced to be at home When lie he 10 heard her voice he cried Oh Lord its it's good to hear henr you Sing again sing again agnin nightingale I 1 Im no nightingale Im I'm a businesswoman business businesswoman woman offering you an Investment She told him the whole story The name of Mrs Irs Romilly made him whistle whIs- whIs le tle tle Old Gorgon Zola he called her and md added Youre a made woman o But the tile clothes arent aren't made and I cant can't make em till tillI I get some money Would you could you could you advance me a little ittle on the most excellent security How much do you want Where shall hall I bring it Mail two two er er five hundred dollars to o the shop will you And I can never thank hank you enough Hush Rush Its It's me that thanks you Dont Don't you want more No thanks It will be be betl tl there ere In the early mailand man mall malland and I may call round later to put a mortgage or something on the place Good Good by by she chuckled and hung up p the receiver She was cr crying softly softly softy soft- soft ly y as ns she shee stole from the blessed booth and nd she looked less like a successful business woman than ever Som Something made her think of erell rell She stopped off oft at Bayards Bayard's floor and rang the bell Leilas Leila's new butler admitted her with pomp Daphne Daphno ne no walked past him into the drawing drawing- room oom Leila and Wetherell were standing there in heavy coats They seemed to be a n little shocked at seeing Daphne She was horribly hurt at seeing them thein but she chirruped Just come In Just going out Leila Lella answered kissing Daphne nervously Where Daphne asked with intrepidity in in- as ns she shook hands with Wetherell Wetherell-a a prize-fighter's prize preliminary preliminary nary handshake It t was Oh just Oh er just motoring about a abit bit Thanks Thanks Id Id I'd lov love e It Daphne dared to o say almost as much amazed as ashey they hey were were at nt hearing bearIng her accept the invitation that had not been given She was quite shameless fro from their point of view but she felt that It would be unpardonable to to let her brothers brother's wife go or at least east unaided and on a cruise so perilous to reputation if not noto notto notto to o character While she was at the miserable Business she decided to make a good job lob of it When they went down to th the car she squeezed In between Leila and Wetherell Leila blanched with jeal jealousy and cold rage rage I They dined at Long Beach and watched the dancers In sullen mood Wetherell ordered much champagne and would not listen to Leila's Leilas pleas that he let It alone He frightened lier her liera hera a little by his reckless mood and Daphne began to dread the journey home In the dark with hands on the steering wheel heel After Arter Daphne and he lie had executed a funeral dance Leila Lelia was emboldened d to step out with him They talked very Tery earnestly and he seemed to horrify hor hor- rity her ber by what he said to her Daphne could not Imagine what f it C was Bayard had not of Wetherell's erell's downfall from power Wetherell confessed his disgrace t to toLena o i Leila Lena in the dance and LeIla sick sick- I tined with th the sordid outcome e of at he her r I romance She had played with fir fire firc e and got ot so soot on her h hands She quit the dance and asked to be taken home I 01 j Wetherell felt that she had hind turned against him and he reached 1 for tor thelast the thelast thelast last of the wine to fling rung It down his throat Leila Lella grimly t took ok it from his fingers and emptied it in the Ice bucket Chauffeurs and champagne are abad a n abad bad combination she laughed but there was a sneer on her lips Ups Oh very well I l Wetherell sneered In turn He paid for the dinner and tipped the waiter with the lavishness ss i of a bankrupt He tipped lavishly theman the theman theman man who guarded his car and swung out into the road with an instant speed that would have been prettier had ad been heen less danger Daphne and Leila Lella were good sports but they were not merry Wetherell furnished all the merriment and his was from wine and despair It was the wine that brought out the truth He lie had to tell Daphne what he had told Leila Iella of his misfortune with his bally old government He asked Daphne to to explain to Bayard Bayard Bayard Bay Bay- ard how sorry he lie was that he was involved Involved involved in In- In the crash Your broth Bayards Bayard's nice I I for fed Miss Skip Hes He's got nicest HT UI wife in orl good HT Iii girl Straight lt as a string string straight straight as ns they make em No nonsense about Leil LeU I just love lo her her hon- hon orble love Id I'd do anything in worl for lor Leil LeIl or or III Miss 1 Da Daffy Daffy or o ITy-o or l' l ol of broth Tell him at will you l like ike a a. a goo girl Tell Bay at ll will 11 Daphne grew furious She felt now that she ha tad had justified her presence here She held Leila Lella fast in her embrace em embrace em- em m- m brace and commanded Wetherell Slow down donn at once 1 Do you ou hear Slow down this car I 1 Wetherell laughed Bless liI Im I'm goin gaIn take you home Youre You're quite quie shafe with me me quite Man that's born to be hanged never drown or get that's that's good word word word-au- au- au eh eh what I They whipped shipped round a somber Jut In Inthe Inthe inthe the road and his searchlight painted instantly In white outlines against the black world a a at t of sleepy children returning fr from m some village church affair They were singing drowsily MerrIlee we long ro-la-long-ro-la- ro la long J I Daphne and Leila seemed t to dl die at once Wetherell groaned Oh my God the thc Iii liI I There was nothing for Wetherell todo to todo todo do but what he did He spun his his' wheeland wheel wheeland wheeland and drove his thunderbolt into an nn open concrete culvert There was a furious racket The car turned n a somersault and crumpled in n a shuddering shuddering shuddering dering mass Wetherell pinioned under the wheel was knocked this way and and that and his beautiful head cracked on the concrete concrete concrete con con- crete like lIle a china dolls Leila was snatched from the car as asIf asif asif if invisible hands had caught her exquisIte exquisite exquisite ex ex- ex- ex body for a lash to flog a tele- tele i I I Wetherell Furnished All the Merriment Merriment Merriment Merri Merri- ment and His Was From Wine and Despair phone pole with then threw her into a ditch Daphne was flung and battered battered bat bat- and thrust under the car cpr when it turned over oyer And then the gasoline spilled from the shattered shatter d tank and caught fire CHAPTER Underneath the the lie machine lay the thc relics of af Wetherell who would suffer suITer no more here Close by was Daphne Kip tip whom a brief unconsciousness gave a n short f furlough from torture She was ot alive enough to be afraid of of the the Ion long lean flames about the gasoline tank they kept springing at her like wolfhounds held in a a eal weakening len leash h. h The They had not yet et quite reached her but they missed I her less and less A small distance off tr Leila Lelia lay luy still In her first ungraceful attitude ude oblivious for a few pw moments of the theu u t It I outrages CS the UtI i r of M t lil tuni had wreaked ort of her heI the fury i ry of or a Bill Bm Sikes tr trying to tu beat at a I woman to death The Tho chauffeurs and passengers p g tS t'S of cars that drew up i in hI lengthening queues ran to th the sc cefi of Wetherell's disaster At first they could not see Wetherell erell but they saw Daphne and her r peril and they set frantically to work to drag her free But she was was so o caught that they could not release release her her until they should remove the car They pulled and heaved but It was jammed Into the culvert and the ditch so tight that they could not budge it though they took look risk enough and suffered blistered hands and charred clothes At last one chauffeur fastened a achain achain chain to the rear axle of Wetherell's car and to the front axle of his and by alternate backing and swerving dragged and hoisted Wetherell's car upward and rearward while hIle other other men men snatched Daphne from beneath and away from the flames just as they were nibbling at her skirts At the s same me time they disclosed the body of Wetherell and with huge dIfficulty difficulty difficulty dif dIf- dif dif- fetched it forth Still others found Leila Lelia in a heap a toy with broken joints The last thing Daphne had known was the sensation of being shaken to death a helpless mouse in a terriers terrier's mouth The next she knew was that she was seated on the edge of a ditch and leaning against the shoulder of at a kneeling woman In evening dress A number of shadowy men men and women wom n wavered against the searing scaring glare of the gasoline They TIey arrived at nt last at a hospital Daphne was lifted out and delivered Into Inlo the possession of two curt young oung She was stretched on a litter lItter litter lit lIt- ter carried feet foremost Into an elevator elevator elevator ele ele- ele- ele vator down a corridor to a n. room and rolled out on a n bed Two nurses proceeded proceeded proceeded pro pro- to un undress iress her and bathe her Then an older doctor came In and examined examined examined ex ex- ex- ex her injuries She blazed with shame one complete blush bush but to him she was hardly more than a car car brought to n a garage He nodded cheerfully cheerfully cheer cheer- fully and said Not a bone broken young lady and no internal derangements that I Ican Ican Ican can discover A few burns that's all and a big shock Is Ills Leila hurt much Daphne mumbled She Is hurt hult a trifle w worse worse than you But shell she'll come round all aU right I dont don't believe you I said Daphne and sighed Poor Bayard 1 l Who Is Bayard My brother her brother her husband Ah the young man who was was was- The Theother Theother Theother other young oung man was not your husband husband husband hus hus- band |