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Show The Girl Who Came Back a a o Cy Jack Woodford C Q O Copyright W. N. U. Service i . CHAPTER XII 19 Fred turned west. Kor n few moments mo-ments they drove through the wealthy suburb with Its neat lawns uud hedges. Imposing homes, ami general ulr o( fashionable smigiiess. I're.-ently they came to Hie liidge road. Lot It n turned to her companion with a question : "Where on earth are you going we're clear out of town, are we not?" Stopping the car. he pointed far uliead to h new building. There it Is," lie told tier briefly There wore "no other houses Dear It. I.olita followed Fred Into the house She thought it strange that he opened the door with a pass key. but dismissed dis-missed this thought whh another one; that probably the servants had not yet been brought out from the Wiiitcrson home. "Come up.-talrs," i'red directed, "anil take otT your things." This request, loo, struck Lollta as 'strange. There was un ominous brood ring silence lu tne house tnokeii only J by the peals ot thunder from wit hour and the putter of ruin, like shot, ugulnst the windows. Fred led the way upstairs. There was a hoely bedroom suite lu the room, ull lu glistening white, trimmed with tiny stripes of gold. She stood before the bed and removed her haL As slie laid it down, she happened hap-pened to glance Into the mirror upon the dressing table. Fred was locking the door, and watching her warily. Almost Al-most numb Willi fright she straightened straight-ened up and faced tilm. trying to speak courageously: "Why are you lucking that door. Fred?" "lludy, had a line-la The Sheik,' In answer to a question like that. It was: "Are you uot womuo enough to know?'" "You mean, then," said I.olita. spur ring for time, "that your 'reform' lias nil been a sham?" lie averted his eyes. "No it wasn't. It was on tne level, and still is; but I've got to have you I'm asking you once more to marry me. My father isn't here, woD't be here until tomorrow. There's no one here but you and L There were one or two servants, but I've sent them away. I'm sorry, but I'm simply mad ab u' you, Lolita! IV struggled against the desire to force you to mar ry me this way but it'e no use. I'm weaker than I supposed. The thought of you torments me day and night. You're the only girl I ever wanted badly that I couldn't have." Lolita's glance darted about the room. There was no other duor, except ex-cept one that led into what she could see was merely another smaller room, in connection with the bedroom. The windows, however, looked more pro pltious. It couldn't be much of a drop from them to the ground. She darted toward one, and Hung herself against It, hoping that a catch would give way, but none did and, quick as a flash, he flew across the room to seize ber in his arms. "Fred !" she managed, though her breath whistled through her teeth so that her words were bardly Intelligible "don't I Hung on to yourself ! You've been decent for so long. Win this battle with yourself and ccme out ot It a man." For a moment be looked at her with an almost Idiotic helplessness, help-lessness, slackening his hold. With a wrench she managed to throw him off and rush toward the door, but he mid removed the key from the lock Furiously she swung about upon him as he followed her. "You beast I" she said, placing both hands upon his chest and endeavoring 'o hold him from her. "don't you realize real-ize that you can he sent to Jail for this sort of thing? Release me immediate iy. I'm through arguing with you vou're rotten throughout Let me go now and I'll say nothing ahout it. If vou don't I'll nave you attended to 'he moment I do get out." He laughed md seemed to become every moment nore like the man he had been the irst time she had seen him. This time all restraint seemed to pave Mm. He handled her brutally md though she fought him with every unce of strength in her body she he-"in he-"in to feel the futility of IL Her strength was no possible match for lis. her muscles were almost limp. Voting her lack of resistance he licked her up bodily In his arms, but vith one last vigorous writhe Into vhich she threw all of the strength hat she had left, she managed again o free herself and run across the 'mini. Blindly she snatched up the little white and gold chair from be-fore'the be-fore'the dressing table. As he charged it her she brought " down upon his nead. Immediately there was a frightful yulet In the room. He lay stretoned nit before her, his forehead red with blood. Her body ached from the strenuous stren-uous exertion A fighting him off Her waist hung from her In tatters. There as a big rip in ner skirt and one of her Blockings liail ninif down. I'aln fully, almost Instinctively, nhfi managed man-aged lu get down the Hliilis lifter taking tak-ing the key from his hip pocket. In an iilcovo near the front door iilie foiind n telephone. Without coiihiIoiinIj realizing her notions ulie hioIch the number into the traiiKinlller. After n long wait the awltiliboaril girl told her that Mr. Wnnlll win not tlo-re Half fainting, but keeping h.Tsell eonNcloiiH almost by sheer strength of will, fcha called the newspaper olllee. After a seemingly Interminable wall camu the soft, husky voice, like a voice from heaven. In gasps she blurted out what had happened Mr Wnnlll stopped only to ascertain the exact hx-allon of the house, ussurlng her he would b there as soon as his car could make It. After hanging up the receiver she Hit for a time limply In the chair by the phone. Then, n new fear laying Itself upon tier heart, she went back upstairs. Fred Watterson lay Just as she had left him. ills face was chalky white in an ngony of fear she went Into the bathroom, tilled a glass with water snalched up a washcloth and caiiu-liuck caiiu-liuck to bathe his head. It Keemed that she had been washing the cut on his forehead and holding hark the blood for hours when suddenly she .became aware that some one was standing over her. She looked up into the stern face of Cray Kyes. who stood looking down nl her wllh n peculiar quest inning expression In his hard, bright eyes. 'Did Hon Wnnlll know that yon were coining out here with Walter Her Strength Was No Possible Match for His Own. son?" he asked her. as soon as she looked up. "Yes," she answered, too worried and distrait to reflect upon the oddity of the question. "You told him all about it, and be approved?" "Yes," 6he answered again. This seemed for some reason greatly to please him. He turned and made motion and Lollta saw two men who had been standing In a doorway come forward. They bent over Wotterson and examined him briefly. One of them took a flask from his pocket nnd forced the contents liberally down the other's throat Fred gasped and choked. "Cut on the bean," announced one of the men shortly; "nothing to It" Both of the men stood up and looked at Gray Eyes; be, in turn, looked down at Fred as though be were about to kick him. "I ought to kill you," Gray Eyes said in a level tone. "Aw, I didn't know she was yours." objected Fred, in a voice so exactly like the one he had used in speaking to her in the Grantham apartments that Lollta started. With a lust contemptuous con-temptuous look at Watterson, Gray Eyes grasped Lolita's arm and took her downstairs. "How did you know I was In trouble trou-ble again?" she asked after a moment, us he paused for something In the hall. "Know, h II There hasn't been a moment since you left Mrs. Hardy s that I haven't bad my eyes ou you every minute; one of my men was always watching you. Several times 1 had a mind to step In and help you out, but I was kind of proud of the way you were making out all by yourself. It tickled me to see you actually writing stuff that was worth money to people who publish magazines. maga-zines. "Where's the telephone in this place?" Lolita poiuted it out to him, and presently heard him talking to some doctor. "Only a flesh wound, no fracture, but you belter come and (iiilteil7.e It against Infection." Iimt lis Cray Eves rejoined her lu the hall the front door was shoved violently open ami lion rushed through, a revolver re-volver In his bund. IiIh face as while us lind been that of the Injured man upslalrH. lie slopped blankly upon seeing Cray Eyes wllh l.ollla. For full ml u u I f he Blood blinking at them, ami then, his face reddened and a hlller smile mole over his features. "I guess you have a pretly capii hie prnicclor," he said Ironically lie turned, about to leave; lit the door he swung about and observed: "I might have known ('liiirlle would gel here before I did he's a fast worker.' "Wall a second." snapped Gray F.ycH, hut the door was banged shut, l.ollla. loo liiinib with misery to cure much what went on, allowed herself In be led through the door to a waiting wait-ing car. All of the way hark she sat huddled up, too miserable to think Several time Cray Kyos reached over to pal tier shoulder, but he said colli lug ; he. loo. was thinking. At her home he iisslslod tier from the cur. took her to her room, wllh drew and closed Hie dr. Soon. Imw ever, he was back Willi the landlady l.ollla, silling slli-nlly In n chair, saw thai the woman was shoving a yellow-haekeil yellow-haekeil bill Into a pocket In her nprnii "I thiii'l waul you to lei her out of your sight one seeuiid until I cuiue baik." he said o Hie woiiian In thai pereinplory voire of his. She nodded and sal down In another chair Again Cray Eyes weal out and dosed ihe door. Al'lei a few nioineiilH the womat; rose and crossed to Lolita's side. "II I, girlie." she said In u sad. discouraged dis-couraged voice; "whatever II Is. don't take It so hard. I. lie Is always like ibis, jou Just gotla gel used to It." There was no respoii.-e from Io!lla. who still sat dry eyed, stunned, feeling feel-ing as thiuigli she were In the uiliMt of some beautiful temple which for no apparent reason ut ull was crashing iu ruins down upon her. in an effort to divert her mind the woman pointed to a package which lay upon the dresser. "Something came for you while you was out." she said, hopefully. Lolilu followed the woman's ga.e to the bureau bu-reau top. There lay the package that contained the serial rejected, of course! CHAPTER XIII After a lime Lollta rose from hei chair to throw herself face downward upon the bed Her slim body shook with the ugony of the sobs that burst from her. Until she was empty of tears she cried, while the landlady, horrified at such grief, tried to reason with her, knowing nothing of her problem. What cut Lollta most was to think that Warrlll. luAing fought and won a battle with himself, with the thought of her aiding him to do It should think, after ull. that she was a superficial super-ficial disingenuous girl. 1'erhups lie would lapse back Into his old way of looking at life; certain it was at any rate, that she would never see him again. Bitterly she resolved to give up it was no use. Once one made a misplay in life the cards were forever r stacked against one, but astonishingly, astonishing-ly, she found that even In this, her darkest hour, the still smull voice within her counseled fight and courage; cour-age; the thought at last soothed her Into a troubled sleep, and she drifted "off on the reflection that she would not give up. She would fight on and upward, no matter how severe the hat tie might become. Surely, some day. some way, there would be an end to all her troubles, and some small reward re-ward for her counigeousness In not having stayed down. When Lollta awoke It was dark In the room, and she found that the landlady, worn out by her vigil. Inspired by Gray Ryes, had fallen asleep. She arose and turned on the light Her whole body ached, and some scratches on her arms were smarting painfully. The landlady woke up with a start: "Well, mercy me, what's happened? she said sleepily. "Plenty," observed Lolita bitterly. Come downstairs with me," suggested suggest-ed the woman, "and I'll get you something some-thing to eat; it's'nearly eight o'clock," she added, glancing at the clock upon the bureau. ... "I couldn't eat," Lolita told her. "I'd like to take a bath nnd get dressed up decently; these clothes are torn to pieces." In the little room, with the door shut, she stripped off her torn garments gar-ments and turned on the water. Her companion was spinning some long Odyssey of a misspent life which to Lolita was Just a drone. Her own thoughts' were so poignant, so colorful, color-ful, that she could make no sense out of what the other said (TO BE CONTINUED.! |
