Show G Q iff 1 I who ca r h oa r ack THE STORY influenced by loneliness lonell nes in i chicago loilta forbes young and pretty yields yield to the imbor tunstle tu of harvey torrence whom he fancies herself in love 11 she he discovers hla his true character and nd leaves him taking refuse refuge with an acquaintance gertrude watson 1011 lillta tiL Is 13 accosted by the son OB of 0 the wealthy owner of the apartments fred Watte raon H he insists on driving her to th the tore store on the street torrence la Is waiting and the two men enrage encase in a fastic battle in which torrence Is killed lillta spends night of misery in a police cell call she appeals to her rather father but he answers that he never hints to see ee her again next morning the judge at the instigation of a lawyer a stranger to lolita dismisses the case the lawyer gives her and an unsigned note informing her that college tuition has been bean paid r a year lie he refuses to give the name me ot of her benefactor she takes up short story writing and meets on eats mr lillta writes a short story which mr praises pr a eiseg highly miss pringle a member of the class harshly criticizes it the story Is sold tor for 1350 miss pringle discloses Lo colitas Loll litas tas real identity discouraged lolita decides to give up the struggle and sets out tor for a cafe she allows herself to be picked up by a youth in an auto and taken to a roadhouse there her escort insults her she Is re rescued auld by her unknown friend returning to her room she finds there he tells her he be loves love her and asks her to marry him she makes no promises but the avowal heartens lolita and she once more resolves to attempt to come back CHAPTER vil continued 11 you liked hiat elmr Posit hely lies so distinguished looking and lies iles got the nicest enesi ees and lie he was so do worried about yon yo 1 leave the house until you had come liick back paced around in the halls for hours ue he said eaid something nhouy having seen been your sister here I 1 know you had bad any sister 1 I 1 id decided that people had about forgotten that scrape I 1 adt luto find remember what I 1 looked like go BO I 1 stopped dying my halt hair and dolled myself up it was tile hie firpi time that he had seen me that way and in the halt hall light on the landing I 1 lidded kidded him along a bit bil you yon ought to ol of he be was vias won led to death well I 1 told him what id done dohe when N b en I 1 got back ile he was still here I 1 that is he be asked me die to marry him hot dignity dog slick gee ini im glad to hear that girlie youre a lam good kid and theres no reason why you should be hounded lioun ded bemuse because ot of that one little scrape you ton got into I 1 lope be awfully happy she sighed heavily ill bet be getting married yourself before long lolita said softly her heart going out to this somewhat peculiar woman dont kid yourself she sighed again 1 I marry tile the best man alive all alike lolita laughed lau glied what about your gray eyed friend asked mrs hardy looking up as she remembered ahe fellow atiat mt pass sow jour rent here wont lie he raise considerable sid erable of a muss it be hears youre engaged eti to lo somebody so go much perhaps that the other fellow will hear about him film lollias Loll LoIl tas lace face darkened how long has it been since hes teen here about a month hes due to show up sp and pay another months rent in advance for you do you know who he Is no I 1 the slightest idea except that when be came here for the first time he be seemed to have known some one who bad known me because became lie be was perfectly sure that he could tell me all about you without my netting sore or anything ue lie seemed to think the world and all of you and was awfully pleased when I 1 was sampa oer oe your story instead of hard boiled belted os as some women who lived as much us as I 1 have would ot of been beem yeam lolita looked off ob through the window out into the rain ue lie certainly lias bag done a lot for me he fie got we me out of the tightest place I 1 was ever in a la in my life and ill be grateful grale ful to him tor for it until the day I 1 die hut but I 1 cant let him go 90 on paying my bills any longer theres really nothing between us on the level exploded mrs airs hardy yes on the level I 1 lollias Loll tas voice was a little impatient she elie could not understand why anyone should think that there was anything between hersell herself and gray eyes J pardon girlie I 1 mean nothing only men the tee devils they alwiila WILYS want alue rece received led for everything they do for anybody I 1 believe you ab b i eu Eoln lately tely 11 site lie added and accompanied the lie words word with a took look which wag so go sincere that allta I smiled at her and impulsively reached out and Ir rasped her hand band 1 I 1 want you to take mis ninety dollar check it if you will get it ached for me at your bank and keep axt weeks room rent out of lt it stiff ami the man with the gray eyes shwe op il tell fell him alm that my rent Is a hii 1 paid im dot cot going back to me ec ool any mure more so eo he wont have to pay on ani more tuition there and gradually I 1 hope to pay him back tor for very cent hes spent on me taufa a the spirit encouraged mrs mr clardy rising dont ow owe em ein nothing teats the best belt way no ao cantler how by jack arck woodford nu y W N U service copyright nice they look with which sophistry she went out of the room lollon was wag a little piqued that mr had find not yet culled called but it 11 came to her that doubtless the reason tor for ifill hi la was that hint he be would not want to wake her and was waiting until he was sure site blie would be up lie would he down at the newspaper office nt fit tills this time of the morning site she knew she decided to call him there going downstairs she dropped a slug in the phone box tind and give gave the number of the paper presently the she heard War rills pleasant voice speaking good morning she breathed into the phone tier heart hammering good morning came back in a tone so stiff and cold that she nearly dropped the receiver unable t to think 0 of a single tiling thing to say in view of f mis unexpected tone from him film she murmured inanely how tire are sour you fine thanks but I 1 came very near being bumped oft off when I 1 left your place last highl I 1 had bild no sooner got down the stairs stairs than a rou rough h character walked up to uie tile and lilt lift me as a M lo 10 I 1 ell he flung the one word walt over his Shou shoulder leer and closed the door hard as lie could in tile the face before I 1 had bad time lime to ward oil off the blow when I 1 was down he bent over we me and informed we me that if I 1 eier eer went near you again lied hed bump me die off ably on an emissary of your friend who conics comes up here to see rl ins once in a while I 1 had supposed before from what he be had said that there wits was nothing between you and him film but ae noticed that of late he been coming up anymore an more I 1 never occurred to me ass that I 1 am that lie he was jealous of me sir air I 1 you lou cant really believe im afraid I 1 can miss forbes and I 1 I 1 must say I 1 ft as never so disappointed lu in my life I 1 cared oh lots and I 1 could forgive you your other oilier er contretemps but this ta is a little too much with wilb trembling fingers loilta put the receiver back upon its hook book evidently ore of the men who nho had brought tier her buck back in the car the night before had bad remained downstairs and had seen tier her meet through afie lie window on the second landing in the hall tier her heart numb with the thought that no do sarie sane min man could be blamed under the circumstances for jumping to the conclusion that both mrs airs hardy and had jumped to she went back to her room to dress hurriedly one thought in mind she must see the man with the gray csacs at once and get the thing straightened out she would go out to the goose and gander roadhouse he evidently bad something to do with that for he had walked around as though he owned the place in a very short time she ebe was in a taxicab surely things could be straightened out somehow mr air could ti be male made to understand and how could anyone blame him blin for not understanding after all it did look bad almost before site she knew IL it so BO intense were her thoughts lillta again found herself before the old aft tra o o tro brij house will the deceiving exterior entering the lie front door of the old house she itie stood and waited for something tu to happen almost lin fin med mediately lately something did A man stuck ills his head through a panel in the inner door and looked out at her what V hait do you want be asked sus SUB want to see ece the boss slie she returned firmly irm ly tile boss yes tie he seemed intensely surprised and disappeared broto rim the panel presently another anut lier head appeared what do you mean boss the new neim comer asked and then paused to look at tier her closely lolita saw that lint it wits was one 0 of the four our men who had taken her home the night beffie oh he said you dont want to see the boss you yon want to see llie L lie bis big guy ue he aint here but bill well wait a second he fie vanished from the panel soon however lie he returned and opened the door and made a motion for her to follow down a rear light flight ot of stairs her guide led her rind through a long lark dark passageway into it a still darker one unit that smelled dump damp and foul sad denly it became pitch black anti anil lollin run ran into her guide in the blackness keep a hand on me he be In instructed strutted tier her and walk right along nothing you could trip on and no more lolita complied compiled gradually site she became aware that they were in an underground passage for they hid talked twice tile the length of the old house and in one direction only she began to grow a 0 little and would hae stopped to tier her guide it he had nut not suddenly audi lenly stopped and switched on a light looking past him she saw a flight of stone stairs leading up lie ile started to mount and motioned to tier to follow to bolitas Lo litas amazement they presently emerged into what was evidently tile the kitchen ot of a well furnished home immediately they passed through swinging doors along a hallway up a flight of 0 thickly carpeted stairs and finally wound up in a room on the second floor sit down said her guide gruffly site she sat down in a chair and he turned toward the hie door as he opened ME door and was about to pass through he fie flung tile the one word wait waif avei his shoulder and closed the door al most immediately lolita heard hi lock turn walking to tile the windows to see where site she was she discovered that each window was heavily barred there was however another door in the room she walked swiftly over and opened it it lead luto into a sumptuously furnished bedroom passing in she examined the window in the bed room this too was vas heavily barred for the first time she felt fear ear quite definitely suppose this gray eyed person were in love with tier her as everyone seemed to thiekl she returned to tile the other room end and sat down to walt wait soon she heard steps ascending the stairs and suddenly felt ell herself in the grip of terror suppose it should not be gray eyes at all suppose that if it were gray eyes he should proe not to be the kindly decent type ol of man that he had so for far appeared to be suppose almost aDY anything tIlIng in tills this louled and barred room far front from an other dwelling the key turned in the lock the door swung open lolita stood up and presently found herself face to face with gray eyes exes tier her first thought upon facing the man was the same one that she had had when she first saw him ile he looked somehow familiar yet she could not nol convince herself that she had ever known him blin ue ile crossed the room with short quick firm steps and held out his bis hand to her lolita put forth her own hand and felt it grasped firmly in a manly handshake presently he be sat down lolita sat eat down and turned toward him resolutely for some moments there was as silence lolita was a little disconcerted she had thought to handle the interview very easily but this quiet roan man seemed so forceful so BO purposeful it was some how like talking to a school teacher lie ile finally prompted her you wanted to tee see me yes first of all I 1 want to thank you tor for having gotten me out of the most terrible situation that I 1 was ever r placed in in my entire lifetime e I 1 eliell aall never forget that as long as I 1 live he de wi unclasped clasped his bis hands bands and waved one of them carelessly TO BE BB CONTINUED |