Show T the h ce girl who came cam I 1 flack 00 0 by jack woodfard S C Q 0 copyright W N U service CHAPTER XII 19 fred turned west for a few moments they druie drue through the wealthy suburb with Us its deal lanns and hedges bedge imposing homes and geni general iral air of 0 fashionable snugness they came to tile the ridge road lillta turned to her companion with a question where on earth are lou going were clear out of town are we not stopping the car he pointed far car ahead to a new building there it Is tie be told her briefly there were no other houses near it ft loilta followed fred red into the house she thought it strange that he opened the door with a pass key but dismissed this thought with another one that probably the servants had not yet been brought out from the Watter watterson sOD home come aps talas fred directed and take off your things this request too struck lillta as strange et range there was an ominous brooding silence inide house broken only by the peals ol of thunder from without lind and the patter of rain like shot against the windows fred led the way upstairs there was a lovely bedroom suite in the room all in glistening white while trimmed with tiny stripes of gold she stood before the bed and removed her hat As she laid it down she happened bened to glance into the mirror upon the dressing table fred was locking the door and watching her warily almost numb with right fright she straightened up and faced him film trying to speak courageously why are you locking that door pred bcd 7 cf rudy had a line to in the sheik in answer to a question like that it was are you not women enough to know you mean then said lillta spar ring for time that bour our reform has all been a sham ue ile averted his eyes no iso it it was on the level and still Is but ive got to have you im asking you once mure more to marry me ine my father here bere wont be here until tomorrow theres no do one here but you and L there were one or two servants but ive sent them away im sorry but im simply mail mad ab abiu iti you lillta 1 iv struggled against tile the desire to force you to marry me ine this way but we ite no use im weaker than I 1 supposed the thought of you torments me day and night youre the only girl I 1 ever wanted badly that I 1 have loutas Loll tas glance darted about the room there was no other door except one that led into what she could see was wan merely another roi riu aller boom room in connection with the bedroom the windows however looked more propitious pit ious it be much of a drop from them to the ground she darted toward one and flung herself ri against galust it ft hoping that a catch would give way but none done did and quick as a flash he flew across the room to seize her in hla his arms fredi fred I 1 shi she managed though her breath whistled through her teeth so that her words were hardly intelligible dont I 1 hang on to yourself youve been decent for so long win this battle with yourself and acme out 0 of it a man for a moment he looked at tier with an almost idiotic help 1 slackening blackening his hold with a wrench she managed to throw liliu ilia of oft and rush toward the door but he had removed the key from the lock furiously she swung about upon ill him as he followed her you beast the she said placing both hands upon his chest and endeavoring to hold him film from her dont you realize ize that you can be sent to jail for this thia sort of thing release me immediate ly im through arguing with you youre rotten throughout let me go now and ill say nothing about it IL if you dont ill have you attended to the moment I 1 do get out nj lie laughard anti anil seemed to become every moment more like the man lie he had been the jact tt time abe he bad seen him time lime all restraint seemed to e bin lie handled tier her brutally and nd though she ehe fought him with every ounce dunce of strength to in her hotly body she hegan to feel the futility of it tier her strength was no possible match for tile hi tier her muscles were almost limp noting her lack of resistance he fir picked her up bodily in hla his arms but with one last vigorous rigorous writhe lma ima which she threw all of lh the 6 strength that she had left she managed again to free herself and run across tile the room blindly she snatched up op the little white and got gold chair from before the 40 dressing table As he fie charged char geil nt at her she brought it down upon his ble hind head ji immediately there was a frightful quiet in the room ile he lay iny 1 aut nt before her his forehead red with 1 blood rier iler body ached from the stron 4 I 1 bolls exertion of fighting him off her aalst alst hung from ho hor br b r in tatters there wag a hl eriv to in tier ner skirt and one of at g r 4 f her stockings haa come down pain fully almost instinctively she aged to get down the stairs after lak ink ins ing the key from his hip poc pocket izet li in as an alcoe near the front door nor she sh found it telephone without conscious realizing tier actions slie she spoke tin the number into tile the transmitter after a i long wait nit the switchboard girl toll told her flint mr was not flore flo re halt filleting fainting but keepin herself conscious almost by sheer strength of dl will she exiled called tile the ollice after afier a n seemingly interminable walt came the soft busly voice like a 8 oice from hem en in gasps she blurted out what had happened mr bir stopped only to ascertain the lie exact location of the houe assuring lier her lie would ili hi there as soon as his car could make it after han ing up the receiver slie she sat for a time thoe limply in the chair ch air by tile the phone then a new itself upon tier her heart she wont vent back upstairs fred watterson terson lay just ns as she had find left film ITIs ills face was chalky while hire in un all agony of tear fear slie she went nent into the lie bachi bathroom ooin tilled a glass with water vater snatched up a washcloth cloth and came back to battle bathe his head it seemed that she dmd ill been washing the cut on as his forehead and holding buck the lie blood for hours when suddenly slie she became aware that some one was standing over tier her she looked up into the stern face ot of gray cray eyes who stood looking down dovin at her with a peculiar questioning expression in his hard bright eyes did oon don know that you were colln coming 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 an answered sered too worried and distrait to reflect upon the oddity of the question au estion you told old him all about it and he appi approved oed yes she answered again this seemed for some reason greatly to please him lie he turned and made a motion find and lolita saw two men who had been standing in a doorway come forward they bent over oer watterson and examined him briefly one of them took a flask from his bis pocket and forced the contents liberally down tile the others throat fred gasped and choked cut on the bean announced one of the men shortly nothing to it both of the men inen stood up lind and looked at gray eyes he be in turn looked down ut fred as though ile be were about to kick him 1 I ought to kill you gray eyes said in a level tone aw w I 1 know slie she was objected fred in a voice so exactly like the one lie he had used in speaking to her in the grantham Grau tham apartments that lollia started with a last contemptuous look at watterson gray kyes eyes grasped Loll kolitas Lo litas tas arm and tool took tier her downstairs bow how did you know I 1 was in trouble again she asked after a moment as he paused tor for something in the hall know h 11 there been a moment since you left mrs Ll ardys that I 1 had my eyes oil w you every minute one of my men was always watching you several times fillies I 1 had a mind jo 0 o step in and add help you out but I 1 was lind kind of proud of if the way you were making out all by your yourself it tickled me to see you actually writing stuff that was worth money to people who publish magazines wheres the telephone lione in this place allta 1 pointed it out to him film and presently heard beard him talking to sonie some dotor donor only a flesh wound no fracture but you better belter come an and cauterize it against infection as gray cray eyes rejoined her in the hall the trout front door was shoved open and don rushed il through a re in ills his hand his big face as white us as had been that of the injured man upstairs lie ile stopped blankly blindly blin lly upon seeing gray cray bejes ejes ej es with lillta for a full minute he fie stood blinking blin hIng at them and then their his big face reddened aud and a hitter bitter smile stole oer his features 1 I 1 guess you have bare a pretty capa ble protector tie he said ironically ile he turned about to leave at the door lie he swung about and ob observed sered 1 I might have known charlie would set get here before I 1 ild did hes a fast worker Vor ler walt a second snapped gray cray ryes eyes but tile the door was banged shut lillta too dumb with misery to achre much what went ent on allowed herself to ile he led through the door to a wait ing frig car all of the way bark back she sat huddled lip ill too ini to think severn times gray cray ryes eyes reached over to pat her shoulder hut hill tie he said noth both ing lie he too was as thinking at her home lie assisted her from the file car took tier her to her room withdrew and closed the door soon however lie he was back with the landlady bindl idy iollia sitting silently in a chair saw that the woman was sholing a yellow backed bill into a pocket in her apron 1 I dont want you to let tier her out of your sight one second until I 1 come buck back he sold said to the woman in that peremptory voice of tits his slie she nodded and sat down in another chair again gray cray eyes went out and closed the door after a few moments the woman rose u und ud crossed to bolitas Lo litas side 11 II 11 1 girlie she said in a sad discouraged cou raged voice whatever it Is dont take it so hard harl life la Is always like this you just gotta get used to it IL there was no response from lolita who still sat dry eyed stunned feeling as though she were in the midst of some beautiful temple which for no apparent reason at all was crashing in 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 slie she said hopefully lillta fol followed loed the womans comans gaze to the bureau top there lay the package that contained the serl serial a rejected of coursel course 1 CHAPTER XIII after a time lillta rose from hei bet chair to throw herself face downward upon the bed her slim body shook with the agony of the sobs that burst froni from tier her until she was empty of tears fears she cried while the landlady hor horrified rifled at such grief tried to reason with tier her knowing nothing of her problem what cut lolita most was to think that having hating fought and won a battle with himself with the thought of her aiding him to do it should think after all that she was a superficial disingenuous girl perhaps Ier haps lie he would lapse back into his old way of looking at life certain it was at any rate chat that she would never see him again bitterly she resolved to give up it was no use once one made a misplay in life tile the cards were forever P stacked against one but astonishingly she found that even in this her darkest hour the still small voice within her counseled fight and courage the thought at last soothed her into a troubled sleep and she drifted off on tile the reflection that she would not give up she would fight on and upward no matter how severe tile the bat bar tle tie might become surely some day some way there would be an end to all her troubles and some small reward for her courageousness in not having stayed down when lolita awoke it was dark in the room and she found that the landlady worn out by her vigil inspired by gray ryes eyes 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 happened she said sleepily plenty observed loilta bitterly come don downstairs stairs with me bugge at ed the woman and ill get you something thin to eat its nearly eight she added glancing at the clock upon tile the bureau 1 I eat lillta told tier her id like to take a bath and get dressed up decently these clothes are torn to pieces in the little room with the door shut she stripped off her torn garments and turned on the water fi ter her companion was spinning so some in e long odyssey of a misspent misspend mis spent life which to lolita was just a drone her own thoughts were so poignant so colorful that she could make no sense out of what the other sat said TO BE CONTINUED 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