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Show l ire Yol1- S-nri dimes i7iimi I Pon!.nucd from Last Sunday CHAPTER XVIII. (Cont'd). LM ' pr r tjuli on V I wo slmul '1 i !!. to nor lives, a- r,, ono VB an tl iro Hhe flashing iur; Ha flgt t . ftep ' -flowlng and plating and Pnr ID ' un!r nnd beneath this gold-vbr gold-vbr I P' fSSl Kit " 'l.iriR. r SX Bp -t. f)r nrf iinlt; of J k) Ing thai r"' f 1 j I ; ; I if Mi ..... .. I V I, Mi ; ...- il. riM' w ri tt y Ire M C!' ''.II It'll tit . ; i ' i" i ninp ni'-n vvi te ffc Mi' i' . r 1 : I) n r r (.tun; In r.- a Mil) fen1 : . I I'l.iM Iilirg in..' JJjatiV ! ;ill urn! . ! nir ' ' i.'i" r i i . ill" train-- train-- y hg - Ini I t. j' Ion l.t' i fi r 1 llm Jl1 tiff 1 'Hi ut i'il in j tit i 'Dl' 33 Bar: - ' . Miniiiici' caul f., i Bor 'Inl-o'v ' ! ! n.miiils- .. ih" must jo. h" i r to (0 j if ' Bllfr Minn Inert0 fir i. . . Bri , . lit.i , cldenl In hi Iff DM ' th i ,46n ' i ! . nth c-of 1 ' ' n n In 5 P,r' 2, Ipf -' ' " . ' 1 . .- ,,.,. v,,. ?WU- " : ' .' !"' liinp i- dltlon Mrnnx p;,rk Thrro ' We ' i i . . ' i ,, ii , . . prin 'ir i: . r Ollrer BtBf- Is ,'i milt ,, , Ai pin portfolio under hot arm II I i .... Ft"- . ' n. Ul' l UBSIVH "p pt prln- ble ..' intnntnofs and Intensity of Pj" omn hrli r .'T ": ' orlplnnllry to I a- mziiiy intrntTv ahead llier. i a nf experimenting ott art . I m. whon WBdlnr r.r: d'' 1 I.' I. "ii. thlrtv Mirl ,iv wu- tnndlng I " ' l" If n,;, rt.T tnr;,. t'i. i mini; ' on g' 11 ' :n llio ' f With the other ho P'' P over to the gW roll J:',:' 1 that olem Boe min was Anthony. I ! net aha knew not, i 10- i I ...I nddenly turn' ! from 1 Bite t'Tt.-Ti pbtlon of ft. bnrls.-apo an-Jad of her am with a quirk at- fflwt uncanny, all-embracing glai i jttanipe, d. pr';)ro , l!kln' An,,1"nr lently r.n lltte point of noifc a'e was to IBBr hrr A.l. KpUr o'rlo, i; , , Oman. Wlt!i Wt,rtl Anthony and. almost r- vc--I n,,v I him on . k I lind of th-ni Inur! I! ( tremor shot through Adela"s I mr2 :'ir"1 ;l sudden wakneai oi OK her. A sju ,f darkn. Most blott 'i out mi thai lav ahead rne no tea y f, olli M her aadi i,,.r stumble H?11;," 8h' ' cx-l,r(lr cx-l,r(lr -lor ?h. arm " I riiats (he matt.-r hlab li.-l-" ' W Iniii Vi r-!Tno " "'ammred a death- ' " !"" '"' ' ' 'Vi.lt I R ' or some s' -Boe l almoHt f. - m , j, x deep sigh escaped hr -CT" . riplillv a;;, K!ry r Wilcu ln landpcawe I'.'lnC- . tain her etrensth that kept einc: a from her like water. 4fcV'& Clarice had been positively J -..v V fhocked when Adela. with blazlnr? . , v A eyea and a Ptatrgering effort at self- control, begged hr. If she loved An rvi ... fAr jfi 'w h 1 murmured ''tst' ,V fc' ')IP' f 1 ' brokenly. X' , f S'" . ' rj!Jh ; "I'm so glad . , : I'm ao sorry f - . y ' 'llf!m- ' oh, what a .' ' V.V-r . - gJi hard time you've had ! you must let me help you." When Anthon) en- ' . - , ; '' tared the 'door oi "Rubens" thai after- '. t noon Selkirk, il.e Ja- ' ' '" -. ;'"'' - j;-, '.' V ' ;.j ' -j&t - maica negro doorman. ' J elevator and tele;-;.' .vwr''''''' i538bW man rolled into one, In 1 -f'fe? - ii T i - v ; ', formed hilU that he bad , ''f 1 " if . '.i ; e maaaage for "any call- j , " v. ;' i ! ' c-r:"; lllaa Qra; wa . , j '. " TiM ' v-Vm out and would Dot be i- gSik. fl Si SBIB J-C. - back that evening. , r -. H& .. ' 5 .My;Ullied ami illsap- . V '-9R ', pj olntcd Anthony return- flttji k' ajE"-JaMLPjM ed to his room. There Jtmnfm '- ; . 'V'. ''w his mystification uaa &23oSF ' ' Vjtfl. S- to a conxfrierablo d fjSr -'"' groe diaaolTed A nob , , -x . - '',; ' from Adela delivered .; n i. i v . v -. - . JHP , gar awaited h!m. it read: very One . ' ' . y.'s,'.,'; . : - ' "I know e cry thing now abo.i'. and goodness tJi? IvV ' .',; -Vif' the other woman. It a cruel and cowardly not to tell me and to have let inc" (but the lat the words were crossed out). "Please never speak to me again or try to communicate com-municate with me. I never want to see you or har from you again. I have hail my lesson. A. (1." A sudden crushing sense like a blow on the chest eemcd to strike all his body at once. A struggling, rusbln? sensation of numbness rose from hb heart t. his brain. "AH over!'1 he murmured to himself him-self as with leaden feet he climbed the stairs. "She has found out abont Vilma. That's the end. Lord. Lord why didn't I tell her tlrfl" But how couid I tell how could I? Wonder how she found out?" The thought of Grace Thomas, of his meeting with her In the park that day by her own request. Instead In-stead of at her Hat. ln order to deliver de-liver to her Joe Shelburn s quarterly quar-terly remittance, did not even for one In -taut enter hi head It had happened too often. It vas a matter mat-ter of routine. She had foolishly kissed hlin in gratitude. But even that he had forgotten. Crushed and broken he sat ln his chair for ho knew not how long, hreathlng henvlly, his head sunk on his chest, a blackness as of night enveloping him. No more exquisite suffering could have been dorleed by any one deslrlne; to punish him for a whole life of past misdeeds. The droning hum of the city was like the sound of many waters clo.--lnc over his head "Finished done finished" he repeated over and over ln a wtupor of dull pain. "Thnnk God there"? the war." ho added without voice In his word, only his lips movlnp. "Flntahod." He threw himself on his couch nnd lay still. Some hours later he nevertheless neverthe-less collected himself and wrote the following ords to Adela: "I 'ear Adela: 'I only want to say this: Your note has about finished me. I always al-ways meant to tell you overythlnn. hut how could I? I had an Instinctive Instinc-tive knowledge you would fool that ..re ; ' i . !ftro ' 'V ' . d bad lb. '.' -s V -r 55; .if, Sr all I he same. -rM not H ms.'lf. I rim can only repeat what 1 Va have so often told you. I have never loved and 1 never can lovo anybody as 1 hate loved you. Men grow and ha I have change,! a good il".i! -inco you have been here but that won't interest ou now. I would rather die than hurt you but give me another chance if you poaalhly can that Is all 1 ask " He hesitated for some time be foro despatching that note by me6-sencer me6-sencer The felicity he had been seeking was not for him. His destiny des-tiny was not happiness "She'll never answer It." he told himself, "she'll never even look at it." He was both ripht and wrong. She did look at It, hut she did not answer. She merely tore the paper Into a hundred infinitesimal fragments. CHAPTER XIX. Pride and Love. TX spite of the lists of the Seven 1 Deadly Sins, notwithstanding Dante's description of the Flrtt Circle of Purgatory, pride Is still re-carded re-carded by many of us as a virtue. If virtue It be, however, it is more costly than many a lusty sin. The ponjWi who revel in II. pay for It dearly as Adla paid that Summer In cruel and exquisite torture. A thousand times she aked herself: her-self: Perhaps perhaps there Is an explanation? And a thousand time the scene In the park flamed before be-fore her with lurid fire and scorched her soul and mortlfled her flesh in a way that only Dante could haye described. "If only he had explained ex-plained it!" Her brain kept pounding pound-ing on that single thought. "If only be had but how could be!" And the willed her nerves to sus- (O lt0. lot'.-niatloaal Fi large-eyed and pale. I '.aimed. But Adela's mlon I any fur ther discussion of ti e ...rtliug request. re-quest. "A lovers' quarrel," Clarice phllo sophically told herself But thH was a case where that sage yonng woman's philosophy went awiy. Ah the days went on, lengthening ipto weeks, her heart was more and more moved to compassion for the suffering that Adela labored so steadfastly to conceal. And though she kept her own counsel, as well as Adela's. she finally determined to see Anthony without Adela's knowledge, knowl-edge, and talk to that young man as in her opinion he deserved to be talked to. She had written him a note, which was still ln hor handbag hand-bag unposted, when she met Douglas Doug-las Nash by appointment at Henri's, ln Forty-fourth street, for luncheon. "Well, old Anthony has done it hasn't he?" were the first words of Douglas. "And gosh, how I envy him! You choose the eats, Clarice you know moro about it than I do." "What has be been doing now'" cnhnlv Interposed Clarice. "Didn't you know don't mean you and Adela don't know'" Douc-las Douc-las gobbled his words in surprise. "Got a commission, of course Mluter Lieutenant Weal He's off Lord!" ho suddenly paused. "He atur SerTlc. Inc. Orrai l$r. told me to keep It to myself. But It never entered my head that you and Adela didn't know. I thought, of coiiroe-Ah. pshaw! what's tho trouble?" For the expressive features of Clarke were suddenly swept by a wnve of tragic concern. For the first time he saw tear3 glistening in those normally calm eyes. "My God sister!" he murmured. "I hope well you'ro not In love with him. are you?" "Oh, stupid men!" gaspd Clarice, as though It were an invocation, ignoring tho younj; man's question. "It will break her heart!" "No!" Douglas exclaimed with Incredulity. "What a maaal When did It all come on? Tell me whit's been and gnn ami happened!" "Oh. it's terrible. Douglas They've had a quarrel. I thought it was nothing at fir. t but now oh. what Could It have been?" "Bad as that," ho murmured solicitously, "and you don't know, either? Phew!" and ho took a copious draught from his glass of Ice water. "Something dreadful!" dread-ful!" Clarice said half to herself. "I've just written him where has he gone to, do you know?" "No," was the answer. "Nobody knows nobody supposed to know these things where did you writ to?" "I haven't sent it yet don't you see?" she was irritated at her own negligence in not having communicated communi-cated with Anthony sooner. "Where do officers go when they first enlist?" en-list?" "I wish I know, Clarice. Where do they go? Some camp, I suppose or Washington or somewlrere." "How definite of you!" ruefully laughed Clarice, and for a few moments mo-ments she forgot Pouijlas and the menu card and her surroundings. She was lost in a deep study. But she failed to evolve any practical plan of helping her friend in her misery. "Think. Douglas!" she broke out suddenly with a despairing smile, "What cau vvc do for those two isn't there something we can do to straighten things out between them?" "I I think!" stammered Douglas Doug-las aken aback. "What could I think of that you, with your brain, couldn't think circles around?" Clarice threw him an affectionate look and made a little grimace at him. LitO DJfbU IUrSTved. "He Is a dear boy," she reflected. "Those two young dynamos." Douglas went on. "it ln't easy to j ut an oar into tholr affairs." It was profoundly true, thought Clarice. What could one do? And she. who ordinarily had felt a kind of brisk superiority to this boy, three years younger than her'cif, now expressed a melancholy pleasure pleas-ure ln hating him thero to talk to. to lean upon a warm, substantial reality In the midst of a world of shadows and pain. Supposing he. too. should go a Way, Into the Rlcan-t Rlcan-t Is maelstrom that was beginning to suck in the young manhood of the country? The world suddenly - 'ii' .1 . i i. crumbling into the gray and minister chaos that la forever for-ever lurking round about the fragile ecurlty of llfw. A fnlnt Hush mounted to the chrok of Clarice. For It was at that hour that she made a curlou, incredible, delicious discovery that sot her heart beat-log beat-log faster. "1 think I'll have chicken a la l ing," she said to the approaching aralter. "No," she changed her mind suddenly "Not chicken a la king Just a plain omelette ome-U ome-U tta aux fines herbes." "That goes for me, too." ap-I ap-I pended Douglas, and he thought bow handsome Clarice wus looking "Tell nif what we can do," Douglas added when the waiter had departed. "We can try to i give Adela a good time take her out of herself you and I together." "That Is a very sweet thought," murmured Clarice. To help Adela. howevor, was no easy matter, as those two discovered. dis-covered. For once, that she would accompany thetn to the theatre or to Pagllerl's basement base-ment restaurant in search of spaghetti and milk fed chicken at Boventy-flve cents tho dinner (you couldn't duplicate it at Del- monlco's for four dollars; Douglas Doug-las assured her), she would decline de-cline five times with one excuse or another. There was a hectic, feverish P brilliance In Adela's eyes when she was with them, aud a forced cheerfulne.-s that made their hearts ache. Her mettle and high-spirited demeanor appealed to them as something exceedingly fine and admirable Ordinarily It is only older people who genuinely admire moral courage, for they , know best Its cost in time of disaster. But mb the sympathetic hearts of even this young pair were touched by Adela's bearing. "She's an ace." murmured mur-mured Douglas to Clarice again ft und again in a d m 1 ration. A "She Is cor- , ' t a 1 n 1 y a n 4., ace." . -ii.,' A bout a p , month after her rupture HHgy.. with Anthony Adela tonk tn ''j? a b s e n 1 1 ng 2 , herself from W&k L the studio f i - the entire af- j ' ternoon on ' - f every flno C f i dav, so that ) Clarice hard- yJ - all. She was always going sketching somewhere and gently declined Clarice's offers to accompany her. "1 want to try out Mr Oliver's theory," she declared, "of Intensity of vision in getting the life of a landscape. And I couldn't bo intense, in-tense, dear," she smiled, "if you were with me. I should want to be Intensely listening and talking instead in-stead of seeing." Douglas Nah was not slow to discover these absences of Adela's, and every moment of leisure that he could steal from his work on the paper found him at the "Rubens" In the pleasurable company of Clarke that filled him with well-being. well-being. His heart, that his clover, worldly little mother had so long endeavored to train toward artificial happiness, had found its fulfillment and resting place In a wholly different dif-ferent environment. "Do you know, Clarice," he said to her one brilliant June afternoon, when they were sitting together in the studio, "I am going to marry you." "What makes you think so, Doug-sle?" Doug-sle?" lightly answered Clarice, rising ris-ing and moving about tho room as though he had announced that it would rain by nightfall. But her hands, as she moved a flower vase on tho piano, were tremulous. "I don't think at all." persisted Douglas, also rising. "I know it as well as I know my name." "Du tell," said Clarke, mimicking mimick-ing a New England twang and facing fac-ing him with a smllo. "I want to know." "Yes. Clarice." maintained Douglas, Doug-las, taking hold of both her anna. "You'll think me a fool or a liar if I tell you I've never loved a girl but you. But it's tho truth." And in his eyes Clarke saw that it was the truth. "I have met dozens of 'em." went on Douglns. gathering warmth, "and I've flirted with some." "Naughty Douglas," parenthetically parentheti-cally put ln Clarice. But Douslas ignored her. "But from the minute I saw you. darling, and your eyes aud your smllo and your heart. I knew that my search was over. You're meant for me. You'ro a new world and all the world for me all tho world I want. Say that you can like me B little. Clarke do you think you could?. Oh. God. I wish you could!" And ho gripped her arms more Her b(art was full of tumult and her eyes wero brimming, but still she smiled. "Couldn't you possibly, Clarice?" he demanded piteouftly Slowly Clarke shook her head from left to right, then, after a pause, emphatically up and down. Th strong young arms of Dong-las Dong-las closed about her ln a bear's hug and ho covered her face, her eyes, her hair with kisses. "Aren't you going to say some-thing?" some-thing?" he finally blurted out. "Not if you hold mo like this." she gasped out. "I can't breathe." "Better learn, darling," muttered Douglas with his Hps to hers. "1 mean to hold you like this most of the time." A peal of laughter rewarded him and the tears ran down her cheeks. "Where on earth. Douglns." she cried in her happiness, "did you learn to say exactly the right thing for a boy who's never loved?" "I never learned." chuckled Doug-las. Doug-las. "It's all ln there." he thumped his chest. "Do you know, dear," ha said with the air of a great dls-coverer, dls-coverer, "I don't think a fellow has to learn when tho right girl oomei along. That's tho beauty of ft. It's all ready In there when s'.io prosses tho spring." His simplicity touched her like tho confidence of a child S'i- irant toward him and brushed hi, Iks with her own. Then she flew away from him. wiping her tear. Shi. M WB8 supremely happy and she ul dOnly felt a poignant aching for tho mW misery of her friend. Addla, "Poor Adela!" she said, turning to Douglas. "We shan't be able to tell even her she's so wretchedly unhappy." "Tough luck," murmured Douglaa sadly, "darn tough luck." Then his M face brightened. "But you are happy, dear?" "Am I happy? You boy! look at "Look nt you! I can't look at anything else." responded Douglas. "Dear! I hope l m worth It." Clarke endeavored to prove to him that ho was, and their discussion became personal again. The burning pain In Adela's heart that at Oral had benumbed all her faculties finally gave way to a mental restlessness, a darting hither and thither to wild fain i and Ideas, like a thing with Injured wings and a mad, instinctive pas-sion pas-sion for life. Who ami what was thin other woman? Precisely whut had hap-pened hap-pened what had Anthony done? How had he come to grief? In her mind Anthony was at onco the male monster who had wickedly Injured her aud hlmce!f. nnd yet under tho maternal aspect of eternity WhlcU is every good woman's portion, he was still in a measure her boy. a I-most I-most her little boy, who had fared forth alone Into a world full of chicane and dangers and lurking temptations. She felt years older and wiser than he. and with anguish she was obliged to admit to herself that he did love her that no on could simulate love to that extent Even ln the bitterness of her heart she could not pretend otherwise. One day a clear, deliberate, lumir ous Idea fell athwart her brain llki a bonin of light across a shaded room. Why could she not find ami tbls woman if only at a distance? Better still could she not tlnd her and talk to her? Need that woman know who she, Adela, was? It would be a torture but, oh, It would be worth doing! Her mind needed to dwell on this but for very little to make it the only thing worth doing iu an arid desert of parched emptiness. Armed with her sketchbook Adela again nnd again sought the park. A fierce, hot eagerness burned ln her eyes and in her heart. She searched the park; she scanned every woman with a baby and a perambulator; but chiefly she ranged to and fro In the region of tho pathway where she had seen Anthony on that fateful day. That had become her ldeo fixe her ono and overwhelming object to find that woman The desultory skctchos she sometimes began, to cover her peregrinations, wero not matter-pieces matter-pieces of art or draughtsmanship. Ono afternoon her efforts wore crowned with success. To the very bench near which she had seen Anthony standing came a young woman, without any perambulator, however, leading a slowly navigat Ing baby by the hand. Her hat her face yes, it was tho same young woman. She was quite pretty that was the first reflection that stabbed Adela's heart. They wore facing each other, Adela and Grace Thomas, with the grave half smile that strange women look at oae another when there's a baby between them. The rearing of a child, happily, ro-mains ro-mains a seml-sacramental enter-prise enter-prise in the eyes of women. (Continued on N Patcj Bl (CoiiHnuefl 1om Preceding Page) "Hello!" called out (bo child, one I of the few words, evidently, in his nascent vocabulary. And bo flap-pod flap-pod bis small pudgy hand at her with an odd. stiff little gesture "Hello!" responded Adcla, bend lng toward him "where are you "By-byJ" was the- leady answer. ATnd the two young women H laughed softly In unison. "What a darling baby," AdeU murmured tremulously, her heart all but bursting with a strange nameless pain. "I'd love to sketch H him." fl "Oh, you draw0" inquired the fl mother. "That must be great to be able to do that " mill ii Adcla's knees seemed oddly nn-' nn-' trustworthy. She sank down on fl the bench and au Involuntary sigh escaped her. Grace Thomas, tak-lng tak-lng the baby In her lap, sat dowa beside her. ' I sec lots of artists coming hero fl to draw," ventured Grace. "That must be wonderful to have a Rift H like that. I wish I had." The siren that Adela's imagina-Hon imagina-Hon bad pictured in spite of hrr- self, or the common woman, shrill of speech and bold of eye. vanished forever under the gravely pleasant countenance of Grace "Whatever H she had or had not dono to An- H i Uon: she was simply another woman who hud kuown pain and fl suffering and, in her way, love. Adela was Tilled with the anxiety H almost of u criminal, lest the pounding of her heart should bc- H tray her. Every woman Is by in- H stinct something of au actress. But thoso first minutes of her conversation conver-sation with Grace were among the most difficult that ever she had passed through. H Grace was fumbling with her H handbag, extract lug a small wooden H acrobat that performed when a red string was palled. After indoctrinating indoc-trinating her baby with the pro-H pro-H cess, she left It in his hands, so H that she could give her attention H to Up pretty young lady. A gentle south wind was murmuring mur-muring in tiio great maple overshadowing over-shadowing the bench, and the loaves of that aged tree. In a low I fcoft murmur of hoary wisdom seemed to be whispering to Adela. soothing her tenso nerves and aching heart. This is life," the breeze was saying, "ancient and infinite, as it always was and always will be with pain and heartaches and poignant poig-nant intervals of suffering per petual stream that you cannot i avoid or evade. For you and she and the child and the tree all ant I mate uature arc an Integral part H of the stream." Yet why did this unconscious young mother elect to bring disaster Into her. Adela's, life? His child! Her heart seemed I charged to the breaking point. ... 'M"Mf$& And when Grace lifted her head she perceived an auburn silKen tendril ten-dril of hair blowing about Adela s clear-cut profile, that was sculptured sculpt-ured like the face ou a cola, and momentarily lost in reverie. "Hon lucky Is this beautiful girl," thought Grace to the soft tune of the breeze. "She is happy, free, studying art. untouched by sorrow, with nothing but brilliant good fortune for-tune before her. 1 might have been like her, but" "Isn't it a lovely day." she said aloud, in order to check her sombre reflections. "Beautiful." Adela replied with a start "I suppose you come hero often with with" "Yes," said Grace "It's a great place for bah ' Thus began their acquaintance that Adela put all the tenacity of her passion into continuing She look care not to finish the sketch of the baby that day and to make an engagement for another after noon. She did not know whether she felt liking or a hatred for this young woman, but the human will clings as tenaciously for one reason rea-son ns for the other She became convinced, however, after two or Hiree subsequent meetings, that she could not hate Grace Thomas. With the uncanny acutenes that Instinct points and sharpens, Adela was playing her role to a n!i i She made her own confidences very gradually and never attempted to force the other'. She had produced several sketches of the baby and even asked ldae to do a drawing 1 of Grace herself She accompanied Grace to her small apartment and they seemed quite old friends when Adela casually let fall the fact that her home was in Little Rapids, Nebraska. I "Little Rapids!" exclaimed unsuspicious unsus-picious Grace, and Adela's heart a" ''P J - y Wfrjt t f stood Still. "Ohr I have a friend who comes from there. He's gone now," she added sadly, "in the army." For an eternity, it seemed to Adela, she was unable to reply. Her pulses were throbbing violently vio-lently and her throat was dry. Finally she forced herself to sa : "Wonder I wonder if I know him. I think I know most people there it's a small town." "Mr "West," Grace answered gravely, with a distant look in her eyes ".Mr. Anthony 'West." 'Why yes," stammered Adela, "I do know him. We went to echool together. ' And she was amazed at her own self-control. "Isn't he a lovely fellow'" Grace exclaimed with enthusiasm. "0. lovely' And he's been awfully good to me" Her eyes were suddenly misty. "I don't know what I'll do now he s gone," and her lip quivered. quiv-ered. "Why he he saved me oncH from trouble from myself. Oh, how I hope nothing'll happen to him'' Adela felt herself baffled, bewildered bewil-dered She could draw no clear 'onclusion as yet, but the tone of Graco was not the tone of an injured in-jured woman. Confidences were now in order and they followed rapidly. That same afternoon Adela learned with an overwhelming rush of Joy of the part played by Anthony An-thony In the last two or, three years of Grace's life. Grace, of course, clung to a certain modicum of flc (ion in her tale She called herself Mrs. Thomas and referred to Joe Shelburn as "Mr. Thomas.". That much she had to do to save hr own self respect before this nice girl. But she told a story of separation and suffering and sorrow, and conveyed con-veyed to Adela what she Implicitly believed namely, that Anthony went to London for the sole pur- (O 1920, J ale rna II oca 1 Wt "Suddenly the ycung woman bent toward Anthony and, almost reverently, kissed him on the cheek." pose of bringing Joe back, and that until now he had acted as intermediary inter-mediary between her errant hu band and herself. (And It came to Grace suddenly that she must write all this to Anthony, An-thony, so that he might not give her away to Miss Gray, or she should die of shame.) Grace will never know, nor for that matter will Adela herself, how much of sympathy and how much of wild, unadulterated joy was in the tears that welled up iu Adela's eyes and In the spasmodic uncontrollable embrace in which she clasped poor G race "My dear." Adela murmured brok only, "I'm so glad I'm so sorry oh. what a hard lime you've had! 1 am so happy you've told mo! You must let mc help you. Oh, it was clear of you to tell me!" The baby, clasped lightly In his mothers arms, was so disturbed dis-turbed by all this that he broke out in a dismal ululation Grace was crying, also, though she hardly knew why. and she smiled through her tears "I've never told this to a soul," she sobbed. "Hut you have been so sweet to me." They clung to each other and laughed and cried: and when Adela, still tremulous, sank down into her chair, with a handkerchief dabbing at her eyes, she felt as a ship wrecked traveler might feel after unspeakable days of privation and danger and despair, whoso feet, still uncertain with throb of the wave.-, were again touching the marvelous olldttjr of land. Adela was In her studio aain, and how she got there she could not for all the treasure in the world have told. All she knew was thai she, undoubtedly the same Adela. yet a wholly new person, completely made over In body, soul and spirit, was standing before the little desk Hum Sfrrk. Ir.c. Stmt D at the window that looked abroad on an Eighth avenue bathed in incredibly in-credibly magical sunset light, and that she was about to write to Anthony. An-thony. Clarice was fortunately absent. ab-sent. She was alone. "How did I get here?" she asked herself aloud. And then she laughed. She ;ar.k down In the chair with her artaj on the desk and her head on her arms, laughing until the tears came, and then on a suddeu she realized that .she w;is weeping. She wept without bitterness and without sorrow only a delicious. Ineffable regret seemed to be oozing outward from her heart, regret for all the needless, nameless suffering Of all created things, of all humanity, human-ity, of nil tho world. She felt her-BSlf her-BSlf undergoing a kind of purification, purifica-tion, and her naked soul, aj though tripped Of in redible layers of matter, mat-ter, was l landing awed before a new and larger spiritual vision of life. A deliquescing tenderness was pouring out of her and watering water-ing all Iht being, and she felt herself her-self blooming again, like a frost-touched frost-touched plant at the timely return Of sunlight. "Dearest Anthony Uhe wrote) "I don't know what you will think of me or what you have thought of me. Bnl the worst Is none too bad. "I have dono you a terrible injustice. in-justice. I wrote as 1 did (that terrible, ter-rible, terrible letter) because I saw you in the park with Mrs. Thomas, tho last lime you were giving her money from her husband. Since then I have met Grace Thomas and she has told me everything how you followed her husband to l,on-don. l,on-don. how you brought him back, and all the help you have been to her these years. "You can never know how degraded de-graded I feel to think what I be-lleed be-lleed you guilty of. But I don't want to think of that now I am too terribly ashamed. I only want to tell you of my great sorrow and rltaln R'jbn Urvrrad. deep hum Illation at the wrong I have done you and to ask you whether you can possibly forgive me? I don't deserve forgiveness. But I can only hope that the man w1k was big enough to do what you have done for Grace Thomas will find it possible to forgive me even if he should never want to seo me again. This is all I ask. You are a bigger man that ever I thought ou were. Anthony dear, and I know-well know-well enough now that I don't deserve de-serve your love. If onlv you had given me some hint of the truth though I know I wasn't entitled to it "What I feel now you will know without my telling jrou. 1 hope and pray that you are well and w ill return re-turn safely All my lovo and all my thought go to you. You needn't mind that if you hate me. For I expect nothing In return. . , "ADLLA " When she reread the letter he,-tears he,-tears were flowing again, softlv and Mlently-happy tears. She knew of no address excepting the War Department, De-partment, and lo that vast. Unner-sonal Unner-sonal seething caldron she accordingly- addressed the most important etter she had ever written In her life She read the letter again kissed It tenderly and sealed it mm a hasty, automatic attempt to obl.terato the traces of her tiara he slipped out to the clanging thoroughfare below, that was in-credibly in-credibly the same and yet amazlng-y amazlng-y new and parted with her precious prec-ious missive at the corner box In Fifty-seventh treat Adela slumbering on the couch in the alcove. Adela awoke at the sound of foot-Steps, foot-Steps, and I Clarice bent toward her and kied her. She switched on a light and glanced Into Adela's eves At once she was aware that a fact of ponderable Importance, that In- Hrf''r,si; 1,3,1 ocrurd In tho life Of her friend For the Adela 25 E?? was not the same Adela she had seen that morning They gazca into each other s eyes for a space. Was all the world different' bought Adela. There was J thing strange about tho face and manner of Clarice "What Is It. dear'" they asked each other almost in the ttme I breath And then they totwn"6 lanh'-'l v. m, i j 1 1 -: . li'i.aldL laughter that hovers on the brlaljjistlar; in ntl Bui t(t flashed through i vit mind ftacrittb ' I i -ten. dear." . -q.MF.l. sUpM"8 ping an a:.n un.:- H.la' 'fihtM. I m 80 happy, I am miserable HBbbt?! "Why. exclaimed AH in wonder. ' li.n hrn !iappene'l?lKi3w hieathed ClarlHH Intently looking for the respoHH in '1-!.V- . . t'er.-.o-m.'Bh ?) 1' Li in -iJB'l-M6 mo.. cloH about her friend W: Hi I "Douglas?" she breathed. lr - . ',, Clarice nodded lie.-nl agaJ Adela's bo m ?i "Yes 1 hi - l.i --he ? 1'f.''riB-,Hi, with a happy sigh. It"75 The I moments " revel of i.m.,-; nud .lemonsttBBj tive affection I "Out whe-e i. V"- Adela flKj,,! found breath to ... . W1K dlfaJiQ,, you living him nloii"" r r.,M 'm full" r "No, no, - riej Clarke "JTol were together !! d.v r.mc-iehP to tell his mother. She ll -ia,e 'JKjl? T suppo-e .-.eik '":jB2f' Doug-. .in on cxcl't4lMJ2hll "l . :t tin warETttBj Oh. 1 1 1 'l x9i tl has. .,;.! v.pu'd enlit away if I didn't main bin, at onj ftflrttiv she da -he 1 .t ' . - ,'- wlin sl! 1V hand "Ii wa "d to h.ie 'oVQ! the fieri; , ,. ritv Hull ' ttd a. older hut Sgl darlitiL' I I; no a i"1 .EJj'Pot -and I run -o !k,i.iv'" And aJK22 the tears welled up Dougsle Doucsle Pouc-ie 'JfcfttjT and Douer.-le t !iat ' houi: ' XdejT,ftJw nd lii . ;,. i . ilm. '''1,-i,MBflS5 Phllopophi. fr-ml. c'.irico llrde 'ggj Fenturie 'i.iv- f3;'JmY,f ft; .-ince irr i, ,n Win', i- of (:-S)M ' had (diunp.-d t.. gb.ri' acvv jjBiJSt1 mrr of !,,,,,,- i h oe.il tJfe.J': ie was glnd t': t the great !KC Ivelgh'V ?. , i'l (' ved her !,.. .itilicatlonpjji tjj giving ain bin' of the ,lli'-'0BfjJ!?,i for so long an -absorbed ' ':'1jfciSi now dee pi', absorbed in self. XJ "Do u,u Hiin hi:-, ine'!.. 43 hale me"" she demanded i"''r '.?'1,EJvj.tki.' know you " 'lar "'r 'BlI! lai "I don't Unov. " -he TU'jrKa'(a-l with misgiving "There U'A5.SHHH thing In Doug h i -' i J" ner when he spoke of ber fhiK makes me afraid Oh I want JjB; o to h. r :u i but he 'SBi have I the willpower o Jth Adela ' er. laughed and Mac red togctb lo, '!! a late hour Fach ( ."Mfiai went to bed that night huggWMlAlS world to her brea-i - ."id ;' ' ,nftwJ was the warm roul tilHaK JK2jJtj! ' " r - prfal: men are vain and proud. (To Be Continued Nrt SunijJBJ'j |