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Show 6y LOUIS JOSEPH VANC m:;i HERE today Youth, beauty, oelal position and sinore lo o thene were not uf t'lclont to hold the affertlon of UK1.LAMY liltlVK, . iirsorl with m appetite for rhap flirtations and iipenaiva liquor, The decision to leave him came when his wife. LUC IN DA LlKICr., hainK tolerated a series of escapades and rccplv 1 his promise of reform, dlscovf-red him Intoxicated and dancing with a woman of Ill-repute in a Broadway Broad-way cabaret. On the eve uf her departure, Lucln-da Lucln-da renews an old acquaintance with FANNY I.' XT A INK. and learns that her husband In thinking of forming form-ing a motion picture company In California. With them, she visits the Now York studio of Alma Daley Da-ley and takes a great Interest In tho screen life. Then comes h"i break with Bellamy and a sudden departure to Chicago, where she Is visited by her luwyer. HARFORD WILLIS. Luclnda refuses refus-es to return to her husband. (. n mi Tin: STORY "I see you are beginning to formulate for-mulate a philosophy of life. You will I need It my I -. . c. If you mean to flight this out alone Phlloyophy Is good medicine only for lonely hearts, The other it merely hardens. ' Luclnda eyed Willis sharply, "Bellamy "Bel-lamy has been to see you " "He looked me up," Willis admitted admit-ted In mild surprise. "two days after af-ter your disappearance, thinking you might have communicated with me. Of course. 1 could tell him nothing. But how did you know " "That UKgestlon. the underlying thought that I mltfht not be intending to fight out my fight alone that originated or-iginated with Bel, didn't It?" "Well!" Willis stammered, trying to smile dlsarmlnRly "f confess " "It wasn't enough, of course, that I should have found Bel out for the doxi nth time there had to be a lover lov-er in my backsround to account for my leaving him! Did he mention any name?" WHIN made i negative sign "Bellamy "Bel-lamy didn't imply he merely said he was afraid " "It doesn't matter. What else did he have to say?" "He seemed most remorseful " "I know how remorseful Bel can Seclll." "He spoke of employing detectives to trace you." "It wouldn't do Bel any good to se mo. it would only irritate him to find I could hold out against a plea h made in person." Willis sighed, and renounced "If you must, you must I presume; and I will do iu best to serve your wishes, my ilvnr. Only tell mo how . ." I w ny, naturally. I warn in get me divorce over with as quickly and quietly as possible, with the minimum amount of public scandal'" "The laws of the State of Nevadn are most liberal But It wou'd b.-necessary b.-necessary for you to establish a legal residence by living there six months.' "T suppose tint's unavoidable" "I will look up the most repu'ab'c firm of lawyers there, and recommend recom-mend you to them. If you are in need of other advice, you need only write or telegraph, and If the emergency emer-gency requires if. T wfll com - out io eoni er with you." "I hope l won't have to Impose on your kindness, to that extent." Willis blinked, removed Ov gold-rimmed gold-rimmed pince-nez of his fading day. and polished the lenses with a silk handkerchief. "And now." he pursued "if you don't mind satisfying an lm)Ulsitlv old man I would very much like to know what you propose to do with your freedom, when you got it." Luclnda Jumped up and turned away with a quaver o' desolation "Ah. I wish you hadn't aski-d me' That's what I'm trying all the time to forgot " "The emptiness to com . ." What can B woman do to round out her life when she's lost her husband and Is fit for nothing but to be a wife?" "She can find another husband. .Many do." "Marry again!" A violent movement of Luclnda's hands abolished tho thought "Never that! I'm through with love for good and all." "No doubt." agreed the student of law and life "But are you sure that love is through with you" XIII Willis left for New ork on a late afternon train; and when Luclnda had said goodby to him at tho Btatlon. she felt as If she had parted with her one real friend In all the worlo iShc applied for transportation and a drawing room through to Reno, but learned thai the winter stampede of Cullfornla tourists was in full westward west-ward swing The beat the agent could do waB to book Luclnda through to San Francisco with S section to her- self on the California Limited, leav- Ing the next night, arranging for hor to return from San Francisco to Reno a trip of some eleven hours Returning to the hotel about 5 she I (van approaching the elevators, when midway In the foyer, sh stopped stork still, transfixed by the sight of Bella mv standing at the regi-"tr desk. Is earnest consultation with one of t he . I. rks. Apparency Bellamy had just learned learn-ed what he wanted to know Luclnda Lucln-da recognized the backward jerk of the head that was an unfailing sign of gratification In him. and saw him turn away from the desk. Galvanized, Galvan-ized, she hurled herself toward one of the elevator shafts the gate to Which won even then being closed. When she entered her room the telephone tel-ephone was calling. She locked the door: and for a long as It continued to ring, which it did for upwards of five minutes At length she gave It up as a bad Job, and she sank limply Into a chair near the door till I knock brought her to her feet in a flutter. "Your bill, ma'am." When sh forced herself to turn the key and knob, she more than half pected to see her husband. But the bellboy was alone. Luclnda took the bill and counted out the money. "Take those hags, please." she said. Indicating the new dressing-case and the bag which she had brought from New York, "put them in a taxi at tho door, and hold it till I come down." Running out into tho hall, she found the stairs and pelted up two flights. One of the elevators was rising It stopped two floors below, then came on up In response to her ring. "Did you let somebody out at my floor'"' "Ves, ma'm, a gompman." "Take mo down, please, without stopping " Tho car dropped with sickening j rapidity, and she stepped out Into Die ;",, ..- In . nn-'enia tlnn when B'd pi K ed himself before her. blocking her way to the street. Her heart ehoked and raced, she ! was oddly at once aghast and elated, j Subconsciously she had wanted to see Bel, face to face, to see how he looked, how her flight had affected him. Though he seemed to be quite him-: him-: self, his face looked thinner, his eyes a trifle more deeply set In his head, and there was new firmness In the set of his mouth. In this new gxilse. the old appeal I was strong. For a space of several beats her heart misgave hor . . . In a matter-of-course way Bel of-; of-; fered a hand, and Luclnda touched It mechanically. "Sorry, Linda. if I disappointed Luclnda broke out of ins bands and Stepped bin u you. but thought I recognized your handbag being carried to the door, and waited for this car to come down on the off-chance . . ." "I see," she articulated with an effort. ef-fort. "You can give me a few minutes, suroly." "Bel I tell you It's too late." Struggling to keep his temper. Bel caught his underllp between his t'-rlh. while Luclnda east wltlcssly about for some way of escape None offered But she noticed that a young j man standing nearby was observing them with keen interest, a rather brilliantly good-looking young man, brilliantly well dressed. As Luclnda's glance rested transiently on him. his face brightened with a tentative smile, and she thought he started as If he were Impulsively moved to approach ap-proach If ho, he reconsidered Instantly In-stantly With a frown she looked back to Bel. He made a gesture of entreaty "You can't put me off like this, Linda, Lin-da, when I've come so far. gone through so much " "I can because I must, Bol I w ill." "No. by God! you can't and 1 shan't'" He caught her arm lightly as she i fried to pass She stopped, her face i hardening "Are you going to make another scene, publicly disgrace me again I ven when sober f" His hand dropped to his side Lu-einda Lu-einda began to walk rapidly toward tho street entrance, but had taken few steps when Bellamy ranged alongside. along-side. Linda: you've got to listen to me! There's something I've got to tell you " "I mean to go to Reno, as soon as you let me pacs " Bellamy's eyes narrowed as If in physical pain He threw om band of Inurtlculate protest, and let it fall In despair, Subduing a strong desire to hdi tor It, Luclnda began to do- scend at a pace not Inconsistent with j dlgnits At the same time sensitiveness sensitive-ness to the situation, the feeling that they had been playing a scene of Intl-I Intl-I mate domestic drama for (he edification edifica-tion of an entire hotel. made her . ' ire that the young man whose in- I had first manifested near the Ltors had followed across the foyer and was now standing at tha head of the steps, over across from Bellamy. Pushing throiiRh the door, she breathed thankfully the stinging winter win-ter air The canopy lamps mad! ihm sidewalk bright, and che discovered her bellboy shivering oy tne open door of a ta:lcab. Abandoning all nretensr Luclnda I ran The bellboy caught her arm to help her into tho cab and chattered: chat-tered: "W-whore t-t-to, rn'm"'' She was prevented from answorlng by Bel. who elbowed tho boy aside and caught her by tho shoulders "No!" he cried violently. "No. vou shan't d'you hear? you shan't' gs without listening to me!" By some means, she did not know nulle how. Luclnda broke out of hi-' hands and stepped bick "Let me alone'" she Insisted. "Let me " i (fontlnneI in Our Xpit Issue) |