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Show I The Branding Iroit j Btj Katharine Newlin Burl Copyright by Ketharin N.Burt lonely places why, It wouhj be scared to follow Into this city." "You're lonely, Jane. I've told you a hundred times that you ought to make friends for yourself." "Oh, 1 don't care for that. 1 don't want friends, not many friends. These acting people, they're not real folks. I don't savvy their ways and they don't savvy mine. They always end by disliking me because I'm queer and different from them. You have been my friend, and your wife that Is, she used to be." Suddenly Jane became more her usual self and spoke with childlike wlstfulness. "She doesn't come to see me any more, Mr. Morena. And I could love her. She's so like a little girl with those round eyes " Jane held up two circles made by forefingers and thumbs to represent Betty's round eyes. "Oh, dear!" she said; "isn't she awfully winning? Seems as If you must be taking care of her. She's so small and fine." Jasper laughed with some bitterness. bitter-ness. "She doesn't like me now," sighed Jane, but the feelings Betty had hurt were connected with a later development develop-ment so that they turned her mood and brought her to a more normal dejection. dejec-tion. She was no longer a caged beast, she had temporarily forgotten her bars. "I think you're wrong," said Jasper Jas-per doubtfully. "Betty does like you. She's merely busy and preoccupied. I've been neglected myself." June gave him a far too expressive look. It was as though she had said, "You don't fancy that she cares for you?" Jasper flushed and blinked his long, Oriental eyes. "It's a pity you haven't a lover, Jane." he said. , She had walked over to the window, and his speech, purposely a trifle cruel and Insulting, did not make her turn. "You're angry," she said. "You'd CHAPTER VII Continued. I 19 He climbed in beside the wheel. lie waa very tired, but he had remembered remem-bered that Jane West, when he had last seen her, had worn a look of profound discouragement. She never complained, but when he saw that particular expression he was frightened fright-ened and the responsibility for her came heavily upon him. This wild thing he had brought to' New York must not be allowed to- beat Us head dumbly against the bars. When he had got rid ef his driver, he turned the car northward, and a few minutes later Mathllde, the French maid chosen by Betty, opened Jane's door to him. While he took off his coat he looked along the hall and saw Its owner sitting, sit-ting, her chin propped on a latticework lattice-work of fingers. She was gazing out of the window. It was a beautiful, desperate silhouette; something fateful fate-ful In the long, still pose and the fixed look. She was still dressed In street clothes as when she had left the theater, a blouse and skirt of dark gray, very plain. Her figure, now that It was trained to slight corseting, was less vigorous and more fine-drawn. She was very thin, but she had lost her worn and haggard look; the premature pre-mature hard lines had almost disappeared; disap-peared; a softer climate, proper care, rest, food, luxury had given back her youug, clear skin and the brightness , of eyes and Hps. Her hair, arranged very simply to frame her face In a broken setting of black, was glossy, and here and there, deeply waved. It was the arrangement chosen for her by Betty and copied from a Du-Maurler Du-Maurler drawing of the duchess of Towers. It was hard to believe that this graceful woman was the virago Jane, harder for any one that had seen a heavy, handsome girl stride Into Airs. Upper's hotel and ask for work, to believe that she was here. Morena clapped his hands In the luslonment He knew that the nous was empty of welcome. He took oft his hat and coat dejectedly. There were footsteps of his man who came from the far end of the hall. While he stood waiting, Jasper noticed no-ticed the absence of a familiar fragrance. fra-grance. For the first time in years Betty had forgotten to order flowers. The red roses which Jasper always caressed with a long, appreciative finger fin-ger as he went by the table In the hall, were missing. Their absence gave him a faint sensation of alarm. "Mr. Kane, Mrs. Morena's brother, has called to see you, sir. He Is waiting." wait-ing." Jasper's eyebrows rose. "To see ineT Is he with Mrs. Morena now?" "No, sir. Mrs. Morena went out this morning and has not yet returned. Mr. Kane has been here since five o'clock, sir." "Very well." It was a mechanical speech of dismissal. dis-missal. The footman went oft. Jasper Jas-per stood tapping his chin with his finger. Woodward Kans come to see him during Betty's absence I Woodward Wood-ward had not spoken more than three or four Icy words of necessity to hlra since the marriage. After a still, un-grsrlous un-grsrlous fashion this brother had befriended be-friended Betty, but to his Jewish brother-in-law he had shown only a slightly disguised distaste. The Jew was well used to such a manner. He treated It with light bitterness, but he did not love to receive the users of It In his own house. It was with heightened color and bent brows that he pushed apart the long, crimson hangings and came Into the Immense drawing-room. It was softly lighted and pleasantly warmed. A fire burned. The tall, fair visitor rose from a seat near the blaze and turned all in one rigid piece toward to-ward his advancing host. Jasper was perfectly conscious that his own gesture ges-ture and speech of greeting were too eager, too Ingratiating, that they had a touch of servility. He hated them himself, but they were Inherited with his blood, as Instinctive as the wagging wag-ging of a dog's tall. They were met by a precise bow, no smile, no taking of his outstretched hanJ. Jasper drew himself up at once, put the slighted hand on the back of a tail, crimson-damask chair, and looked his stateliest and most handsome self. "Betty hasn't come In yet," he said. "You've been waiting for her?" Woodward Kane pulled at his short, yellow mustache and stared at Jasper with his large blank, blue eyes. "As a matter of fact I didn't call to see my sister, but to see you. I have Just come from Elizabeth. She Is at my house. She came to me this morning." morn-ing." Jasper's fingers tightened on the chair. "She Is sick?" "No." There was a pause during which the blank, blue eyes staring at him slowly gathered a look of cold pleasure. Jasper was aware that this man who hated hlra was enjoying his present mission. "Shall we sit down? I shall have to take a good deal of your time, I am afraid. There Is rather a good deal to be gone over." Jasper sat down In the chair the back of which he had been holding. "Will you smoke?" he asked, and ' smiled his charming smile. j There was now not a trace of embarrassment, em-barrassment, anger, or anxiety about him. His eyes were quiet, his voice flexible. Woodward declined to smoke, crossed his legs and drew a small gray envelope from his pocket. Jasper's eyes fastened upon It at once. It was Betty's paper and her angular, boyish boy-ish writing marched across It. Evidently Evi-dently the note was addressed to him. He waited while Woodward turned It about In his long, stiff, white fingers. "About two months ago Betty came to me one evening In great distress of mind. She asked for my advice ond to the best of my ability I guve It to her. I wish that she had asked for It ten years ago. She might have saved herself a great deal. This time she has not only asked for it, but she has been following It, and, In following follow-ing It, she has now left your house and come to mine. This, of course, will not surprise you." "It does, however, surprise nie great ly." It was still the gentle murmur, but Jasper's cigarette smoke veiled his face. "I cannot understand that. Hew-ever, Hew-ever, it's not my business. Betty has nsked me to Interview you today so that she limy he spared the IiumIII-iitlnn. IiumIII-iitlnn. After this, you must address your communications to her lawyers. In a short time Itogers and During will serve you with notice of divorce." Jasper snt perfectly still, leaning slightly forward, his cigarette between his fingers. "So-o!" he said after a long silence. Then he held out his hand. "1 may have Betty's letter'" (TO Fh, CONTINUED.) fill eastern fashion of summons, and Jane looked toward him. "Oh," she said, "I'm glad you came." He strolled In and stood beside her shaking his head. "I didn't like the look of you this afternoon, my dear." "Well, sir," said Jane, "I don't like the look of you, either." She smiled her slow, unself-consclous smile. "You sit down and I'll make tea for you." He knew that thought for some one else was the best tonic for her mood, so he dropped, with his usual limp grace. Into the nearest chair, put back his head and half-closed his eyes. "I'm used up," he said; "I haven't a word not one to throw at a dog." "Please don't throw one at me, then. I surely wouldn't take It as a compliment." compli-ment." She made the tea gravely, as absorbed In the work as a little girl who makes tea for her dolls. She brought him his cup and went back to her place and again her face settled Into that look. She had evidently forgotten for-gotten him and her eyes held a vision as of distances. He put a hand up to break her fixed gaze. "What la It, Jane? What do yon see?" To bis astonishment she hid her face In her hands. "It's awful to live like this," she moaned ; and It frlght- ened him to see her move her head from side to side like an Imprisoned beast, shifting before bars. He looked about the pretty room and repeated, "Like this?" half-reproachfully. half-reproachfully. "I hate It !" She spoke through her teeth. "I hate It ! And, oh, the sounds, the noises, grinding Into your eurs." Here the hands came to her ears and framed a white, desperate face In which the lids had fallen over sck eyes. Jasper aat listening to the hum and roar and clatter of the street. To him It was a pleasant sound, and here It was subdued and remote enough. Her face was like that of some one maddened mad-dened by noise. "You don't smell anything fresh" her chest lifted "you don't get air. I can't breathe. Everything presses In." She opened her eyes, bright and desperate. des-perate. "What am I doing heiv, Mr. Morena?" He had put down his cup quietly, for he was real!y half-afraid of her. "Why did you come, Jane?" "Because I was afraid of some one. I was running away, Mr. Morena. There's some one that mustn't ever find me now, and to run away from him that was the business of my life, And It kept my heart full of him and the dread of his coming. You see, that whs my happiness. I hoped he was tsklng after me so's I could run away." She laughed apologetically. "Does that sound crazy to you?" "No, I think I understand. And here?" "He'll never come here. He'll never find me. It's been four years. And Tm so changed. This" she gave herself her-self a downward look "this Isn't the 'gel' he wants . . . Probably by now he's given nie up. Mayht he's found another. Everything that's br.d and hateful can Ond me out here. Bad tilings can find you out and try to clutch after you anywheres. But when something wild and clean conies hunting hunt-ing tar yoo, something out of the big The French Maid Chosen by Batty Opened the Door for Him. - better go home. I'm not In good humor hu-mor myself." At which he laughed his murmuring, murmur-ing, musical laugh and prepared to leave her. "I have a great deal of courage," he said, getting Into his coat, "to bring a wildcat here, chain her up, and tease her eh?" "Yon think you have me chained?" Her tone was enraged and scornful. "I can snap your flimsy little tether and go." She wheeled upon him. She looked tall and fierce and free. "No, no," he cried with deprecating voice and gesture. "You are making Mr. Luck's fortune and mine, not to mention your own. You mustn't break jour chains. Oct used to them. We bll have to, you know. It's much the best method." "I shall never get used to this life, never. It just somehow Isn't mine." "Perhaps when you meet Mr. Luck he'll be uble to reconcile1 you." Her expressive fuce darkened. "W hen shall I meet Mr. Luck?" "Soon, I hope." "I hate Mr. Luck more than any one In the world," she said In a low, quiet voice. Jasper stared. "Hate him! Why, In t lie name of savagery, should you hate him?" "Oh, I can't explain. But you'd better bet-ter keep us miirt. How came he to tvlte 'The Leopardess'?" ' shall leave htm to tell you that. Good nli;lit." CHAPTER VIII Qrsy Envelopes. It was with more than the usual -Inking of heart that Jasper let him self that evening Into the beautiful house which Betty and he called their home. Joan's too expressive look had stung the old soreness of his dlsil- |