Show A BEL AN CH framk by margaretf margaret jackson W barvies Q by dobbs berrill CO C THE STORY a childhood attachment ernestine braceland brie eland ot ofa a wealthy family Is in attracted by will todd newspaper artist her a later alster lillian urges her to break oft IT the affair but ernestine refuses A runaway marriage marr laere follows loring Ha hamilton mllton lillians consent to become becom his wife will and ernestine begin their married life in humble surround ins ings jolin john poole wills best beat friend gives a birthday par party tyllor for ernestine struby at ruby Pa castanos Pas tanoa stanos resort ernistine ernestine and will have their first quarrel as arenault a result ellla father dies suddenly lillian lililan and loring are married wills mother dies almost immediately med lately after Erne stines baby to Is born changes in wills office fall to brang advancement ernestine tine again la Is looking forward to motherhood CHAPTER VIII continued ernestine had asked john poole to come down for the two su sundays they were at the lake she had come come to toa love the man as much as will did and had grown into themay the way of agnor ing has bad habits he was admirably sober bober the first sunday he came down bothem to them and will and poole spent the day in the wood path and on he the water i making ridiculous sketches in thes and carrying peter about with them but the second sunday was a day da of misfortunes ernestine was illand III and k could scarcely rise that morning and it seemed to her that wilt will was ampa i alent and unsympathetic loring telephoned that he be had stripped his gears and alt put the c car ar in the garage lie he would have to come on the train and ernestine realized with dismay that john poole would be with him lillian brought w the two from the station in her car john poole was already fuddled cuddled with drink and elaborately polite and it was easily seen that loring was in a state slate of nervous exasperation ills face fac ewas was flushed hla his brow furrowed ive got to go right overto over to pas tanos tanoa to see a man thaila comIn coming gout out there today he said to lillian as soon boon ai as they llad had had sunday dinner isyou if yon are going to see ruby ill go with you said mr poole 1 I have baze a most important matter to ao discuss with mr castano Pa stano mos important lie he has a nephew yes I 1 know as will laughed he has forty seven nephews but this Is h a most particular one tills this boy Is to study modeling he Is to be the exception an artist in a family of clever criminals im to see mrs castano about abou t him ill go with you r ile he rose and took a familiar hold on lorings arm will can take you over in the boat after while loring said 1 I must 1 hurry burry and cant talk to both of us at once once no 1 want vant to go with you vou in slated mr air poole loring no longer made the faintest 1 effort to conceal his disgust your des desire treis Is unrequited he sold said angwill and will laughed and came around ill the e i table to his friend and boss and took X hold bold of him r youre coming with me you old warhorse war horse be suld said youre drunk ill wager wage r you done a lick of work all week well go over to see ruby euby after while loring want f you yon john so BO come along efti me john poole turned and detained t loring who was trying to escape A you dont w want ant me 5 no said loring nervously ive j had bad enough of you too much J I 1 dont ever want to see you again as t jongas jong as I 1 come outs outside 1 and fight with me and I 1 will bent beat you and then well go to castanos Pa stanos io together gether 11 loring was furious 1 if I wont fight with you you old fo fool ol 01 I 1 will for t G ds sake take him off me why did you bring him d down own here any tv 7 how bow dont be so BO hard bard with him said will amling smiling wanly iles hes got a little money he in handy some day you youve your mind about friends of mine before castano and wiston tor for instance loring turned to lillian who stood silent and grave by her table if tills this Is what I 1 am to expect here its the last jast sunday I 1 come down will flushed so ern ernestine stine Is jn in x now he said slowly perhaps you have already consummated consummate your intention of cheating tier her out of v y hir her privileges in this house as elsewhere 11 anybody could cheat ernestine exclaimed loring she was cheated fl once and for good rhen hen she married you slie she rua r life then and now she endure anything because becaas e ibe he lacks protection and to Is ban handl dl v capped to boot will took a step forward his big hand band raised and though he still smiled i hla his face was evil he spoke low and rapidly and with an indescribable e i s effect of vituperation 11 A Y yon on great big stuffed bhart you imitation you safe rafe player and bribe taker you yon I 1 you yon coveter cove terl I 1 do you yon Y think I 1 d dont n know t it iju atter with pith you yoo there was as A pause which lasted la definitely loring had swollen to io rage and then ithen he had bad co collapsed until he hi stood looking atWill at will with a dreadful haunted face it was strange Ernest ernestine lne though t afterward that none of them felt ever even then that loring lorang was afraid of will there was some other other element which gave will tremendous advantage be fore the blaze in wills eyes before ills his cursing breathless phrases loring loran fell into a strange trige dejection the two men looked at each other inobe in the stillness that swirled around them all will turned at lost to ernestine Une go get your things kitten and get the baby ready lie he said in a gentle voice well ill all go back baafi together ill go to the hotel and get a taxi to take us to the depot we can get the afternoon train gather your thin things gs up tip again john 11 with tears running down her face ernestine obeyed him loring went off cursing un under anderli derli his Is breath and mr poole followed him to shout unheeded threats and ma maledictions male 1 dictions lillian 1 liel helped ped Erzi ernestine estine boget to get ready bothof both of them thea crying its the end said ernestine we can never see each other again now our lives are aie separated indefinitely and was thin thinking king what will mamma say ill call you sou up when I 1 got git in town write teto inome me ernestine dont let iet them jearus tear us abaft my life Is with will yours ours with lorang i said ernestine and wept af fresh resli trying to stem tile the tears trying not to care but feeling the nervous s uncontrollable necessity for weeping irv in the train going back to chicago 0 she still cried now and then 11 W why liv does loring hate us so she asked at last in a to low w tone especially me why does he hate me ulesee he seems P sto to want nant to wound me to strike at me hes done it before but ive never harmed ill him m why does he hate me me will hate you exclaimed will and looked at her strangely his dark bright eyes searching her paleface pale face for gulle guile ile he hate you ernestine but forget him im glad somei some i th thing ing has happened only m made ade us unhappy any anyhow liow f it was nice to be home again ernestine went about her little house bouse with a feeling of com comfort fori and joy will was not due at the office until the end of the week but on monday as ernestine was finish finishing lag upa up a wash ing for the baby he got dressed to go downtown As she kissed him good by and watched aate aled him go then turned back to the routine of home ernestine felt a sense of well being blot out yes ter days turmoil she resolved not to think about it norto nor to worry it seemed io to her that will had barely had time to go to town and come back bach again before he stood in the kitchen doorway ills his eyes upon tier her with such euch a look in them that she gave a little cry and tier her hand flew to tier her throat will happened lie ile put his ha hat 1 t down slowly ile he ming hung his head una unable bleto to speak to tier her but at last he got it out ive lost my job will ile he said no more tell me what happened crops craps t ernestine sat down weakly in a chair by the the kitchen table and gave a foolish sounding laugh unarm eros she exclaimed and grinned nt at him im glad you would A will and poc poole spent the day da in the wood path and on afi the 0 water waier never have quit and now cow get a ob where appreciate you ernestine V 1 fie be said and choked ill make good tor for you I 1 will I 1 boull see s some ome day mr poole had noeleen not been at the omee when will was dismissed by mr als ton 00 it was some days before he learned earned the details OJ gave gave them to ernestine the fellows ha had d ill all our cur bounded will with affection affectionate affect lonata ute greet lag ing on his arrival I 1 in the office anex they had at once p planned lanned to eat supper in a crowd somebody produced dice to determine lin abely who would have to pay they squat squatted tedon on their heels in a close ring i between tile the sloping d desks and tommy tucker cried a fierce schoolboy jiggers althem at them will heldtke heldt held the be dice and he be straightened up and turned about boldly r rattling the cubes I 1 in n his big hand and faced mr alston mr alston made quick work of him almost it seemed to will or so he said as though he were glad of the chance within ten minutes after his arrival will walked out of ma sun I 1 offices his possessions done don e up in at a 1 paper package under his ahlm arm willie while half a dozen indignant but futile i youngsters mour mourne fied dj after him busjohn Bu tJohn toole would not have it yu you fire my help and you flie fire ae me he told dision and he left bag and baggage 1 nobody had haa thought 0 of this mr mi wiston remonstrated with him but nothing would satisfy john poole e except x wilts wills reinstatement and i that d t wiston would not concede so will had added to hta own ties a sense of responsibility about john pooler of con concern cern over ernes briles tines break with that part par of her family which was in or near chicago mr poole let iet it be known now n innels in paper circles that he and ills his assistant were available but to his astonish menthe had no offers lie ile was war old he had been identified with tile the sun for many years the suns suni rivals were busy developing their own artists and establishing t them liem it was only a year or tw two 0 longer it was said tor for john poole and would probably be back at the sun within a month etwas it was dull in chicago that summer mamma was still in europe and ernes tine felt that she could not confide in 1 lillian about will there were times I w when hen she was frightened about her bor I 1 own health she felt faint in the beat she could not eat atall at all she had not felt this way before peter was borne born hut but then she had been strong and well she coulden couldn t understand understand this her feet were swollen until she ehe c could not wear her sheea mrs and mra biro pryor expressed their 1 anxiety only will engrossed jn in his own troubles was unaware of her frailty she pro pre I 1 d to mr poole and to will a superb calm and a justies s that was easier for her y than tra tragedy ed 41 will found some work for an advertising ver agency which he brought homel home to do lie he might have taken one of the jolis jobs papa papa had offered illin him from time to time but papa was in europe and loring in charge of his affairs ernestine could not forgive will for playing baseball in the streets with john pryor and a half a dozen other half grown boys when he came back from his fruitless jaunts after work ile he care she thought and longed to wound him to strike through his carelessness she grew almost morbid Perli perhaps aps hell have reason to waken to understand that lifes a job for a man will took five dollars almost the nit last of their cash one morning early in fit august and went out looking very clean and spruce and with the light of adventure in his eye ill find work today or stay out till I 1 do he told ernestine and kissed her on both cheeks cheeka peter clung to him ecstatically peter loves will the better she thought pressing any thorn at hand band against her heart after he be ans as gone one she went to her trunk and got out the bankbook she had bad obtained that da day y two years ago when she had come out here and found wills father dead here ans ans a secret source of supply of her own she looked at af her bank balance it was elou enough h to pay for herself and the new baby if slie she went weft into a two bed ward as doctor grey had planned for her tills this was her money will would have to manage for himself and peter she decided to go and get the money and hae have cash in the house it if anything happened bu but f she she would not let will know she had it r site she put the small bankbook on the dining room table and went about the cle clean anand and tidy house washing dishes setting the rooms in order there was a long letter from mamma in the morning mall ernestine did not finish fibish reading 1 if 14 for she had to go and lie down on her bed seized wit with hsuch such pain that she could scarcely forbear crying out she felt within herself no light at all no buoyancy no spark of life she was dull leaden submerged she felt she ought to make some effort to resistible resist this spiritual funi inertia but shewa she was s too ill she won i dered if her child would be born bom too soon soom this thought thou glit goaded tier her into action she rose and gathered front franf her trunk peters little littie baby garments long since washed and mended and laid away she made the things she might need for tile the baby into a bundle and put athi it in her dresser drawer sho she would get gether her money she w would 0 uld arrange her own affairs with corn CM pS pe tence when n the call came jib she e would be ready but she must mast rest first SL she e made herself a pot j i of fresh tea asked majr mra 7 to look after peter and a at t length in t the he early afternoon site she started off on tile the long walk to the street car she rode interminably withdrawing her fier spirit from the concussion or of the heat waves that came up from the stone pavement into tile the street c car ar walking in a bolst she reached the bank and went inside i she opened her purse but found am among 0 ng its con fen tents ts no ban bankbook book like a picture jn ila a dream she could neellie see the leather square of it on the dining room table in the little house left it ut at home if she had been in normal condition she would have realized that thai etwas it was quite possible dorher to establish her identity at atthe the bank she had made many small deposits the teller would have remembered her but as she stood in disappointment the world orld brew brew black before her eyes and for A a straining moment fully conscious but blind shil stood in silent allen i i terror the blindness passed and sh she picked ached up her purse and went but af of the bank turned halt instinctively toward coward mrs bennetts A strange girl was nt at the door a colored girt who rolled her ernestine mis be bennetts annetts put out maam will you wait ernestine left without abord and w went edit back t to 0 the boulevard the ila darkness akness the blindness w was as co coming i down doki on her fier again she felt that she was going to faint she could kohold no hold daany on any longer til there bird was nothing with to clini cling she no longer cared the great greaf bulk of the bus bug was moving down toward he her gigantic benac ing ng she felt that it would crushier crush her and moved ba back a little on the side valk wal kuer r horr horrified ifie upon the monster which seemed tos weil ell ind and crovi grow and cheh strangely to 16 rise from the |