All-Story Weekly, March 1, 1919 — page 99: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

3 ee eae ss ~ RSS —— me ap nl on the wire. The butler had no wish to _ see his master and mistress break up their home. He had the innate, British dislike for tragedies. Besides, in these war times, good jobs— for butlers—were scarce. to make the tone of his voice sound the warning his long years of training made it impossible for him to put in words. “Mr. Lee is on his way to your apart- ment, sir,” he said. Colonel Gray hurried from the telephone booth in the armory to Helen. He told her the news. It was puzzling, but perhaps Jefferson, himself, had had word of his as- signment to Colonel Gray’s regiment. In any event they could now start for Gray’s apartment. Jefferson would be awaiting them there. But he had not yet arrived when they reached Gray’s rooms. The Japanese valet had seen nothing of him. And then he came! As the valet opened the door the madman rushed past him and on into the living-room where Helen and Gray stood by a table. He stopped short just inside the door- way, his breast heaving, his eyes lit with insane fury. His gaze was fixed on the man; he did not seem to see Helen. He swayed—and then caught the back of a chair. He lurched across the intervening space and leaned across the table, pointing a shaking finger at Gray. : “T’m going to kill you,” he said. Before either Gray or Helen could move he seized a bronze vase from the table and raised it above his head. Gray leaped for- ward and seized his wrist. . The vase fell to the floor with a thud. Gray released his hold on the drunken man. “You contemptible thing!” he said. Jefferson eyed him narrowly, his breath coming hard. A stifled sob from Helen made him look at her for the first time. She had turned her back! Was it*possible that #e was at fault? Was it—not her own shame—but be- cause she was ashamed of him that she could not face him now? He looked back at Gray. The gaze that met his was not the gaze of a guilty man. - There was loath- ee Sa ake it. es he < - a ” gs a EE = CS = iad a Oo —e Ne St “HAVE | ONI E Hence he tried continued to stare dully at Gray. — “So far as I am concerned,” Gray went ees oe He was mistaken, then! and handed it to Jefferson. back at Gray. “If you are unable to read it,” said Gray slowly, and every word was like the lash of a whip, “I will tell you that it assigns you to my regiment with a second lieutenant’s commission.” Gray paused. As from a great distance ~ = Jefferson heard the stifled sobs of a woman —his woman—Helen—his wife. on slowly, distinctly, “ nothing will inter- fere with this assignment. It is up to you!” _ Ah! At last Jefferson understood. The _ hideous disgrace of his position struck him as hard as a blow from Gray’s sinewy arm. His brain cleared. His eyes closed to slits. He bowed his head. Then, slowly, he tore the telegram to 2 = Without lifting his eyes, he turned bits! on his heel and walked out of the apart- ment! Helen turned as she heard the door shut. Gray silently put the wrap about her shoul- ders and led her out of the apartment. He saw her into her limousine, and, with- out a word from her, directed the driver to 3 take her home. Jefferson sped to his office in a taxicab. As the car dashed along through the desert- | ed canons of lower Manhattan, its passen- ger tried desperately to piece together those torrential events that followed that first maddening moment when Mary Lawrence © faced him in the hallway of-his home. | Try as he would he could not make any- © thing stand out so clearly as the curious, fascinating pattern of the Persian rug on the floor of Gray’s living-room! But little by little he realized the enormity of his offense. It was not alone the wicked wrong he | = had done his wife, the mother of his boy! it was not alone the crushing contempt of © Gray, the man to whom he owed somuch— the earned contempt of his benefactor! | BE No! Unieaisble as was ‘the Bes of | | —— -—— ~~ “en Ss —— ae ee ae i= = eee gee bree 2 7 ae Sat ns ee ee | lana — Comic book <s.com LL His hand wees a up to his throat involuntarily. His mouth 3 = twitched. a Gray drew from his pocket a telegram Jefferson glanced at it with unseeing eyes and then S&S But he