Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-06-12

|
abrupt with her when she sought him
in his office, as he was compelled to be
| for self protection with some who
wanted to see him half dozen times
day.
very puzzling case," he mused.
s'Now, why does she dwell so on that
recent death? It seems to excite her
too. That's morbidity, I'm afraid; bad
sign"
The doctor liked St. John too. st.
Johns friends acted very nicely in
! sending him new books and boxes of
cigars. The books were well chosen;
the cigars were unexceptionable.
"Like all these paretics," he pondered,
Sin the first stages you would not think
there was anything much wrong with
the man, but it is little singular that
lucky death also"
| AS for the attendants, Miss Tracy
had flowers and little things and could
teach the women quite a number Of
new fads in hafrdressing and so forth
For the men st. Johns cigar box and
full pocketbook sufficed to make them
extremely courteous. The man with the
wicked eyes and mouth benefited most,
however. 1t was wonderful what a lot
! of little things he could do for Miss
| Tracy. 1t was strange that st. John
should find anything in the man to talk
about with common interest.
Just once the two lunatics met. It
was just before bedtime in the music
room. He had sung to her accompani-
ment. When she rose to say good
night, he almost whispered to her:
81 expect to go to New York tomor-
row."
81 am so glad for your sake" she
said.
"And-and you-you have made my
stay almost tolerable. Is there nothing
you will allow me to do for you?"
"Oh," she answered, with sprightli-
ness, 81 shall not be long in going my
self"
'Poor, poor little DEAR" he said to his
pillow, 'lit breaks me all up to think
Of her staying here incurable."
Miss Tracy packed her trunk, and
tears dropped on silk and linen indif-
ferently.
"Oh," she murmured, 'T do so wish
I had never come here. can never,
never forget the sad, gentle way he
used to look at me-"
There was lively work next after
noon in the building of The Gazette. A
young man sat at desk apart in the
reporters room, and he scribbled and
he scribbled. By and by the managing
editor came in and looked over the
busy writer's shoulder and told him
that he had only an hour to finish up
in. Then the great presses began to
clatter, and in little while the first
edition of The Gazette was ready for
the street, with an enormous black
scare head on the front page.
And in the Office of The Morning
Jury there was also very lively bus
Ting, and there, at retired desk, a
young woman sat, and she scribbled
and she scribbled, and late at night the
presses began to rumble, and in a lit
tie while the first edition of The Jury
was ready for the street, with an enor-
nous black scare head on the front
page.
The Gazette and The Jury were with
in few 1Ninutes of each other in get
ting out. A copy of each paper was
hustled into the office of the other, for
rival editors watch each others work
with catlike intentness. And the Ga
Zette Office read with dismay that the
hod cnI1yoT
by the indefatigable efforts of Jury
reporter, while The Jury night staff
tore it's editorial hair over the faring
boast of The Gazette that it's special
commissioner" had given to a waiting
world the first and only enlightenment
of the famous crime. There had been
no time for one paper to lift the news
from the other. How had the expected
scoop been spoiled?
Tumultuous was the wrath in the
two offices. Miss Tracy was explain
ing to her managing editor, with tears
in her eyes, that she could not under
stand at all, at all, how The Gazette
had got hold of it. In The Gazette Of
fee Mr.. St. John stormed and swore
and said that for the life of him he
could not understand how The Jury
had got almost the same story.
"Good heavensw shouted st. John
suddenly, and he dashed out to The
Jury Office. There he found friend,
with whom he conferred. The two
lunatics were introduced to each other
and a minute or two afterward were
alone together.
They laughed a great deal at the
idea of two reporters on the same
strange assignment never suspecting
each other, but their laugh was not
very loud. The tender pity for each
other of yesterday was still in mind.
'"The attendant is arrested" said st.
John. "You did not get it quite right.
The patient he poisoned when nursing
him was an old enemy. 1t was not
done through trouble arising between
them in the sanitarium."
"Oh, bother!" she said. ct doesn't
matter. We've done our appointed
work. Let's talk of something more
pleasant"
So they did, and when he was about
to go away he said:
"You said once we might be friends
in the world as well as out of the
world. Will we be friends, dear Miss
Tracy?"
She looked at him so smilingly, yet
SO tremblingly. that he put his arm
around her.
"Will you be more than friend. dar-
ling?" he whispered
YES" she said, and it was quite five
minutes after, when some ones feet
were heard approaching, that she
| jumped away and held up warning
| finger.
'If your friend came in, he'd think
us mad" said she.
1.-TWO lunaticsr' he answered. laugh
ing, as the door opened.
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