Evening journal., 1907-03-11
By Frederic TabeF Cooper

throbbng beat OF his heart rang in his ears shutting
out other sounds, deadening thought itself AS IN a
dream he conscious OF softly opening doors, ana
curious heads thrust he passed successive land
ings That the consequence of his reckless pressure
on all those brass bells. Hall way up the third
flight he was just in time the trail OF the green
MORE vanish through the doorway Of the front apart
ment Somehow he managed to cover the remaining
distance and thrust his foot forward Just as the dooE
closed to keep it from latchng At the same time he
knocked with wrathful vgor. He heard her startled
excar,at;on as the door was flung open by a man who
certainly was not Windon Hinckley man whom he
had never seen before. WELL my friend, what do you
want?" the man asked sharply. Il want my witeF
Mellish gasped hoarsely, and flung himself into the
room AS he did so she turned and faced him. woman
with coppery hair and lizard green dress-but not
Nora thank Heaven not Moral He voiced the thougnF
wonderingly, ncreduously: You are not Nora lt
took minute or two for the truth to sink in. He had
followed the wrong couple through a mile OF New
York streets he had tracked them to their lair he had
violently broken in upon them and all that he could
,hnk say in explanation was Just these four enig;
matte words, you not Nora" He felt their ludi-
crous inadequacy as he uttered them Mercy, how he
scared me~ said the woman, II felt sure that it was
Sam"
weak Everything seemed to have grown curiousJ
black blacer than the stairs he had Just come up
two steps at time That it, he told himself, the
stairs and the heat and the excitement He heard tho
mans voice saving brusquely, if from remote
distance well now that you know it isn't Nora don.
you think you had better be goingf AND the woman
nterposed hastily Jim, can't you see that the man Is
sick? He is going to fall W Mellish tried to get to
the door, tried frame some words OF apology excuse
protest all in one. Instead he collapsed weaky no
chair. 1t a new morris chair, with gauay plusE
cushions. His last conscious sensation was the stuit
smell of new upholstery
AS the haze cleared from his eyes the woman was
holding a thick tumber containing brandy to his lps
the woman who had felt that he was Sam, the
woman whose hair was so like Nora's and whose eye.
and mouth were so different AS she leaned over him
he noted the cold bold violet Of her eyes the irregu
larty of her teeth one Of them badly blackened IL
the mmensity of Els relief he felt his heart expanc
towards this clandesne couple who had been 50 atTaio
that he was Sam and who now so plainly wished him
to be gone He owed these two big debt OF gratitude
for having cured him, once for all OF his chronic zeal
ousy With sudden energy he gathered his long thin
limbs together and his feet As he backed himself
out into the dingy hall, with final apology ne tet
an honest amusement the visible relief of this man
and woman, the rregularty Of whose lives had so
nearly touched him
reached home Nora radiant in her new lizard green,
opened the door in person, greeting him eftusyey,
too absorbed in herself to notice the disorder OF ns
appearance Windon was here she told him. ana would
STAY to dinner Windon? Well. what of It In the
Joyous confidence of his Melsh felt that he
could afford 70 be cordial even to Wndon Hinckley.
Besides he thought as he made hasty toilet, it was
at only for hour; Nora would have to excuse
herself as soon as coffee was served if she going
to the theatre with him tonight.
The dainty dinner scored the that Noras din
ner always scored when they not dining alone Nora
herself was usual, nervousy voluble How did MRS
Faversham's luncheon go off? Why, there had not been
any luncheon She hoped he had not been toolsh
enough to try to meet her Mrs faversham had teie-
phoned that II postponed her cousin had NOT come
from Buffalo after all" Then, turning suddenly to
Hncklcy, "Tell me. Windon, about that mysterious
cousin of Yours Cousin Nelly. isn't it? Your sister
saws that you were desperately in love with her once.
What is she like? Is she half as nice as ] amp
AS he looked the dinner table at Nora, dimpl-
inq under Hincklevs Aatterv suddenly Mellishs ela-
ton fell They had shut him ont those two young
congenal spirits they had forgotten he there The
old familiar spasm grpped his heart He realized that
he was cured after all the wonder was he had not
realized it sooner. His bizarre blunder in following
the wrong couple all through summer afternoon was
no proof of Nora's innocence Tonight like every
other night he was poweress to read the truth OF