Evening journal., 1907-03-11
; By Frederic Taber Cooper

throbbng beat OF his heart rang his shutting
out other sounds, deadening thought itself AS in
dream he conscious of softly opening doors, and
curous heads thrust out as he passed successive land
ngs hat the consequence of his reckless pressure
on all those brass bells Half way up the third
flight he just IN time to see the tran OF the green
moire vanish through the doorway of the front apart
ment Somehow he managed to cover the remaining
distance and thrust his foot forward, just the door
knocked with wrathful vgor. He heard her startled
exclamation as the door flung open by who
certainly was not Windon Hinckley, a man whom he
had seen before. We'll, my friend what do you
wantP the asked sharply Il want my wife +
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 Nora He voiced the thought
wonderngly, ncreduously: you are not Nora" Il
took a minute 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
hink to say IN explanation was Iust these tour enig,
crous inadequacy as he uttered them. Mercy how he
ssaTea s5m me- SAID the woman i'' sure that 1t was
Menish suddenly felt strangely shaken, strangei,
weak Everything seemed to have grown curiously
black bacler even than the stairs he had just up
two steps at a time That was II, he told himself the
stairs and the heat and the excitement He heard tho
mans voiee saying brusquely as II from some remote
distance, well, that you know It isn't Nora, don
you think you had better be going ~ And the woman
interposed hastily Jim, can't you that the man is
sick? He is going to fall Melish tried to get to
te door tried to frame some words of apology, excuse
protest ali in ONE Instead he collapsed weakly into
chair. Ii a morris chair, with gaudy plush
cushions. His last conscious sensation was the stuff
smell of new upholstery
AS the haze cleared from his eyes, the
holding thick tumber containing brandy to his lip
the woman who had felt sure that he was sam, the
woman whose hair so like Nora's, and whose eye.
and mouth were different AS she leaned over him
he noted the cold bold violet of her eyes, the rregu
larity of her teeth of them badly blackened II
the immensely of his relief he felt his heart expanc
towards this clandesne couple who had been so afraid
that he was Sam, and who plainly wished him
to be gone He owed these two big debt of gratitude
for havng cured him. for ALL of his chronic leal
ousy With sudden energy he gathered his long, thin
limbs together and to his feet AS he backed himself
out into the dingy hall, with final apology, he felt
an honest at the visible relief of this man
and woman, the rregularty of whose lives had so
It was Dast their dinner hour when Melish at last
reached home Nora, radiant in her new lizard green,
too absorbed in herself notice the disorder of his
appearance Windon here. she told him, and would
stay to dinner Windon? Well, what Of it! In the
JOYOUS confidence of his cure Mellish felt that he
could afford to he cordial even to Windon Hinckey
Besides he thought he made hasty toilet It was
at most only for hour; Nora would have to excuse
herself coffee served, II she was gong
10 the theatre with him tonight
The dainty dinner scored the success that Noras din
uer ays scored when they were not dining alone Nora
herself was as usual nervousy voube How did Mrs.
Favcrshams luncheon go of? Why. there had not been
any luncheon. She hoped he had not been foolish
enough to try to meet her Mrs Faversham had tele-
phoned that Il was postponed her cousin had not come
from Buffalo after ali" Then turning suddenly to
Hincldey "Tell me. Windon, about that mysterious
cousin Of yours. Cousin Nelly, isn't it? Your sister
says that you desperately in love with her once
What is she like? Is she half as nice as I am
AS he looked the dinner table Nora dimpl-
ing under IIincllley's fattery suddenly Meishs Ella
ton fell They had shut him out those two young
congenia spirits they had forgotten he there The
old familiar spasm gripped his heart. He realized that
he not cured after all; the wonder was he had no
realized it sooner. His bizarre blunder in following
the wrong couple all through afternoon was
no proof of Noras innocence. Tonight like ever,
other night he powerless to read the truth OF