The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-07-02
XIV.

CHAPTER XIV.
U1HEN Patsy returned to the
w dressing room at the theatre
with a glass of stimulant for
her sister and found that she wal
not there she was very much aston
ished and also much perturbed. They
ought already to be in their places
for the performance. h began a bur-
ried search for her. That the girl might
have left the building did not occur to
her, for she had noticed that her street
clothes were still hanging on their ac-
customed hook. She was unable to
find her, however, nor had anybody of
whom she had made inquiry seer her.
She ascertained by observation hat
she was not where she ought to have
been. among the other girls in the
wings. The stage doorkeeper had not
seen her go out. he said. which was
perfectly true. for he neglected to men,
ton that he had absented himself for a
few minutes. Greatly mysti1ed, she
could reach but one conclusion, that
she had got out of the theatre in some
way and gone home. Nora had been
terribly agitated and had said that
she felt i'll. She must have been in a
bad state indeed not to have changed
her clothing.
Milly sultzer came running into the
room.
Come on, Patsy she cried. They're
holding the curtain. You'll get into
trouble
BIZ Patsy's mind was made up. She
wouiG go to Nora. The eirl might need
hes help.
let en- hold it," he csid. my sis
ter's gone away i'll, an We got to look
after her
Swiftly she changed her clothes and
irade her way home. There was no
light in the fiat. Nora was not there
nor had she been there apparently.
for nothing had been disturbed. Patsy
now was mere than worried; she was
alarmed. She returned in haste to the
Long Acre, but nothing had been seen
of Nora there. 1t flashed upon her that
the girl in her desperation might have
dashed off just as she was to seek
Crawford and demand the note, intend
inE to return to the theatre as quickly
as possible. This became a conviction,
for at that m the call boy came
along and noticed her troubled mein.
Looking for your sister. Miss
O'Brien?" he queried.
Yes" she said eagerly. Have you
seen herr"
II seen her hike off in a cab just
now" he replied. "She asst me to get 1t
fer her. She wuz in a turrible hurry
an drefful White about the gills."
"Where'd she tell the man to drive
to-" she inquired.
II dunno. / didn't hear that said
the boy.
Patsy waited for no more. Her first
thought was 10 try and find Dan in
the audience. He knew Crawford's ad-
dress, and SHE did not. But she rea-
soned that If she went to her sweet
heart she would have to tell him the
whole circumstances. And, besides. he
was with her parents. She decided
that she had better leave him out of 1t.
Dragging him in might only make mat
tiers worse. Yet how was she to find
out where Crawford lived? 1t occurred
to her that his name might be in the
city or telephone directory. She could
have consulted the telephone book at
tho office of TIE theatre. but, conclud-
ing that 1t would be advisable to avoid
the office, she went to a neighboring
drug store The book rave the address,
sure enough. In another minute she
was on a car bound uptown.
It was simply incomprehensible to
her tina Nora could have gone to Craw-
ford's or anywhere else in her stage
costume. for she had not even slipped
on her Jacket, but the girl had been so
badly scared by the realization that she
had committed a forgery that it vas
likely she had lost the little sense she
possessed. Anything was possible after
! what Nora had confessed, and, anyhow,
she was following UP the only clew she
had. She was appalled, at her sisters
deceit and cunning. Crawford, it was
clear, had obtained an ascendency over
her that had lured her very near to the
brink of the abyss. She went cold at
the thought of the peril to her sister, a
peril which, with increasing vigilance,
she had tried to guard her against, into
which the girl had thrust herself under
her very nose. If she was with Craw-
ford now, alone with him at last in his
| rooms, the worst might happen. for he
who already had enmeshed her in the
tolls would nave her in his power, and
| Nora was no more capable of taking
care of herself than IA a baby. BY
the time she reached Crawford's abode
she was in an almost desperate frame
| of mind herself.
Crawford had hardly closed the bed
room door on Nora when Patsy burst
into the den. followed by Rogers, still
demonstrating.
81 knew you was in. I felt sure of
it," said Patsy by way of greeting.
where's my sister,"
"Your sister," he repeated.
Yes, Nora. Is she here-has she
been here?"
1--WE just come in. My nan might