Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1908-04-04

rs Dudley here now?" he asked,
absently, after pause.
Not this morning: / expect him on
the afternoon train from Cincinnati"
There was a long silence between
them. The man was the first to
break it. II cannot bear the thought
of meeting him again, face to face"
he said, 80 the only thing left for
me is to get out myself, before he
comes"
Elisabeth whitened again, quite per-
ceptibly. He must never know, but
the words came almost as a death
blow. In the month following, they
were to start for the South Sea is
lands. and she should never look upon
his - Wainwright's - face again!
Don't" was all she said, and it came
almost inaudibly from between her dry
lips. Then recollecting herself quick
ly, she forced a little laugh that was
more than half?sob. There's no need
of it. Julian" she said. lightly. ''Youd
probably never meet him at all. He
isn't the kind of a man you'd likely
be thrown with now. He has his OWE
pursuits, and"
Nevertheless" he said, roughly, 81
shall go. 1t is not safe for me to
stay. There are things which l know
that you do not" The words were
final. Anyone could have told that by
the bulldog lines around Wainwright's
mouth.
In hn MI a W
and held out his hand to his COM
panion. Come" he said, st is past
dinner time, and the hotel people will
be talking"
A swift look of terror passed over
the womans face, and she caught her
breath, as he made her take his arm
to ascend the hill. No word was
spoken between them as they walked
on toward the house, but Wainwright
knew, as we'll as he knew his name,
that Elisabeth Dudley's emotion was
caused by dread Of something getting
to her husbands ears.
At the steps, he left her. going at
once to his room. They had ex-
changed only a casual farewell; but
the bitterness Of all ages lay beneath
their smiling faces.
An hour later Wainwright had
stepped into the hotel hack and was
being whirled rapidly on toward the
station. He reached there a full Is
minutes before train time, and leav-
ing his suitcase in the waiting-room,
began to pace restlessly up and down
the platform. Soon the shrill whistle
Of a distant engine broke on his ears
and he pulled out his watch in sur
Prise. Surely-No; it was the south
bound train-the train on which Cal
vim Dudley was to come! He paused
and leaned little breathlessly against
one of the posts. In spite Of his eX-
pressed aversion to meeting the man
face to face, sudden, all-conquering
desire to look at him again swept
over him! the man who had robbed
him in the most dastardly way OF
everything that made life dear-the
wretch who, to-day, was crushing the
very life ont of the helpless creature
that bore his name
A minute, second, and the long
noisy train slid to standstill. There
were half dozen passengers. Dudley
was the last one off. In spite of the
years of dissipation that had left their
ravishing, bestial marks upon his face,
Wainwright recognized him instantly.
And then, in the flash of an instant
before the eye could telegraph the
- krn f,snr flx
was enacted.
For an indeterminate second after
he had gained the platform, the man
stood looking about him stupidity. His
grip fell from his nerveless hand and
rolled under the wheels. Too intoxi-
Gated to realize the danger, he
stopped and reached after it. The train
started.
Like man in trance, Julian Vain
wright had been watching the whole
thing. But Dudley's insane action shot
through him like an electric current.
He had been the one onlooker to fully
appreciate the situation.
Good God, mani" He sprang to.
ward him, careless of danger to him.
self, and with all the strength of his
lion muscles attempted to hurl the
heavy form back onto the platform.
In the lightning interval that had
elapsed while he stood calculating the
mans chances. the past, the present,
the future-all few through his brain
in lurid panorama. His death, her re
lease; her release, his-their happi
ness! Then his mind grew blank, and
he saw only human life i'm peril
and in this final test, he had not hest.
tated.
When the train had passed, crowd
collected quickly. Dudley lay pros
trate on the boards, where by super
human strength Wainwright had flung
him. But higher power had inter.
vened. The man never regained con
seriousness. There was a serious con.
cnssion OF the brain. That night he