The Butler weekly times., 1909-12-23
I S A
By MARY PAXTON
copyright. BY Daily Story Pub. Co..

pidly waiting for the coroner. There
was none of the usual horror of a sui
ctde-no rivulets OF blood ending in
live pools. no contortions OF the face.
Lisa lay on the great white bear rug
as he had often seen her lie there. her
face partly concealed by her arm.
She wore a white half-fitted robe. and
in the dim light sometimes he could
scarcely see her at all except where
her dark hair shone out yividly. Near
her on the floor was a letter which
he knew must have been written to
him, but he let 1t lie there. AS yet
he was not curious.
He bent over her and sobbed and
held the letter to his lips Then he
tore 1t open and strained his dim eyes
over the sprawling letters:
Dear old Pat" she had written.
Call me a coward If you want, but
am tired and nothing can be worse
than these last days. | have not
worked too hard. My eyes have been
miserable, Perhaps work would have
saved me from this despair which has
made me end t. Ford Harvey is the
reason, Ford Harvey with his mock.
ing laugh and his haunting eyes. |
love him, my killing myself will tell
you how much, but want you to
make him suffer as | have suffered
lie lied and know now that he never
loved me, must have amused him,
for my love was so frank. | won't live
to be bitter old woman, and won't
live without him, Find a way to mad
den him as he has maddened me-"
1t was signed simply Lisa.
Poor little sister, poor little Lisa"
he murmured, land thought she was
so happy. No, | must not shoot him,
That II not what she means
He stared at the portrait until the
coroner was admitted. Then he looked
up an address in the telephone direc
tory and walked down the boulevard
until he came to some stairs with a
light at the entrance. He rang the
bell and man who was half dressed
let him in, They stirred up the fire
and Patton Ware told him In a few
words what had happened. When Per
reau read the note he turned to the
other man and said almost joyously:
Thank God, ! can serve her dead
though | could not while she lived"
Then he fell to weeping.
When he was calmer they talked
until morning. Then Perreau packed
his bag and went out with his caller.
Patton Ware went back to the studio
and sat with his dead When it was
all over he wrapped the portrait and
left IL at photograph gallery
week later Ford Harvey lay back
In his steamer chair on the Kaiser
Wilhelm and watched the woman be.
side him. Her eyes were half closed
and she smiled at him through her
sloping lashes. The hood Of her cape
could not quite conceal the elaborate
coinure, nor was 1t intended to do 10.
He was thinking how artistically she
was gotten up. but she saw glimpses
OF the gowns that he should buy her
IN Paris. A boy passed with some pa.
pers. Ford Harvey held out his hand
indiffsrently. He gave a part of the
paper to the woman and opened the
rest out before him. From the front
page this headline greeted him:
AUMOR SAYS LISA WARE
ENDED LIFE FOR NOTED
LEADER OF N. Y. SOCIETY.
Underneath was a poor half-tons
taken from photograph OF her DOR.
trait. Drops Of perspiration stood out
on his forehead
my God. didn't think she'd do
it," he said aloud.
do whatf" she asked, snatchins
the paper from him.
She understood when she saw. hut
asked no questions. She went white
about the lips. though not because
she cared for the dead girl.
Would you kill yourself for me.
Avis?" he asked.
mo, but perhaps III make you
shoot your heart out for me-" she an.
.BWereQ nVntly.
She would not trust him to his
thoughts after that, and Avis Brady
could be divertine when she wished.
At dinner he fingered Idly with his
napkin and found pasted in the corner
a tiny picture Of a woman. Avis felt
his uneasiness. He looked at his watch
nervously and the same eyes smiled
at him from the cover. ANNOYED. he
ceased to listen to the pretty woman
at his side. With the coffee, a minia-
ture picture of woman pasted on his
saucer under his cup made him hurry
from the table red faced, the blonde
woman following him alarmed. RouRh.
y he ordered her to her stateroom
and paced the deck with deep scowl
on his brow.
When he went down she was asleep.
and replacing her picture In a silver
frame on the table was another photo
graph and the eyes smiled.
On the deck again, he ran into a
man that he knew slightly. II was Per.
reau. Ford Harvey shook hands with
the detective and offered him 4 cisar
which he did not take. For a time
they talked aimlessly.
"Perreau." said Harvey at last "vou
ara nr0ha h1v m . v...xs 4.