The Washington times., 1910-01-31
HIS BROTHERS KEEPER


faces thar poured toward me out OF
the T=eE was one ] recognized Il was
Hiram BiaJCEEOrd-
You are after rner' ] croaked, FOR
killing Karl Vaughn There he Le5-
This time i think I have really done
EIachsord looked at me unrecogriz-
inE- Nor can / wonder There was
nothing in this hideOus- blOOd-masKcI
sCarecr0w, IL smOldeTinE tattered
wrecks Of garments 10 remind MN pl
the vvali-ZrOCmed Hugh Lee ne had
known He looked. however, 20 me
seuseIess man at my 1eeL. then 0en-
/ -sm-r1bar. while this was goiug on,
there were a swarm Of men ana boys
IN il cry stamping out the flames, pour
ing hand Ereuades on the blaze. pass
ing blE I'd buckets Of water ana
beyond the doorway looking ltfo4Ei.
with wiie-eyed curiosity, were men aua
women iU evening dress
stood swayluE. looking DULY into
the faces Of a ring Of eager. questioning
men, not understanding their queries
But my glance drifted aEain 70
RIatchf5rd Lurching forward I touched
hlu on the head. as he was liti-nS
Vaughn 10 sitting posture
Don't Ia- them forget ] uuruo-e-I
through parched lips and bursting
throat. that there are-S55>q'g worth
Of b0uds-scattsred on thIs-this NOR
Maybe some-of them aren't burnt yet
hes crazyl' I heard man ejacu-
But at my words BIatchford left the
side Of the slowly TevivinE y a-gilnr
and whirled about IN wild excitement 20
VINO are your he Numbered And
what do you know Of those bonds
Vaughn had them nuttereds
Fee5Iv- He was working over them
when T came in They must be on tle
FOu-- Those that aren't burnt-yes-
He scarce heard me out before t1E0"
ing himself down on all fours and be-
ginning a 'udicroUsly quick search o5
the smoking. water-sosked. tTaulp-ea
it was at that moment Or
an IKE later that we all somehow found
ourselves in g short corridor outside the
room 7 don't know. There was ies5
smoke in the hau, and one col-a
But I must have collapsed without
. knowing H. Fer q man was sapLol -
me on either side And some one "
forcing liquor through my bleeulug Aps,
v7Ei e a score Of people hurled Uulntel-
IizibIe questions at me
And Z could neither speak nor under
stand could only lean le'-E--s
AGAINST the men who were nOiClnS NE
Up. aad gaze stupidity at the people u
evening dress and at the men IN livery
on the floor. not far from me, prop
ped AGAINST q wall lay Karl vaughn
His eyes were open and he was moving
feebIy- People were working over NM
with brandy and ammonia
I wondered, vaguely. what ne was
doing there But I had not especially
cared looked again toward the near
by room, with its door hanging broken
from the hinges. and the acrid smell
Of smoke and water still issuing across
the threshold
out. over the smashed entraDcevay,
came Hiram BlatChfOrd- he carried a
double handful Of papers some were
intact, but water soaked and SolleC by
SCOT others were charred at the edges
or torn. others were half burned.
What have You got the-eZ asked
one iuquiSitive man IN evening clothes,
Is the detective strobe by.
''FlsSt part Of a half a million dol
lars snapped BIatChford. What's
become Of the fellow who - I, there
you 9rer' he broke or. cats. snE sight
Of ne and coming to where 7 recline6.
You sid you found these bonds IN
that mans room They were on his
tabIe2"
I family comprehended the drift OF
his words. and I nodded BlatChfor5's
gaze shifted from me 70 Vaughn
L on said ne was Karl Vaughn" he
raped out. Kari Vaughn's deadI|
Been dead a week and more
one Of the two men who were work
Ing over Karl had just been busiIy|
spOaEinE his face. Now as the snonca
was moved aside, the hawkIiIle features
battered, paliid, swollen-came into
rUll view BlatchfOrd Easped.
vaughn By all that's WONDERFUL
he muttered- And" wheeling IN nee-
into my unacceptable visage. Who
n thunder are yOu2''
/ tried 10 speak my name. But 7 could
1oL rei5leInher It was very tired. nv
auSui~Ee6 body WIS uer.ff7.ITv- e-rr
clnpinE 10 strange numbness F-verv-
JnlnE seemed oddly iRdistinet and far
. The h-TTying feet, the excited voices
the infusion and general Fubbub were
either ceaSing. or I was arownina- TOO
Ge1f TO hear them
could feel myself slipping down IN
the supporting grasp Of the two men
who held me
Then, all at once (thouzh the scene
I remained the Came), I knew ue~FectIy-
well I was in heaven For. making har
way through the talking, Cestic71latfrz
EC9ups- she came toward me.
Straight uD to me she walked ana
locked into the horrible misshapen mask
. LhCr mad once been my face
Ar, az that very first gIanxn-,o+
waiting o SCTuCiniZe the changed foa-
tures OF to study them for a trace 81
their former eEpression-she took nv
torn bands in hers and said xenderlv-
''HuGhI''
You know him, Miss Graves7" asked
B1atchfOrd in wonder seV-br e Il.9s
Before she could frame 4 rep1v- 7
had found my tongue, and I said what
then seemed not only the most natural
bit the only possible thing in the world
Then I tainted
I The Continuation of This story VIII
BE Found In Tomorrow
Issue of The