Omaha daily bee., 1911-04-16
CHAPTER XVI.
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When Helen Ohlstrom reached her home
again. and threw herself upon the bed,
there was only one thought that stood out
clearly and forcibly from all the dreadful
things she had listened to that afternoon:
The best looking OF the gang makes love
20 the girl, and persuades her to run off
with him TO some foreign country" In the
hundreds OF times that she had allowed
her memory to run over the details of that
last evening with Hardy Maxwell. there
had never failed to be a little pang when
she recalled his peculiar lnsistence on the
possibility that she would have TO go to
him.
Somehow or other she attached little i'm
portance to the change of names; it was
so overshadowed by the other. Besides, Nc
Bride had been guilty of that himself. II
might be quite common in business. al
though she was not aware of It, She did
not think anything about the baggage in
the room. The two dreadful facts that
stared her in the face were, that he had
run away. and that Just before he went
evidently knowing he was going, he had
asked her il she would follow him.
She could not imagine what to do. She
longed for the sympathy and advice of
some trusted friend; but she could not
think of any one that she would dare to
trust with such dreadful secret. Mcbride
was the only one to whom she had been
weak enough to hint at her engagement
without being really sure of it herself
lie was the only person she could think
Of in this emergency; but she shrank from
the thought Of even seeing him again. She
OWNED his feelings toward her, and that
fact made her doubt his motives. He
seemed to be her evil genius, But for him
she would never have heard all these
things about Hardy.
As she thought over the details of what
Mcbride had told her, she recalled as pc
culiar the fact that Mr. Hartley should
know that the letters Hardy had brought
to her parents were forged. 1t suddenly
flashed upon her mind that the simplest
thing to do would be to ask her father to
write to his brother in England and find
out If that letter genuine. 1t struck
her as peculiar that Hardy Maxwell had
brought no other letters and seemed to
have no other friends
on second thoughts, 1t would be awk-
ward to ask her father to write such a
letter. Why not write it herself? She need
not ask any direct questions. Why should
she not write few lines to her aunt, say
ing something nice about Mr.. Hardy Max
well and what pleasant acquaintance
they had found him? If her aunt had never
hear of such a person. she would not be
long in saying So The idea seemed SO
practical that she jumped up, almost re-
solved to send a cable message. 1t was
only the fear that it would look too i'm
portant that deferred her from telegraph
ing.
She went downstairs and got the morning
paper. There was a mail vessel sailing on
Wednesday at II. The malls closed at 1880.
II she wrote a letter at once and posted it
that evening, it would catch the morning
mail at 1880. To make quite sure, she took
II TO the branch postoffice herself, and put
a special delivery stamp on 1t; not knowing
that such extra postage was wasted on
foreign letters.
Next morning at breakfast, she succeeded
in extracting from her father the opinion
that a letter sent to Europe that day
would probably be delivered on the follow
ing Thursday or Friday week, and that the
very earliest possible answer would reach
New York two weeks from Saturday. In
the winter 1t might not be delivered until
Monday, II the boat was delayed.
That seemed long. long way off to her;
but there was nothing to do but to walt.
She hoped that something might happen
in the meantime. Perhaps he would write!
Mcbride called that afternoon about
o'clock and sent up his card; but Helen
told the maid to say she was not at home.
She did not want TO see him. She wanted
TO be alone She simply dreaded the idea
, Of having him repeat or add to any of the
terrible things he had told her the day
before.
The next morning she received a very
courteous letter from him. 1t was full OF
regrets for the pain he had caused her, and
said he was sorry that he had not found
her at home when he called on her, lie
regretted to say that Mr.. Hartley had left
the city, and he had had no opportunity to
verify or disprove anything; but he was
quite sure he was right about Mr.. MAX
we'll He ended by saying that II there was
anything he could do to get at the bottom
OF the matter, he was at her service, alb
solutely and without reserve. He had prom
Used 10 help her to find Mr.. Maxwell, and
he meant every word OF 1t.
Her first impulse was to make no answer
but after thinking over the matter all day
she realized more and more that after all
he was the only person who knew her
trouble. He was the only connecting Ink
between herself and her truant lover. Per
haps he could do something after all.
While her instinct tOlu neI lldt no HlBh'
not be particularly anxious to clear up
every sinister rumor rejecting on Hardy
i, Maxwells reputation, but that he might
be. IL anything, secretly pleased at the
idea of getting rid of a rival, he might
} be able 10 determine the doubts in her
mind, one way or the other.
So she sat down and wrote him very
friendly note, in which she made this prop
osition. lie had, made dreadful accusations
, against her friend and the friend of her
! family She did not believe a word OF II.
The very least he could do she thought,
! would be TO make some effort to prove
the justice OF his accusations. He was a
, man. why could be not find out the truth
, beyond all question? All he had said rested
on the word OF third person, Mr.. Hartley.
II Mr.. Maxwell was such dangerous
5 character, other people must know ii.
She kept a copy OF that letter, which she
could not help thinking was rather clever.
She was very curious to know what answer
Mr. Mcbride would make, or what he
would do. She had not long TO wait.