The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-03-27

| these travelling clothes. and then I'll go out and drive around through the ! park with you and talk.' Lillian hurried to her apartments. | where she found Elsie White stand ing before a photograph of Phillip. | Lillian smiled cruelty as she. viewed l this. tableau and stood silent until FL | sic. feeling her presence in the room. turned slowly. a flush of crimson mounting to her brow as she met Iil- | Hans gaze.
 "He's a handsome fellow. isn't he?" Lillian observed carelessly as Elsie be gan to smooth out her hair.
 "Who?" asked Elsie quietly. Lillian glanced sardonically at Elsie fin the glass, but the girl back of her had her eyes bent steadily upon her | work.
 "Kelvin," answered Lillian. "He's built like an. Adonis and muscled like a young Hercules, but the touch of bis hands. strong as they are, is like vel l vet" She was keeping her cold eyes now steadily fixed upon those other eyes yelled beneath their downcast lids and that cruel smile sat fxedly upon her mouth. "His lips"-she lin gered over the Item with a relish. still watching that pale face-"his lips are cool and flrm"-the hands busily en- gagged with her black tresses trambled slightly-"but suddenly they are like fire. I think shall marry him! Elsie! You hurt me dreadfully that time! You are becoming more and more clumsy every day. ! am afraid that I shall have to discharge you" And. having inflicted all the pain that she could. she went down the hall singing blithely. A stranger hearing her would have thought that there was nothing but gentleness and guileless joy in her heart.
 She stopped in at Blagg's office. He had heard her coming. He was receiv- ing a message at the time and the light of the tubes gave to his emaciated face a gL Istly wanness. As she entered he only glanced up with smoldering hate. Lillian smiled back in all her witchery at that black look. She knew that she had never been more beautiful than now. She knew that her beauty was a perpetual torment to this man and in the absence of more entertaining prey she had toyed with him as a cat does with a captured and wing broken bird.
 "You don't seem half glad to see me, h1. Blagg," she remonstrated. . "No!" he answered her. and his voice was tense and strained. 'T wish you had never come back. wish that you had diedr'
 "Oh, tut. tut" she said, laughing, though a glitter came into her eyes. She was forewarned. "Tbat is not a very cheerful reception. It seems to me that you are becoming old and peevish."
 sI am." he asserted. Lillian
 Miss Breed, if you please" she cor rected him.
 "I'll call you by less formal name than that if I like." he fared. II know every step that you took while you were away"
 "Indeedr' she said pleasantly, realiz- ing for the first time that there was some basis for the hints that B!agg had often given her of a powerful or ganization of which he was the head.
 Her calmness angered him. What ever of awe I ever had for you is gone," he declared Whatever of re- spect I ever had for you is swept away. Whatever of love I felt is dead, now that I know you for what you are, now that you have made yourself common
 "Be careful she warned .-rn. t'It Is not safe to talk that way to me-"
 "Safe CT unsafe" he cried. "what do I care? I have died a thousand deaths in the past week, and cannot be further harmed"
 '"Too bad," she murmured in mock sympathy. Deaths among the lower orders of the animal kingdom seemed quite common last week. They just found one poor fool in the Long Is- land woods this morning. He looked like a workingman. A revolver was by his side. but he had not been shot. He had been strangled. That's bad place down there. Somebody shot at Kelvin there earlier in the wee,-, but
 
 Kelvin bears a charmed life. By the way. you have not yet stated what has made this alleged tremendous change in you" She looked at him mockingly, half smile upon her lips.
 "Are you daring me?' he cried. his nervous tension increased to the break ing point by her recital of the failure of his plans, the first news he had re- ceived of it.
 "Tell me-" she defied him. Have you not made yourself Kel- wins mistress ?"
 He had expected to overwhelm her with this, to meet her indignant de nial, to have to brave her fury. h. stead she let her half yelled eyes rest cruelty upon him and walked toward the door.
 "Yes," she said.
 He recoiled as though she had struck him a mortal blow. Rigid and immov- able as he would ever be in death he sat. and from the stairway there float