El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-10-26
THE CRISIS
By a. C. Greenwood.


l. The millionaire engineer sat at
his writing. table. the telephone re-
ceiver to his ear.
Tonight" the waiting man heard
| his Iordship say. and his voice was
almost unrecogniza5 le-hoarse. harsh,
| horror stricken. You cannot wait?
Delay would endanger ner I1re?-
Lord Forncett's staccatO questions
| were fraught with an intensity Of anx-
! iety which communicated itself to the
/ still and silent manservant, then:
She could not be in better hands
/ sir Alfred. I know you'll do all you
! can. God bless your efforts.
! FOrncett hung up the receiver
| ThurstOn cOughed deferentially. His
| master swung round
Her ladyship has been taken sud
! denly-seriOusly i'll" Fortunately sir
/ Alfred Rowe, the great surgeon, was
! in the neighbOrhOod Dr.. Edmunds
/ sent for him. An immediate operation
"a grave operations necessary:
/ Sir Alfred holds out little hope Of
| recovery. We cannot get to Hants in
/ time, ThurstOn- We're to remain
| here. They will keep US fully in
/ formed by telephone"
Ny lord" suffered Thurston, his
! law falling 'it's-it's-"
Lord FOrncett rose and put a heavy
I hand on the mans shoulder.
| Il know how you feel" he said
| gruffly; don't try to put it into
| words. Leave me now. Don't let me
! be disturbed"
Forncett was man Of the people.
/ By sheer industry and lndom1taDle
| pluck he had fought his way up, and
/ had won place and fortune Yet he
! had not changed To his Work people
/ he was still John EcOles, one Of them
! selves q friend as well as an employer.
! But in society he was lord FOrncett,
! Immensely wealthy, universally re
( spected, a man whose views on labor
! questions, whose tolerant farSeelng
! opinions were eagerly sought Dy
/ ministry beset by labor unrest Thens
! at 40, he met lady Iris Haughley, only
! child of lord Ingham, and member
! of one Of the Oldest families IN Eng
! land. This marriage was perfect
| union, and four years Of devotion on
/ either side Of honor, Of deep affection
/ and lasting happiness ensued.
/ Now the blow had fallen. He could
only wait-wait for the telephone
! bell to ring.
/ In fatalistic fashion he accepted the
cruel stroke as the turning Of his for
! tunes.
Iris was dying, and he was power
He saw her lying dead He tried to
I face life without her. In imagination
/ he lived a day-alone. 1t sent MN
! staggering to his armchair, pltlaDie
/ travesty Of the strong man he had
/ been an hour before.
Then in moment Of absolute
! abandon, his hand shot to the right
/ hand drawer OF the table slid It open,
/ and CROPPED for the stock Of the re-
volver, which lay inside. He caught
I it, gripped it, lifted 1t, and slowly his
/ eyes swung round to it.
"a lady to see you, my lord said
] Thurston, opening the door. I told
I her you could see no one, but she bids
me say she has news Of your wife.
| Those were her words, my lord
I FOrncett tOttered TO his IeeI, drop
ping the revolver back into the drawer.
of Iris2" ne chOked, speaking his
/ thoughts aloud. How can anyone
have. Show her up, ThurstOn-"
A woman wrapped close IN long
evening cloak, and heavily yelled,
entered
yes, madam gasped Forncett
She did not speak Lord Forncett
glanced at her, started violently, then
leaned forward, peering at her, a pal
Tor creeping over his face
who are your he asked bluntly,
with a slight return to his old forci-
sHave you forgotten me. Jack?" she
asked simply.
A look of disguised recognition
crept into his eyes and a furrow Of
panied perpleXity lined his forehead.
You might be-Judith."
She nodded.
At wondered If you had altogether
forgotten me" she said quietly It's
20 years since We parted. TWenty-One
years since we knelt side by side at
the altar and you made me Mrs John
Eccles. And you've come to this-a
peer of the realm"
Jack, I'll be candid enough to own
I'd never have left you If I'd fOreseen
this put my money on the wrong
horse. GeOf. said he'd do great things
in the Argentine. believed him. I
ran away with him. Well, we haven't
done much"
Your name" said Forncett heavily,
''Was in the list of those killed in the
st. Dominic disaster in '9S-"
She nodded again so was Geofs,"
she returned smiling. 80 you mar
ried, JACKIE
But I've not come TOTO force you
to take me back, to put me into my
proper position she was declaring,
audacioUsly smiling in brazen scOrn.
7 don't think we'd get on better now
than 20 years ago. And don't sup
pose you want me You want me so
little that L don't doubt you'll be will
ing to pay me to keep out of sight I
and out Of mind"
BlackmaiI had not suggested itself /
to FOrncet. His mind was incapable !
of ignOble things.
Trick her-go on trfcking her2" he |
muttered, and shook his great head. !
You don't understand me"
Wouldn't it break her heart2 How !
viii 1t strike a pure woman to know
she's-she's just been living with a
man; that she's not his wife2"
BE careful" said FOrncett warn
ingly. Don't mention my-Lady |
Iris's name, keep it out of this. dyOu /
hear me? Insult her directly or indi- |
rectIy, by hint or innuendo, and out !
you 60"
I'm sorry" she said humbIy
I'm sorry" she said humbly !
enough. Jack, let me be frank I /
know you won't betray me. I've come !
to you. for one reason, and one reason
only. GeOf's in trOuble-the police,
forgery. We've a few hours before |
before they can lay hands on him. He /
wants to get away. We're leaving /
England. We shall never return. I I
shan't ever trouble you again.
Your silence will change nothing" /
"But she need never know"
"D'you think me so lOW2' he cried /
passionately. ''D'you think"
u think you care for her. I'm tell /
ing you what a woman feels" she /
urged, and there was passionate en-
Jack"
"SilenceH' he said sharply.