Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-08-30
TODAY S INSTALLMENT.
PART II.

an VI
"Confound the brute" lie looked down
At his hand The scratch hurt and was
beginning to swell and an ugly little
yellow ridge was rising ominously. No
doubt the beasts claws were poisoned
the wound would foster perhaps he might
lose his hand. He sucked the scratch
and cursed the cat again.
What the deuce was keeping Jex was
there anywhere in this place where he
could wash his hand? He glanced toward
the door leading 20 the staircase, com
municating with the upper part-he felt
a distaste that was more than reluc-
lance 10 go upstairs lie had not been
there since the day Of his wife's death
the day that had given him back his
freedom.
Much good his freedom had done him
His thoughts ran in bitter vein this
afternoon Betty Lumsden-al his plans
seemed. II not 10 he actually miscarrying
10 be hating inexplicably. Rimngton in
prison. safe, barred and silenced for
twenty years seemed for the present at
least, as effective a barrier as Rimington
young and rich and free. Betty was
such fools she had given her promise
II was true but there was a woeful lack
of favor in marriage Of barter.
Hang the brute"
Really his hand was beginning TO pain
him abomna bly, It was detestable, but
there was no help for H. He must go
upstairs With his lips pressed against
his hand he went up the stairs, mount
ing them slowly
Ghostly memories came out 10 meet
him as he pushed open the door at the
A..
dehnabe odor that had chung about
Jenny--a ragrance that had never left
her even in her illness, that even now
had power to conjure up the past, that
rose leaf past Of the first days OF their
marriage still hung family IN the air
The bed was made as though ready for
occupation. Her hair brushes and little
toilet trinkets. dainty trifles Of tortoise
shell and gold he had given her triclted
out the dressing table. SAKE drew back
with something like a SILVER. What a
sentimental old idiot lex was! He opened
another door-that Of the old mans own
bed room this time, apparently. There
were signs OF his occupation -huddled
clothes, a medley Of queer things, pros
pective stock apparently, and in the cor
ner what SAKE sought-a hand wash
stand
He poured out water into the old blue
basin and bathed his injured hand The
water cooled and soothed IT, AZ he wiped
Il gently he saw that some of its angry
redness had abated.
Caught
He stood looking about the room with
q half amused curiosity as he dried his
hand What a queer old cuss Jex was!
His thoughts snapped suddenly. His
wandering eyes had encountered some
thing that stood on table by the iron
hed-a box OF dark wood curiously bound
with brass, an oddly familiar looking box
his own, he would swear to that--that
he had thought secure beyond all cues
tlon in the locked safe at the safe de-
posit In Chancery Lane, where so many
other precious and dangerous things were
buried under a name that no one but him
self knew, under a combination of let
ters TO which no one but himself had the
clew
Paul Saxe's face was not good to see
as he crossed the room and examined the
box by the bed Yes, II was the same
there in the midst of one OF the bra as
ara besques were his wife's nitials-he
remembered how he had got the shopmen
in the queer old Paris shop TO scratch
them there when he had bought It dur
ing the heyday Of his infatuation for her.
And she-how was Il she had retained
possession OF II all this timer He could
have sworn he had sent It with the other
things. Could IT be possible that he had
been guilty Of an act of such gross care
lessness1
Beads Of sweat started to his brown
II Jex had been tampering with that box
Was this the explanation Of his new atti-
tude OF slightly-veiled insolencel He laid
frenzied hands on the box.
A sound the veriest whisper OF a sound
yet enough to make him raise his head
sharply and as he did so. 10 look into
the dull barrel OF a revolver covering
him. Samuel Jex had returned
He stood in the doorway a slight. bent
figure HIS pale face full of exultant mall
ice.
"Ah. Mr.. Paul SAKE sirl" he cried. and
his soft voice was splendid in it's irony
Mr. Paul Saxe-thief! So I've caught
you at the very game"
He leaned there against the jamb OF the
door, the revolver held out unwavering II
his hand. long fingered and delicate a,
that Of woman, pouring out a stream Of
vile abuse, under which SAKE finched
but which, for the moment, he dare not
resent.
He tried 10 blum.
Put down that thing you are holding
he said. you look such fool, STANDING