The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-05-23

there's a young lady in there. Take
your ease, Mr.. -"
"Tupman," said the cripple, quietly.
Take your ease Mr.. Tupman, In
getting UP them stairs. You'll pardon
me II I'm a bit short at first-you
know we're all scared to death about
the devilchair."
She watched her roomer into his
chamber, and then tapped at the door
adjacent. Well, you've got a neigh
Dor. Miss Haynes" she said. Hes
a mechanic-thoUgh how he mechan-
les with both his legs helpless beats
me. However, he seems a quiet sort
of chap, and he's only going to stay a
few days, SO you won't mind?"
She looked keenly at Eleanor. The
girl had been crying. The landlady
smiled, for she felt certain that some
man must be the cause. She had a
profound contempt for men, and rela-
tionship to Mr.. Poole, she was well
aware, was something 1t was not al
ways discreet to question. Mrs.
Thompson smiled again, more loudly,
and SO passed out of history.
1t was on a Thursday evening that
the cripple stopped at Miss Haynes
door. He had made her acquaintance
during those two days of suffering; he
had known his child at once when
he saw her leaving the office of Poole,
and had pondered long how to dis
close himself. On this evening, see
ing the door ajar, he stopped. Elean-
or came out; she looked ~woebegone,
and she had been crying again. A
rush Of anger swept away his hesita-
ton. Who was the man who dared to
make his daughter cry?
You're in trouble, Miss Haynes"
he stammered. Isn't there anything
l a do?"
"Oh, no." she answered, holding out
her hands impulsively. You don't
know how l appreciate your kindness,
Mr.. Tupman. Won't you come In a
moment?" she asked, and. when he &C.
cepted her invitation eagerly, she con-
tinued half Historically:
1T must seem strange to you-it
must, asking a stranger in. But
/ JO0 NhAhh hlO lOOllohg bOI gOu ~
mind me of my dear father. If there
were any hope that he was alive.
should believe you were my father"
she went on. But what nonsense I'm
talking. l don't know what you'll
think of me-I'm in trouble, and not
quite self-possessed-'
She broke off in confusion. Haynes
Gnofnd hfnocn1f ntintlu OF hnr side
Your father is dead?" he asked.
She began to cry softly. "He was
drowned, with my mother, in that ter.
rible accident to the excursion boat at
Nokomis, five years ago.. 1t vas a ter
rible shock to me; 1 had not even
known hat they were aboard until
their bodies were identified among the
burned victims in the hold of the ship,
My father and mother were English;
he had brought us to America to
claim some large landed property,
and his lawyer sent him an urgent tel
egram to bring my mother to the
steamship Office before the boat sailed.
They had to verify some deeds at Ill
ington, up the river, before moo ]
was out of the house at the time the
message arrived, and they could moi
wait for me. 1 never saw then
again"
Haynes felt the muscles of hi
hands contract ~involuntarily. Thu
plot had been blacker than he haC
suspected. While they had lured hin
away on that last morning Of hi
freedom, the scoundrels had also con
trived in some way to separate thu
women. Doubtless his wife, if sh,
still lived, believed him and he
daughter dead.
Gradually he drew from her tn
story of her trouble. He learned
partly from what she told him, part
ly by inference, that, having separat
| ed the women, the conspirators ha,
determined to keep the girl in sucl
a state of tutelage that she shoul
be unable to prosecute a search 70
her mother-in case she suspected o
learned anything afterward. Whel
in the bitterness OF her distress, sh,
found herself, as she imagined, alon
in the world, the scoundrel Poole ha,
adopted her, taken her hundreds O
/ miles from Nokomis to this remote
: town near the Canadian border, an,
put her to school. When she emerged
) he had taken her into his home
When, terrified by the character O
> the place in which she found herself
| Eleanor Haynes had attempted t
, escape, rather than lose sight o
her, Poole had given her a position
| in his office, keeping her salary 8,
low hat she could save nothing no
every hope to leave Grand Valley.
But her beauty and ingenious II
! nocence had attracted him. Flo
: months he had pursued her with hi
3 attentions; every repulse only acceI
tuated his resolution to win hel
Finally, so desperate had his pal
sion become, that he had risked a.
- OF a single throw. He had threar
{ ened her with dismissal, hoping t
win her through fear, since by Low
5 he could not do so.
/ When he had drawn out this stor
from her Haynes nerved himself 70
the disclosure. He took her hand
r In his, and, trustfully, she Above
9 him.
. Miss Haynes" he said, in a chol
ing voice, your troubles with Pool
e seem very big to you. But they ar
: nothing to the troubles that eonfror
! to get drunk on a Saturday night. cor
tributes to all relief funds manage
A by newspapers, rides in e taxicab. col