The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-28
CHAPTER III.

~ lLBERT BLYE suayey approached June
 and Mrs. Willard went into adjoining
 office to talk with Mir. Pinknam. Follow
 ing Blye came Orin Cunningham. Tommy Thomas and white haired man with heavy lidded eyes.
 Then June received the great shock of her life Bye offered her trip private yacht. He had photo of it with him. She sasped in amazement and refused it.
 Then Cunningham drew out check book and asked her how much money she needed. June's cheeks paled She burst into the office where Mrs. Willard sat with the iron Pinknam.
 Did you bring me here to be tormented by those people?' she demanded. Her checks were flaming. her eyes snappng.
 Did you?' insisted June If so. shall resignw
 Why, no, child" returned Mrs. Willard, rising and holding out her hand. q only want you to do the things best for you to do"
 I'm going! June suddenly decided
 The iron man bowed There was no ont in hIs metallic eye, no smile on his unhending lips
 June, followed by Mrs. Willard sailed through the magnificent reception room and into the hall. Blye and his companions followed them
 At that moment Ned Warmers taxicab drew up in front of the Bond Securities building and close be- hind it came the electric of Honora Bye, that lady driving it herself bolt upright
 June darted into the first elevator and her pur suers crowded in after her Mrs Willard put an arm around June in corner of the elevator and there were tears in her eyes she talked to tue distract cd girl. It was that which brought sympathy to June. It was her greatest weakness. sympathy and by the time they reached the ground floor she half consented to return to Pnknams with Mrs. Willard. She would not talk to the others, however, and they very wisely held their peace.
 As they emerged on the main floor, however. Gun ningham turned to hei with twinklng joviaty in his eyes and leaning over. whispered something into her ear just as she about to step into the ad- joining upward bound elevator. At that instant Ned Warner strode into the rotInda closely followed by ITa nv hto tf,,I I.;1o company of the black vandyked man, who was watching her with that suave smile upon his dark, handsome face, while debonair white mustacbed man bent over her familiarly and whispered in her ear. He saw June iush he saw her step back: then the lady with her drew her into the elevator. Bye and the others crowded after her. and as Ned raced vengefully through the corridor with tho shrieking Honoria behind him, the door closed with bang, and the car shot upward
 They rushed into the next car, Ned black browed and silent, and the shril Honoria iabhering inces sanity. The car had scarcely started to move when a sudden idea came to Ned and he turned to Mrs Blye with the first words he had spoken to her
 We might miss them," he snapped. "They may have seen us and not go to the office you named I'll go back down and waitr
 As they left the elevator at tho eleventh floor inc door of down car changed. If Ned had got out at the first stop, which the ninth floor he would have caught that down But more than that He would have come face to face with June and
 
 he most longed to meet, Gilbert Blyc.
 June, who had burst from her tormentors at the ninth noor stepped into the down car which Ned two floors above had just missed. Mrs. Willard st pleading, followed her, and Blyes audacious crew laughingly joined them.
 Two down shot by Ned. and by the time he reached the main floor the faces for which he was watching were lost in the throng at the door, He might even then have distinguished his runaway bride and the man with the black Vandykc had he Tod a thnt L.A- see them there He expected to see them coming through the open door of an elevator the girl whom he loved above everything in the world and the scoundrcl whom he intended to strangle to death June meantime had hailed taxi. She saw stand ing in front of the door the luxurious limousine of Gilbert Blyc and understood why Mrs Willard had dismissed her own car.
 'so Mr. Blye was to take us homer she hotly charged.
 Don't. chdv' begged Mrs. Willard. beginning to be as much distracted June Let's 20 bome~ And stepping in the taxi with Junc she gave sharp direction to the driver. Don't you dare fol- ow!' she ordered Bye and his companions. The tormentors laughed and walked forward to Blye's car.
 Uptown on busy Broadway sped June and Mrs. Willard, and by the time they had reached Columbus ;ircie Junes suspicious of Mrs Willard were aayed Through beautiful Central park with it's branches nteriaced against the wintry sky. and now June vas beginning to feel little more kindly toward he vivacious brunette Tommy Thomas On Spuyten Duyve parkway a luxurious linno,, 'ne had halted and as the taxi passed it rolled out md followed In 1t sat Junes determined prrs,ers md on the dark. handsome face of Gilbert Blye was gain that suave smile. June turned chill with lervous apprehension. Gilbert Blye was enjoying that chase immenselv ma he watched tho weaving. swaying taxi with aL ways that smile. Suddenly Blye leaned forward with an oath and here was n shriek from the vivacious br,,netta something seemed to be wrong with the steering sneei or the taxi for us 1t went up the hill ahead them, it wabbled to and fro uncertainlv dnrv.r usly near the crumbng bank which was protecte<a < himsy rail. and there curve aheadi There was cry of horror from them all as th. ixi at the curve ran up the embankment paused st ne brink for moment and then with It's precio,s urden inside crashed through the rail and plunr.sl own the hill! m
 fro HE covT1NuEDl