The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-14


 Its ready all right" replied the page girl burst ing out of the basement door, and with her came tremendous cloud of smoke. It poured Into the hai and into the salon. The page girl was choking with it. "They foozled the first one and the boss has been fighting ever since. trying to keep the shack from burning down."
 June rushed out through the hall Not that wayr' called the page girl 'The cops are at the doori Walt for the fremeng The explanation of that was slow In coming to June. When the yellow haired woman sent for husband she had always to fear the police, and the only way to foil a raid to confuse it with ire Thoroughly frightened, June turned back toward the salon, and as she passed the basement door sne coming up through the rolling yellow smoke the dark, black vandyked face of Gilbert Blye! This wayv called the yellow haired woman and with jerk of . tasseled curtain cord drew aside the great yellow hangings of the salon windows. which to the floor.
 The terrified women threw open the windows in an instant and were out the latticed balcony. down the steps and through the yard to the walled park fronting the other side.
 As June sped away she heard the clang of the Are engines and the hoarse shouts of the gathering crowd in front of 4S Kingley court
 Blye had dashed after her, but he reached the street only in time to see her boarding downtown car. He caught the next one.
 All unconscious that she was pursued and grown careless by her three days of safety in the Widow OKeefe's thoroughly protected house, June aighted at her usual and hurried down the cross At irregular corner, where naI1 d dozen dingy streets and alleys plunged together and ap- parently dzzied by the impact, wandered angularly and aimessly or June met on a narrow crossing being fairly jiggling with alcohol Her heart popped into her throat and she about to turn back. for she would have died rather than have brushed clothes with the object when the creature catching sight of her. immediately stepped far over into the mud jerked off his battered cap and with 1t made a courtesy so sweeping that he was unable to rise up for five minutes afterward
 rVs--A Coz Aou oNA 1nna rQn the street. past the little fountain, into the sanctu- ary of the Widow O'Keefes house, up the two flights of stairs and dropped into the wicker chair Slippers all she said.
 Marie was on her knees in an instant, showing every gum.
 Aunt Debbyw she cried, and from then on un- til long after the wonderful chicken pope had been consumed the conversation flowed with never an ebb.
 If was good to have found refuge like this It seemed far far away from the New York which these two knew, and it as if no one could ever find them here. They were safe. safe
 Is one ever safe? As Ned Warner stood trying vanly to extract information from Officer Dowd June's car flashed by him, and he caught glimpse of her.
 Officer Dowd was astonished to have his particu- Iarly nsstent questioner stop abruptly in the mid de of a sentence and go dashing madly after n street In half block the young man gave up that absurd chase.
 The traffic thickened just beyond that for three or four blocks Ned was able to keep sight of the car as 1t stopped and started. Finally 1t was block ed and Ned able to catch up with it. June was no longer among the passengers!
 There was girl your wearing a fur cap with a green tassel" breathlessly said Ned to the conductor.
 "Bet your nfe.'
 "Where did she leave your carp
 "On the track
 Ned dropped of the car left to his own logic June had alighted somewhere within these last two blocks. One going farther west would in all prob ability have taken a more convenient car line. To the east lay tenement district and district of old small houses On the chance Ned struck east
 Have you q girl wearing fur cap with green tasselT'
 The young man with the yellow derby ear shifted his cigarette
 'Tll be the Patsy. What's the answer?'
 He asked that question of countless people On corner where half dozen streets and alleys had staggered themselves by running into each other Ned found human being swayne gently In the breeze.
 Have you seen' Ned stopped after one glance into that vscuous face and whf from that far from vacuous breath.
 Pipe up, pal" husked the tissied one. Ned went over his formula.
 Have you seen girl wearing a fur cap with a green tassel?"
 "well, what do you think of thatT And 1t stop ped swaying for moment "A guy with black
 
 dyke by a motion of his hand, asked me the same thing!"
 Bye again! Ned clinched his fist. Did you the girl?
 The object winked
 "'S none of your busInessr he answered with great dignity and reeled away.
 Ned gazed after him in perplexty. There was no use question that fellow any further, but 1t was certain that the had seen June. She had passed this way then. She was somewhere near. And Bye! Bye, too, had passed this way Ned chose the most direct street. the which led to little fountain, where another street anged sharply into 1t And this fountain visible from the third floor win dows of the Widow O'Keefe's house. Ned Warmers heart was full of murder.
 Blye had passed that way, but he had gone up another street. Now he, too, in his wandering search for the runaway bride came down toward the little fountain from the other angle.
 June looked out of the window. In the gathering dusk she saw without recognizing them the two men approaching each other. with the sharp cornered building between
 At the point and under the light they would meet, (;ilbert Bye and Ned Warner And the husband of June had murder in his heart!
 fro coNTINUED.]