The Washington herald., 1915-06-12

said weakly. Just a weak SPELL | get
them often. l won't trouble you fur
ther. You're very kind. / will 60
home" She started to walk away from
him. but again staggered weakly as
thought about to fall and was again
caught and sustained by Mason.
He helped her into his automobile and
started for her apartment on the up
per West Side. She seemed to grow
worse as they went along. and when
they arrived her seeming plight made
it necessary that he carry her up the
stairs.
When they arrived at her room after
a painful climbing of steps she sud-
denly recovered sufficiently to rise and
take of her hat and veil. and he was
shocked and incredulous at recognising
Clarice Adair. dancing girl of the cafe
he had raided two nights before. Her
recovery was now extraordinarily rapid.
and he was suddenly panc-stricken as
realization of what this all meant
came upon him. She smiled at him
mockinsly she began to take of her
outer garments He had not long to
realize. however. for in another moment
the door WAS thrown rudely open, and
two men entered.
You will come with us one of them
said. shortly.
But i
We cannot listen to explanations.
Besides looking meaninSly at the half
dressed woman in the corner. I'm
afraid you'd have rather a job of it
The plot of Gibson and his tools had
worked.
Came the day of trial: the trial of the
young assistant district attorney. ac-
cused of contributing to the delinquency
of a dancing girl. Clarice was the conf
plainant: District Attorney Bell. the
prosecutor: Sid Dodge, the jury fxer.
and Mason. the defendant. What if he
did have a good attorney? What if no
did get jury disagreement His repu-
tation was blackened forever.
Into the surge Of his despair came the
thought of Marion-his Marion. 1t was
the one bright spot in the darkness Of
his broken life. The thoughts of her
were the one solace that his traducers
couldn't tear from him. And he turn
ed his footsteps in the direction of her
home When he arrived there the but
Ter barred his entrance. and the iron
entered deeper INTO his soul.
Marion, he cried out wildly.
Marion. oh Marion. you don't believe
them"
But the echoes of his mad. despair
ing cry were the only answer he re-
ceived.
VIII.
Sid Dodge wrestled madly. fearfully
with the woman before him. in the
rear room of his cafe. She broke
loose once. and with a fierce. wild ges-
ture. took up a great vase and
brought il down with terrific force
on his shoulder. just missing his head.
He closed with her and took her both
soft yielding arms in his gripping I'm
gers and slowly forced her back into
chair.
Slowly the struggling figure in his
grasp relaxed. and became limp in the
chair. Slowly there pervaded that face
a horrible agony of powerless despair.
Once her hands raised and tried to
cover her face. and her shoulders
hunched as she shrank deep into the
chair as though trying to separate
herself from the dread of her thoughts.
But IL was of no use. They would be
with her always. those thoughts-al-
ways. What usurers. those thoughts
how they compounded the debt and
made settlement impossible! How
she would have to pay-to pay always!
Thoughts of the man she had ruined.
the girl whose dream of love she had
blighted. thoughts of the putrid vile
ness OF her own lying soul! And now
the light. and the realization that she
would have evermore to pay!
That evening Charles ellison spoke
long and earnestly at a meeting of the
Commonwealth Club. on the necessity
for sincerity in all Of LIES undertake
WHO PAYS
The next story in the WHO PAYS:
series, entitled THE Pomp of Earth"
will commence in our next issue.