The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-02-28

Its ready, all right" replied the page girl. burst.
ing out of the basement door, and with her came a
tremendous cloud Of smoke. 1t poured into the hall
and into the salon. The page girl choking with
1t. They fooled 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
mot that wayr called the page girl The cops
are at the doori Wait for the fremen!'
The explanation OF that 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 raid to confuse 1t with fire.
Thoroughly frightened. June turned back toward
the salon, and as she passed the basement door she
saw coming up through the rolling yellow smoke the
dark, black vandyked face of Gilbert Blye
This wayr' 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 on the iatticed 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
fire engines and the hoarse shouts of the gathering
crowd In front OF As Kingey court.
Blye had dashed after her. but be reached the
street only In time to her boarding downtown
He caught the next one.
All unconscious that she was pursued and grown
careless by her three days Of safety In the Widow
O'Keefe's thoroughly protected house. June alghted
at her usual corner and hurried down the cross
street At irregular corner where half dozen
dngy streets and alleys plunged together and. ap-
parently dizzed by the impact. wandered anguiariy
and aimessly Off June met a narrow crossing
being fairly juggling 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 into tho
mud. jerked Off bis battered cap and with 1t made
courtesy SO sweeping that he was unable to rise
up for FIVE minutes afterward
That enough for day. and June ran down
the street. past the little fountain, into the sanctu
airy of the Widow O'Keefe's house. up the two
flights of stairs and dropped into the wicker chair.
slippers. was all she said
Marie her knees In instant, showing
every gum.
Aunt Debby.' she cried, and from then on I'M
til long after the wonderful chicken potpie had been
consumed the conversation flowed with never an
ebb
1t was good to have found a refuge like this. It
seemed far. far away from the New York which
these two knew. and 1t was as If no one could ever
find them here. They were safe. Safe!
Is safe? As Ned Warner stood trying
vainly to extract information from Officer Dowd
Junes flashed by him, and he caught glimpse
of her
Officer Dowd was astonshed to have his particu-
larry insistent questioner stop abruptly In the mid
die of sentence and go dashng madly after
street In half block the young man gave up
that absurd chase
The traffic thickened just beyond. that for three
car 1t stopped and started Finally It was block
ed, and Ned able to catch up with it June
no longer among the passengersl
There was a girl on your car wearing FUR cap
with green tassel!' breathlessly said Ned to the
conductor
Bet your life"
where did she leave your cart"
"On the track"
Ned dropped OF the car, left to his own logic
June had alighted somewhere within these last TIVE
In n nr0h
ability have taken a more convenient car line. To
the east lay tenement district and district Of cid
small houses On the chance Ned struck east
Have you seen a girl wearing fur cap with q
green tassely
The young man with the yellow derby over ona
ear shifted his cigarette
I'm 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 swaytng gently In the
breeze
Have you seem
Ned stopped after glance into that vacuous
face and Whit from that far from vacuous
breath.
"Pipe up, PAL" husked the tigEied one Ned went
over his formula
Have you seen a girl wearing fur cap with .
green tasselY'
well. what do you think Of thatr' And II stop.
ped swaying for a moment "A guy with black
whiskers.' and the human being illustrated the Van
dyke by motion Of bis hand. asked me the sams
thingT
Bye againl Ned clinched his nst ~Did you ~
the gfry
The object winked.
IS none Of your businessr' he answered with
great dignity and reeled away.
Ned gazed after him in perpextty. There was no
use to question that fellow any further but It was
certain that the man had 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 angled sharply into It Ana
this fountain visible from the third door WIN
dows Of the Widow O'Keefes house. Ned Warmers
heart full Of murder.
Blye had passed that way. but hs 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 mem