The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1915-03-10
cHAPTER mn.

I@IILBERT BLYE suavely ap-
preached June. and Mrs. vii
NH lard went into an adjoining
IL office TO talk with Mr.. Pink
man, Following Blye came Grin Cum
ningham. Tommy Thomas and a white
haired man with heavy lidded eyes.
Then June received the great shock
of her life-Blye offered her a trip on
a private yacht He had a photo OF II
with him. She gasped I'm amazement
and refused It.
Then Cunningham drew out a 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 tor
mented by those people?' she demand.
ed. Her cheeks were flaming. her eyes
swapping.
Mrs. Willard hesitated a moment.
did your insisted June. IF so I
shall resignr'
''Why, no, child" returned Mrs. VII
lard rising and holding out her hand.
for you to do"
The iron man bowed. There was no
CLINT in his metallic eye, no smile on
his unbending lips.
June, followed by Mrs. Willard, sailed
through the magnificent reception room
and into the hall. Blye and his CON-
panions followed them.
At that moment Ned Warmers taxi
cab drew up in front of the Bond Sc
curities building, and close behind it
came the electric of Honoria Blye, that
lady driving it herself. bolt upright.
June darted into the first elevator.
and her pursuers crowded in after her.
Mrs. Willard put an arm around June
In corner of the elevator, and there
were tears in her eyes as she talked
to the distracted girl. 1t was that
which brought sympathy to June. It
was her greatest weakness, sympathy,
and by the time they reached the
ground floor she had consented to re-
turn to Pinknam's with Mrs. Willard.
she would not talk to the others, how
ever, and they very wisely held their
peace.
AS they emerged on the main floor,
however. Cunningham turned to her
with twinkling joviality In his eyes
and, leaning over, whispered something
into her ear just as she was about to
step into the adjoining upward bound
elevator.
At that very instant Ned Warner
strobe into the rotunda, closely follow
ed by Honoria Blye. He saw his beau
tiful bride in the company OF the black
Vandyked man, who was watching her
with that suave smile upon his dark,
handsome face. while a debonair
white mustached man bent over her
Familiarity and whispered in her ear.
He saw June blush; he saw her step
back; then the lady with her drew her
into the elevator. Blye and the others
crowded after her. and as Ned raced
vengefully through the corridor, with
the shrieking Honoria behind him, the
door closed with a bang. and the car
shot upward.
They rushed into the next car, Ned
black browed and silent, and the shrill
Honoria jabbering necessarily. The
car lad scarcely started 10 move when
a sudden idea came to Ned, and he
turned to Mrs. Blye with the first
words he had spoken to her.
I'VE might miss them" he snapped
They may have seen US and not go to
the office you named. I'll go back
down and wait"
AS they left the elevator at the
eleventh floor the door of a down car
changed. If Ned had got out at the
first stop, which was the ninth floor,
he would have caught that down car.
But more than that. He would have
come face to face with June and the
one person whom of all the people in
this world he most longed to meet, Gil
bert Blye.
June, who had burst from her tor
mentors at the ninth floor, stepped into
the down car which Ned two floors
above had just missed. Mrs. Willard.
still pleading, followed her. and Blye's
audacious crew laughingly Joined them
Two down cars 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 Vandyke had he looked In
that direction, but he did not expect to
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
scoundrel whom he intended to stran-
gle to death.
June meantime had hailed a taxi
She saw standing in front OF the door
the luxurious limousine of Gilbert Blye
and understood why Mrs. Willard had
dismissed her own car.
$50 Mr.. Blye was to take US homer
she holly charged
| Don't, childr' begged Mrs. Willard.
beginning to be as much distracted as
June. Lets so home" And, stepping
| In the taxi with June, she gave sharp
direction to the driver. Don't you
dare followi" she ordered Blye 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 circle
Junes suspicious of Mrs Willard were
| allayed.
Through beautiful Central park with
its branches interlaeed against the
1 wfnfrv sky and now June WAS begin