The Ordway new era., 1915-01-15

A bolt OF blush name OF daxxltng
brilliance slashed through the window
like . flaming sword and smots The
pissol in the hand Of Seneca Tfine.
discharging the weapon even a. Il
struck him dead.
| Az he fell the bolt swerved and
struck two others down-Alan Law
and the woman who had Just been
nads his wife.
CHAPTER LIN.
| The VIM.
Again three days elapsed; and ~.
Aith. returning from the double r.
neral Of her father and sister. dotted
hsf mourning for . gown less somber
and more suited to the atmcspasrs of
. sickro0in. then rslisvsd the nurse
n charge o. Ala1.
| He remained - - had been ever
sincs the falling Of the thunderbott-
in ahsolsts eonA
Bat be lived. and-or the physicians
lisd-must soon regain eoescaousness.
KneeiiAg beside his bedside Judith
prayed long and earnestly.
when she arose II was TO answer
tap anon the door. She admitted
Ton Barcus and suffered him to lead
her into the recess Of the window.
where they eonvsrssd IN guarded
toass IN SPITE OF the fact that the
subject Of their eommunications could
NOT possibly have heard them.
i've come TO toll you something,
Bascus announced With Characteristic
aWkvardnsss, Tvs known II for
three days-evsr since the wedding.
in faet-and kept II to myself, mot
moving whether I ought TO tell you
yet or not
He paused. eyeing her uncertainty.
unhappily.
4 am prepared Judith assured
him calmly.
You're nothing Of the Sort he
countsred. argumsntative. "You
couldn't b. It's the most amazing
thing imaginable. 4ee here
"Well?"
-You understand. don't you, that
Alan must never know that Rose wss
killed BY that lightning stroke!"
What do you meanf
Il mean.- the man Aoundered mis-
erably, "you see. he loved her SOL
thousht-I'm sure II would be best-
II you can bring yourself to ito let
HIN 70 ON believing II wasn't Rose
who was killed. but Judith. And that's
skating 70 close to the truth that Il
makes NO difference: the Judith Alan
knew and the Judith ! knew In the
beginning IL gone ~ completely -
though she and not Rose had been
killed"
After . long pause. the giri asked
him quietly: Il understand But 10
It possible you don't understand that,
II I wers to consent to this proposi
ton. lend myself to . deception which
must maintain through all my lifs
TO coms-Alan would consider mo his
wifs?"
well but-you see-you arc his
wife -. Oh. don't think I'm OF my
bat I'm telling you the plain, unvar>
nished truth You are Alan's wife.
No. listen to mo. You remem-
ber that day in New York when you
substituted for Rose. when Alan tried
to elope with her. and you went with
him to jersey City. and stood up to be
married by . preacher.guy named
! Wright-and Marrophat broke in Just
1t the critical moment and busted up
the psrtyf-
Weir she demanded breathlessly.
Barcus produced . folded yellow pa
per from his coat pocket and prof
fered It
Read that II was handed to mo
~ best mar. just before the cere-
mony. Seeing It was addressed to
Alan and knowing he was in no frame
Of mind to be bothered by kilograms.
I slipped It into my pocket and forgot
all about It temporarily. When I
came to find It. took the liberty Of
reading II. But read It for yourself"
The typewritten lines Of the long
message blurred and ran together al
most indecipherably In Judith's vision.
None the less. she oontrived to grasp
the substance Of its meaning
WHY DIDN'T YOU WIRE ME-
SOONER" It ran: MARRIAGE TO
ROSE IMPOSSIBLE REV. MR..
WRIGHT INFORMED ME YOUR
MARRIAGE TO JUDITH LAST
WEEK HAD GONE TOO FAR WHEN
MARROPHAT INTERRUPTED. JU-
DITH LEGALLY YOUR WIFE.
WOULD HAVE ADVISED you
SOONER HAD you LET ME KNOW
WHERE TO ADDRESS you. HOPE
TO HEAVEN THIS GETS TO YOU
BEFORE TOO LATE"
Tho message was signed with the
name of Alan's confidential man Of
business in New York. \
When Judith looked up she was
alone in the room. but for the silent
patient on his couch.
Slowly. almost fearfully. she crept
to his bedside and stood looking down
fnto tha face NJ her hushanA-