The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1916-01-31
"/0E" The Story of
ZOL a Great Love
A Thrilling Serial of Devotion and Mystery

uc" dAu unsupported sue OF MS CHAR
acter to Noel Crawley, who had al
ways regarded Brooke as exempt
from every form of sentiment.
A man servant opened the door to
them, and Brooke ushered Crawley.
through fine and spacious hall, to a
pretty drawing room on the left.
where's you mistress?" he asked
the servant. Not gone to bed yet?"
mo, SIR" answered the man. MY
mistress is in her boudoir.''
Good. Come in, Crawley, and make
yourself at home. Mr.. Crawley is
staying the night" he added to the
servant See after a room for him.
Very good, sir
Crawley glanced around the pleas
ant, well-lighted drawing room, with
its delicate coloring and decorations,
its photographs and pictures and
flowers. The general effect pleased
his artistic eye. 1t was essentially a
Woman's room, and a woman's hand
was in everything. 1t was the hand,
too, Of a woman of taste. He felt
instinctively that he should like Mrs
Brooke.
Suddenly his eyes fell on a sketch,
rough sketch in chalk of a woman s
head and shoulders. 1t was lying on
table among litter of photographs
He picked it up quickly and stared
at it in mute incredulity.
1t was a delicate and delightful
piece of his own work. All unsigned
sketch Of a woman with wealth of
hair and large, expressive eyes, which
peered out sorrowfully beneath a huge
picture hat. 1t was Zoe.
Where did you get this?" he asked,
and his voice was faint and almost in.
distinct.
That? Oh. that's a sketch of my
wife," said Brooke. 81 don't know
who did it; but it isn't a bit flatter.
ing"
Your wife!" gasped Crawley, and
his face was the color of ashes. The
sketch fluttered from his nerveless
hands to the carpet.
Eyes, but don't judge her from
that. You wait till you see her,
Crawley." And Brooke turned and
walked toward the door 'I'll just go
and hurry her up. She'll be down in
a minute"
Crawey in Despair
Is Utterly Amazed.
For few dizzy moments Noel
Crawley stood and stared dumbly
into space. His brain swan in a sea
of bewilderment, but bewilderment
soon gave way to horror and fear The
position was at first unrealizable. 1t
was unbelievable and too terrible. 1t
was mOntrOus!
Zoe, his beautiful model, the woman
who had sat to him for his "Circe,
was the wife of Godfrey Brooke! That
was the staggering fact.
Ho carl< bo1n1acc1v into CHAIR
Good heavens!" he gasped. What
am to do?"
A hundred wild thoughts flashed
through his brain. He was trying to
reason out how this inconceivable
thing had been possible, trying to
force himself to realize that the thing
was and that now he must face the
Situa ton.
He bent down and picked up his
sketch, and stared at it fiercely. He
would like to have torn it to pieces
How well he remembered doing it!
1t was one Of the first of the dozens
he had done of her
And she was coming into this room
i They would meet. 1t was only a
matter of seconds He staggered to
his feet and looked wildly around
His action and attitude were those
CT a hunted criminal. 1t was as if he
sought some means Of escape.
What was to be done? A hundred
questions hammered for answer on
his brain a hundred possibilities
each fraught with some new danger
What diabolical trick of Fate was
this that had brought him here to-
night? Here. Of all the places in the
| world? Did she know who he was ?
Had she known all the time? How
would she meet him And Brooke
Brooke, to whom she was everything
on earth-his wife, his little Dr.
was he to know. Why, Brooke
would kill her, and kill him, too!
What devil the woman was! And
what fool he had been--what a
hopelessly purblind IDIOT to have un-
burdened his soul to Brooke. Had
t.ere ever been such a tragic muddle
in the world before?
He wiped the moisture from his
throbbing brows, and tried to swal-
low the lump that had risen in his
parched and aching throat He could
not think coherently, and, try as he
might. he could not conquer the feel
ing of demoralizing fear that gripped
him-a fear that bordered on panic.
(To be continued)
Philadelphia last year aided 1900
poor persons.