Omaha daily bee., 1916-09-11
Gloria S Romance
TWENTIETH INsTALLMENT.

w Cav 40 ~ ANo AhALMSNA
The mystery Of mysteries the mys-
terry that envelopes every others, is the
mystery Of life and its negative, death,
Pierpont Stafford had given his
daughter Gloria what the penniless
Trask had given his daughter Nell,
life, the same all beginning, all neces-
sary gift Of Judge Freeman to his
daughter Lois.
Through the existences of these
three daughters Richard Freneau had
wandered like handsome Don Juan,
wrapping each in romance and grief.
as in a. crimson cloak with black
lining. At Palm Beach he had flirted
with Lois Freeman and won the child
heart of Gloria Stafford. Gloria's
father had wisely snatched her away
from his spell and sent her to school
for five years before she should enter
the school Of life. ~
In that long interlude Dick FREE
neau's frivolous heart had gone but
terrifying hither and yon. In his hum
bier days as a brokers' clerk he met
Nell Trask, whose pretty face was her
only Fortunes and the cause of her
misfortune. Freneau had dealt sacri-
lege to the power OF life and left Nell
mother with no wedding ring.
In his later prosperity as winner
and loser Of fortunes he had forgotten
Nell and turned to- more gorgeous
creatures, such as Lois. Her he had
won away from the sacraments Of her
wedding ring. And then Gloria drift
ed back into his life like white dove,
and he felt that he had never loved
till now. What the result of such
union might have been no one was
ever to know, for Gloria fell i'll, and
merely to breathe became the one
great problem with her.
Perhaps the torments OF pain and
the terrors OF delirium she underwent
in that long battle were less than the
pangs she would have had to endure.
as the wife of Freneau, for he had all
the graces and none, OF the seventies
Of character. Gloria had known only
his charms when she saw him muir
dered before her window. She had a
long battle to persuade her people
that she even saw the deed. Her doc
tor, Stephen Royce, persisted in de-
elaring that what she witnessed was
the fiction 9th imagination.
With great difficulty she had
learned few truths. She had over
taken Trask only to Be- told that she
had better let him go since his Ncon-
fession would involve her brother
David. She had refused to believe
that David had taken. justice into his
own hands, and like an ancient Indian
hired bravo to, assassinatc his
enemy. Trask alone could clear David
of that charge or fasten it on him.
And Trask had vanished. :.
DR.. Royce had done all he could to
keep Gloria from piercing the veil
about the crime. But now that she
had learned a part Of Freneau's du-
plicity he was ready to help her learn
all the truth. He was eager to know
it himself.
When she told him that Trask had
been carried off, he saidI "They can't
carry him far without killing him. He
is doomed anyway, I'm afraid. We
must find him soon or there will be
nothing to find
He spoke a truth that Trask him
self was beginning to realize. The hui
man frame is not built to serve as 9
buffer between yachts and barges, and
Tasks frame was wrecked within his
flesh BY his accident. His fear OF JUS
tice had made him consent to the eft
fort to escape from the Stafford house
but the judges automobile had not
gone far when be was compelled TO
beg that it run more slowly. Finally
It grew plain to him that he was about
to ESCAPE from earthly Judgment and
punishment altogether. He had moth
ing to fear from the police or the
wearers Of the black robe. He began,
to fear the more what higher courts
awaited him. He dared not enter
those tribunals with burden on his
soul. 5
Suddenly he felt that Gloria. who
had been his tormentor and his en-
envy, wasthe one person on earth who
could give him comfort. Suddenly he
began to cry out that he wanted to be
taken back to her. Jed and Nell and
the chauffeur thought him mad, but
they were afraid of him. He held the
uncanny weapon Of the power to die.
"He'h be dying on, u.s." the chauf.
feur said, as he checked the car and
began to turn IL round. He had ST.
perstitiois fear of thwarting a mans
last wish. He was not afraid OF any
thing else, but ne was in panic lest
Trask should die in his car. He paid
little heed to Trask's groans and made
all speed to the Stafford home.
Royce had just taken Gloria into his
car to set forth on hunt for Trask
when Judge ,Freeman's motor
brought him back. Judge Freeman
saw the meeting and he was covered
with chagrin. He saw that Gloria
recognized his chauffeur, and she
threw him look Of reproach, but she
was foo much absorbed in Tasks
needs TO reproach him.
To Glorja's establishment, when
Trask was lifted from the car he did
not glare at her, but put his hand out
to her.
i"He's got a lot he wants to tell
YOU" Nell explained.
Royce motioned for one of the re-
clining chairs to be brought from the
sun parlor and Trask was placed in
it. When they started to take him
into the house, however, he shook his
head and moaned: mo, no; leave me
out under the sky over where there's
flowers
1t is strange how the suffering OF
an enemy pleads and prays for him.
Gloria was distracted with sympathy
for Trask, and her heart ached for
him as for an old friend in distress.