The Tupelo journal., 1916-12-22

lice surgeon. The doctor gave Jake
a superficial but calm scrutiny.
"This fellow is only blooded a lit
tle," he said CURLY. "The wound
looks worse than 1t is. No vital organ
has been penetrated, and we'll have
/ that bullet out just one minute after
the X-ray has located It,"
Within an a~stonishingly short space
Of time, therefore. the knocked-out
gunman. now swearing loudly at all
and sundry. was taken off in the am
bulance, Burton and George Coe, with
Grace. were accompanying Bill Reilly
to the station house, where he was
promptly liberated on bail, and
Blanche Griffin was left with her
nearly distracted sister.
Blanche tried to comfort Virginia,
but the latter sought solace in whisky.
Blanche resolved to remain with her
and when opportunity offered emptied
the whisky bottle in the sink.
Both girls, worn by the excitement
of the day, finally decided to retire.
When they were ready for bed Blanche,
who since Grace COe had taken her in
hand, had fallen back on the habits
Of her childhood, knelt at the side of
the bed in prayer. Virginia at first
sneered at her sister, but later, as she
thought of their mother and of their
happiness at her side when they were
children, she also knelt in prayer be-
| side Blanche.
Bill Reilly, taken to the police sta
ton, was released on bail furnished by
John Burton and Grace Coe.
Mr.. Henry Coe was probably sur
prised during dinner by the hangdog
demeanOr of his son and the some
swhat subdued attitude of a distinctly
.self-willed daughter. But she said
nothing and retired early to rest.
The storm broke next morning. at
the breakfast table when his furious
glance dwelt on the s%care-heads of a
newspaper article describing the shoot
ing ARRAY.
BILL REILLY, REFORMED CON-
yICT, CONFESSSES TO SHOOT
ING GANGSTER-GRACE COE
AND JOHN BURTON GO ON HIS
BAIL.
These sensational captions We're
more than borne out by the text of the
article. Goes voice was thick with
fury when he sought his daughter, who
had breakfasted earlier and was then
seated at a piano in the drawing room.
"You are becoming a disgrace to
your family" he cried, vehemently,
smashing a clenched fist into the news
paper crumpled up in the other hand.
"ThiS sort of thing has to stop, and
stop now. You either give up this re-
form work or leave my house. And I
cut off the supplies, too. Though you
w your mothers estate, 1 am your
lot into the courts so that you can't
touch a penny for the next five years."
The nan was incOherent with wrath
or he would never have sworn in front
of a daughter whom he loved devoted
ly. He could not guess, of. course,
how acutely the girls soul was har-
rOwed by conflicting emotions. For
once she was tOngue-tied, and tried
lamely to argue that if she would be
consistent in her endeavOr to elevate
humanity she must help those who de-
pended on her.
Naturally, the irate man would not
listen. He insisted on complete and
instant submission to his will, and
Grace was at her wits end to obtain
some sort of respite, since it was inn
possible that she could accede to his
wishes on an utterly false pretext. AT
that %juncture her brother entered. She
saw at once that George, goaded to
desperation, was about to confess, and
dreaded the outcome of his Sordid rev.
citation far more than her fathers mis-
directed wrath against herself.
But George Goes newborn resolu-
ton was not to be gainsaid. Every
instinct of manliness in his compost
ton rebelled against the positive in
justice inflicted, in the first instance.
on Bill Reilly, and. secondly, on a girl
whose efforts to ameliOrate the lost of
the submerged tenth had often excited
his wOnderment.
"This thing has aone far enough,
sis" George said firmly. Its up to
me to face the music. / did that
shooting. dad. l was several sorts of
n fool, and now l am ready to pay the
price. But n thing o ought to
know and believe before / say another
word. I'm a soft-headed idSt and a
wastrel, but I am no criminal"
Disregarding Grace's fearful pro-
tests. he surprised even the angry
banker by the quiet lucidity with
which he exposed the trap laid for
him by Virginia Griffin and Two-Gun
Jake. He did not spare himself in the
least degree. He did not SO much as
strive to palliate his action in con
senting to wiring the money out OF his
philnnthr0pic sister.
When he had made an end. his fn-