East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1916-10-30
CHAPTER THREE
The Broken Spell.

"A tie trance-bs sund gtrl-as
- Felix and Parrish listened
from beyond the portieres--
Florence's wide eyes slowly closed.
der tense body relaxed its rigid pose.
ihe sank back, q forlornly inert and
ifeless little form, on the couch.
'She Is deadl" gasped Harold Stan
cy in horror,
Parrish and Felix exchanged an
lther glance fraught with strange
Meaning. The detective turned on
MS heel and silently quilted the
hotlsA Felix stole TO his own quar-
era
DR.. Montrose staggered rather than
walked to the wall and tore from it
tiny Venetian mirror. He held this
unsteadily just above FlOrence's
white lips. AS he glanced at the mir.
rOr again, he sighed in utter relief.
fhe smooth surface Of the glass was
blurred ever ~ little. 9
1T is her BREATH" he exclaimed
She is alive! She has merely sunk
INTO the secondary stage Of the hyp-
lotic trance, She may lie like this
weeks She can never be aroused
from 1t except by the man or woman
who mesmerized her"
There was little enough hope IN his
tone. Stanley promised to call up
every few hours TO inquire for the
patient. Then, saying good-by. he re-
.urned to his car and ordered. the
,haufteur to drive him back to Robert
1ayton's studio.
There he found Clayton stretched
IT on the floor; his head in Vanya
lsca's lap. The model was leaning
nxiously above hir,, bathing an ugly
1t on his temple, AS Harold entered
ne studio, she looked IN. eagerly.
he Is coming back TO his senses, -
20 said in pathetic gladness. See,
IS eyes are opening and he IL
.eathing regularly again"
How did this happen?" demanded
stanley, glancing from her absolute
innocent face to that OF tho slow
recovering artist
Il was waiting here for him." ex-
ulained Vanya, after you rushed
II so excitedly. All at once / heard
groan. 1t came from behind the
ivan. ! pushed the diVan aside. Mr..
Clayton lay there. gagged and bound.
-" ...
Tho injured man rose or one elbow
Ind blinl;ed daEedly around him.
What's happened?" he asked, his
voice unsteady, his eyes dun. did
comeone put me out? I-I-oh, hello,
Vanya!" be broke of. Whats up9
how do you happen to be here?"
Harold said nothing. He scented
mystery. although he no longer con-
nected Vanya with il. After making
certain that Clayton was none the
worse for his mishap Stanley left
him to his fair volunteer nurse and
vent downtown to the office.
IAN this is mixed up. in some way,
with the Crimson Stain" he mused, as
ne reviewed the afternoons strange
events. I'm sure Of that Butch,
1t doesn't make sense! ! have the
whole tangle In my hands, with no
way OF finding either end Of IT,
The next day saw no change in
Florence Montrose's condition. Still
she lay as one dead; the faint blur on
he mirror alone showing that she
breathed. Dr.. Montrose quilted her
bedside only once. That was when
Harold Stanley telephoned to him to
learn II she were better.
STANLEY. hearing Of her continued
Inconsistencies announced that he
was coming At once TO the Montrose
house 10 80 her ana to talk over a
new man of attack on the Crimson
stain Tho doctor aasented, without
interest. ana returned 20 his daugh-
ter,a beaslde
= For nearly an hour he sat thus, hIA
ewes an Fiorenoa's nfeieas face: his
en,ira viii mower concentrated In an