Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-10-15
The Grip of Euil''

. W q q
.Ta6s X la s&l..,l
captured by the He'll Cats! They ac-
tually took him boldly out u ma
house, and have rushed him in a car
TO some place which the police have
net been able to locate. | think you
can help, Those people at the Set
tlement-"
The words died away on his lips
for his very heart was chilled by the
sight of the wan misery in the CIR,
face. But she rose steadily enough
and her voice was extraordinarily un-
der control.
81 half expected this" she SAID
Yes, l must do what | can. Don't
come with me, George. / shall 4,
alone. You do not know the ways OF
my poor friends. II you are there,
they will be dumb. but to me they
will tell the truth
On reaching the Settlement she
found Blanche Griffin there. Her
,wn despair was equaled by that OF
the girl whom she had dragged out OF
the gutter, for the newspaper reports
made it clear that Bill Reilly, the eX-
convict who had found redemption
was missing as well as the million.
aire Poor Blanche was already har-
bLring a dream Of her cwn wherein
quiet cottage home. children, and
the happiness which comes alone from
love and honest work, night one day
be hers. That vision WIS rudely shat
tered. 1t was replaced by grim ana
tragic reality.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Wherein John Burton Solves the
Problem.
In looking back through the history
Of an individual, as of a nation, IT
would seem as though idle chance
played the most important part in hui
man affairs. 1t is not so, of course.
The apparently aimless currents Of
mingle at last and unite in one mighty
and irresistible stream of progress,
Tennyson expresses this philosophy OF
hope finely in the lines:
Yet I doubt not through the ages one In
creasing purpose runs,
And the thoughts OF men are widened with
the process Of the suns.
The observer of current events may
we'll be pardoned, however. If he re-
RdEuS HltIt tilduCt DIS TIC wal
fixed design as the welt in the ever
working loom which fashions the cere-
cloths Of humanity.
Who, for instance, could possibly
have imagined any active connection
between the arrival that day of a
worn, frayed, elderly woman at the
Hity's central depot with the deadly
menace threatening John Burton and
20 II ~ pill PattiuS Cnra1y
not the poor creature herself! On leav-
ing the train she emerged into a
rowded street, and the bewilderet
half frightened, half-despairing ex-
preston betokened by dropping lips
and lack-luster eyes showed that she
at least, was irresolute of mind and
sadly aware of her own unimportant
place in the general scheme of things
But. being woman. and God
fearing one, she was endowed with two
splendid attributes which might have
been wanting in many prominent
member of that same community-her
heart overflCwed with maternal love-
and her brain was governed by that
simple faith in Providence which
moves mountains.
Amid the noisy chaos of the pass
ing multitude she picked out police
man. and approached him timidly.
Fumbling in a recticule which she
carried, together with dilapidated
suitcase, she produced a photo
graph.
Pardon me, mister" she said In a
quavering, apologize voice, but do
you happen to know young man who
looks like this?" --
The policeman gazed down at the
nuestioner. Slightly amused, he took
from her trembling hands a photo
graph of the cart-de-visit order, yell
low with exposure and much stained,
it might be, with tears.
mo, ma am" he said after careful
scrutiny who is it,"
u my son." came the answer. 81
haven't seer him for ten years, but
a man tole .e he believed he was in
this city"
What is his trader" inquired the
officer of the law kindly
The wrinkled and tired face, already
pallid with fatigue, blanched d little
more.
"IIe used to be locksmith," she
faltered, but" but-the man said
that my boy wasn't workin' just now"
Then the policeman understood.
Gone to the bad, eh?" he COM
mented, trying to help the poor crea-
ture in difficult confession.
II suppose So" she almost sobbed
He looked again at the picture, and
shock his head.
NO" he said, 81 haven't seen him.
He can't be much or tough, mother,
or I'd be sure to know him. So cheer
up! Sometimes things amt so bad as
nj Lo Th aSy'rn n 1Npyn x,e
ready to say the worst, you know.
Tell you what-there's a sort of Set
Element bureau in this town where
young folk who have gene wrong are
given a helpin' hand. You may find
out something about him there. Even
f Miss Grace Coe doesn't know him.
someone in the Settlement may be
able to assist you"
of the photograph, John William
Evans" so the policeman was hardly
to blame II he failed to detect In the
lineaments Of fairly handsome and
intelligent looking youth the scowlng
features of Two-Gun Jake. Neverthe-
less. his counsel was good since 1t led
the searcher's steps to Grace Coe at
the very moment when the girl was
nearly distracted with terror and fore
boding as to the uncertain fate of
the man she loved,
Even in that hour of storm and
stress her sweet disposition and SPLEEN
did self-ccntrol permitted her to listen
to the elderly woman's story She
bent over the photograph, but could
only return II sadly.
NO" she said. II have never seen
your son, Mrs. Evans"
1t happened that Blanche Griffin