Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-01-26
(Continued)

Sne was Well-nlSnI ITdntlC at louE
o'clock, but at that hour the elevator
clicked, and she was at the door! Not
Tavy, tired, but flushed and wide
eyed, and full of happiness of her tri-
umph. Not Billy, tall and smiling,
and proud, that he had taken away
so precious q charge and returned
that charge in safety. Tommy Tinkle
and Geraldine Benning!
Where's Tavy?" Mrs. Stuarts
voice had shrill break in it. There
hasn't been an accident?'
Not to Tavy." Tommy's tone was
grave. "Billy had slight accident"
She knew! Knew the whole bitter
truth.
where's Tavy?" The ashes had
to her eyes.
With Billy" No whimsicality now
in Tommy. "She slipped away with
him. to take care of him 1 think.
We've been hunting them for two
hours, rather aimlessly. Mr.. Benning
formed a theory. Tavy is driving
about some place with Billy until"
Tommy paused for q word, until he
feels better"
Mrs. Stuart motioned them to
chairs, but she did not sit down.
"He was drunk again!" Nothing
can express the bitter contempt she
laid upon that word. "Is there no
way to find them?"
"Only by luck" Tommy told her.
| I've telephoned to every place with
which Billy might be in communica-
ton; but no ones heard of him."
Mrs. Stuart walked up and down
the floor, her nails clenched into her
palms. Her face was so colorless that
her very hair seemed to be turning
grayer.
cit is perhaps for the best" she
finally decided, extracting what crumb
of comfort she could out of that. ''It
would have happened sooner or later
anyhow, and now it is over"
Tommy turned sharply to Geraldine.
Shall l tell her, or will you?"
Tell me what?" She stopped
abruptly, and fastened her gaze not
upon Tommy, but upon Geraldine.
The girl started to cry, and in Mrs.
Stuart's eyes there came a glow.
"Out with it, Geraldine" sternly
commanded Tommy.
Then the whole miserable confess
sion, between sobs and tears and
pleas for forgiveness; and, as Ger
aldine proceeded, the glow in the eyes
of Jean Stuart burst into flame.
And you did this to my girl!' she
cried. You, who have everything,
did this to my Tavy, who has never
harmed any living creature!" She
stood quivering with anger, and there
rose in her, for the first time in her
gentle life, a tigerish lust.
Tommy Tinkle,s who could see
through words and faces, and even
thoughts. raised Geraldine from her
chair and led her outside, in her
Egyptian costume, and came back to
Mrs. Stuart for a moment.
Would YOU rather I'd remain here
with you, or shall I go out again and
see If can find them?"
Bring me Tavy" she begged. ct
want her."
The black river flowed on and on
past the windows, its current streak
ed with monotonous snake-like swirls
or oily black and shimmering white.
The little Dresden clock licked mon
otonously away, shipping off it's tiny
pits OF time and tossing them back
into eternity. The stars paled from
their long vigil of the night, and still
Jean Stuart did everything that she
could do; she waited
was there no way that she could
reach out through the night, and take
her daughter by the hand and draw
her nome? Was there no way that
she could see through the intervening
walls and rest her eyes upon eyery-
thing she had in the world Was
there no way in which she could cast
thought upon the insensate air, and
CLEAN knowledge in return? Was
there no quarter to which she could
turn for help, for news. for even fhe
sound of a human voice? She must
take part in something active! If
she were only to go down on the
Drive and over into the next street
to look she would feel that she was
dong something, no matter how
futile, toward the ending of this in
toierapIe suspense. What mad freak
might a drunken man take into his
mind, into what trouble might he
not plunge, into what desperate sur
rounding might he not take Tavyi
Her hand was on the door. with y
frantic impulse to rush out. she knew
not where, and stop what impend-
lns DANGER there might be: but a
new thought stayed her hand. Sun
pose Tavy should come home and not
ma her there? No, she must watch
the endless sweep of the river. and
confine herseslf to that drearv task
which has been the lot of women
since the dawning of time, to waiti
ohe was thankful, as she stood in
the pay, that she had not succun,h-
ed to her insane impulse to leave the
room; for it occurred to her, for the
nrst time, that at any moment Tavv
might telephone. She realized now
that' all through the long hours. her
ears had been strained for the first
sound of that bell.
SAIS UP ner hand
kerchief and looked at it. She had
been tearing it to shreds without
IL. she must do something. or she
would go mad! The telephone. +hat
was her only connection with hnmant4
ity. With sudden decision. She ma,,+
10 IL ana called up Billy's number
1t was not the voice of Burke wbo
answered. She knew his broad ac'
cents, for she had talked with him
TWO or three times when she had sent
trltIlng little messages for Tavv II
was an older voice, but II w3s ~
eager and an alert one, with no sIaa,, a
IN 1t; Mr.. Doe, no doubt, BiIlv's nart
ner. She had heard son,atI, P'lt-
him. OF
YES, this is Mr. Lanes"
has he come homer"
Not yet, madam"
on" 1t was sigh of diso
appeal. THANK you" ''e'' an
That was all, and Harrison st,,ou.
leaned against the wall. tremhIina
lie had heard her voice. Iaa,,s.
voice! He knew it as well nc ;s
had talked with her but vesto,i5dit ne
for her life had not known tbe as' ta;.
rihc changes of his. He paced The
Iioor. Jean! She was alone IN
tnere, worried, sick, frantic with an
Xiety, with desperate misgivings for
the satety OF her daughter: and bisi
Aa ha had waitad s;oao -.