The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-08-11

I
"Yes'm. A man came here"
And you let him up?"
i didn't know you were out. You
see had just come on. He said he
was to meet some one at your apart
ment. And when he pressed the
| ouzzer. the door opened, and I ran
| the elevator down again. I thought II
was all right. maam."
| And then what?" inquired Con-
! stance breathlessly
Well, in about FIVE minutes my bell
rang. I ran the elevator up again,
and, waiting. was this man with
/ girl I had never seen before. You
right-he told me he was going to
! meet some one
"Yes-yes. I understand. Oh, my
/ God, IL I had only thought to leave
word not to let her go. How did she
look?"
Her clothes. you mean. Ma'am?"
! 'No-her face, her eyes7"
Begin your pardon. thought
she was-well, er.-acted queer
/ scared-dazed-like."
You didn't notice which way they
went, I SUPPOSE
NO maam, I didn't"
/ Constance turned back again into
her empty apartment, heart-sick IN
spite of all she had planned and
Z
defeated. Where was Florence? What
might not happen to her? She could
! have sat down and cried. Instead she
passed a feverishly restless night.
All the next day passed. and sim
not a word. She felt her own help
lessness. She could not appeal to the
police. That might defeat the very
end she sought She was single
/ handed. For all she knew, she was
/ lighting the almost limitless power Of
! brains and money of Preston. In
/ quiry developed the fact that Preston
! himself was reported to be in Chicago
with his fianCee. Time and again she
: was on the point Of making the jour
| ney to let him know that some one at
least was watching him. But she re
| Elected. if she did that she might miss
the one call from Florence for help.
! Then she thought bitterly Of the
false hopes she had raised in the de
spairing father of Florence Gibbons
/ 1t was maddening.
! Several times during the day Con
stance dropped into the Betsy Ross.
without finding any word.
Late that night the buzzer on her
| door sounded. 1t was Mrs. Palmer
! herself with a letter at las. written
/ on rough paper in pencil with trem-
| bling hand.
Constance almost literally pounced
on il.
will you tell the lady who was so
/ kind to me that while she was out
| seeing you at the tea room, there was
a call at her door? I didn't like to
/ open it. but when I asked who was
there, man said 1t was the steam
| filter she had asked to call about the
heat.
y opened the door. From that
: moment when 7 saw his face until I
came to myself here I remember
nothing. I would write to her, only
7 don't know where she lives. One
to smuggle this note out for me ad-
dressed to the Betsy Ross.
Tell her please, that I am at
place in Brooklyn, I think, called
Lustgarten's-sh can recognize it be-
cause IT Is at a railroad crossing
steam railroads. not trolleys or ele-
vateds.
7 know you think me crazy. Mrs.
Palmer. but the other lady can tell
you about it. Oh. 1t was the same
horrible feeling that came over me
that night as before. 1t isn't a
dream; it's more like a trance. It
comes in a second-usuaIly when
am frightened. I suddenly feel ner-
vous and shaky. I lose my hearing
| Part of the time II is as though. I
had a paralytic stroke OF the tongue.
The next day perhaps, it is gone.
But while 1t lasts It IS terrifying.
It's like walking into a new world.
with everybody. everything strange
about me-"
The note ended with a most pa
thettc appeal
Constance was already nervously
putting on her hat.
You are going to go there?" asked
| Mrs. Palmer.
IF can locate the place" she an
I
Aren't you afrald'" inquired the
other.
Constance did not reply. She osten-
tatiously slipped a little ivory-handIed
revolver into her handbag.
IT'S a new one" she explained
OF before, I guess. I bought it only
the other day after a friend of mine
| told me about it."
Mrs. Palmer was watching her close
lily.
! ''You--you are a wonderful woman"
she burst out fInllly. 1T isn't good
business, it isn't good sense"
| Constance stopped short in her pre-
| parations for the search What are
business and sense compared TO the
the life Of"
She checked herself on the very
point of revealing the Firl's real name
| Nothing" replied Mrs. Palmer y
| nad ALREADY MADE up my MIND TO go
with you before I spoke-if you will
| let me"
| In moment the two understood
each other better than after years of
casual acquaintance.
Back and forth through the mazes
| of streets and car lines Of the city
| across the river the two women travel
ed. asking yelled questions OF every
wearer of a uniform. until at last they
found such a place as Florence had des-
cribed in her note.
There. it seemed. had sprung up a
little center of vice. While reformers
were trying to clamp down tight the
lid" in New York. all the vicious eIe-
ments were prying it up here. Crushed
H. one place, they rose gain in another
There was the electric sign-'Lust-
garten." Even a cUrsory glance told
them that it included a saloon on the
first floor. with a sort of a dance hall
and eeCond-rate cabaret. Above that
was a hotel The windows were
darkened. with awnings pulled down.
even on what must have been in the day
time the shady side.