The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-27

What happened"
We'll. Mason had no interest in the
matter. He knew neither the husband
nor the lover. But he did know the
girl and for the sake of old times he
wanted to save her from again mis-
taking excitement for love-, So he just
talked common sense-not morals or
duty-painted the fading of the rose
Leaf and the sordid dullness of life
amid chronic selfwhitewashers and
finally got her to accept wisdom and
seat in his car"
But was the husband In ignorance
OF her impassioned flight?"
Yes But now we approach the
tragedy. the unnecessary tragedy that
wrecked hiss life. The conversation 1
gave. you in two minutes, but in fact
hotel coffee room pointed to four
o'clock when she agreed to go back to
her husband. She expected him home
at $40 He was coming back to New
irving at o'clock and would motor
out to the house, arriving at $50. She
must get back in good time because
she had left the usual note for him in
his tobacco jar explaining her change
of address. Once she had decided to
return, the wrath of the lover dis
solved like mist and her one dream of
happiness was husband and home"
"A somewhat volatile companion for
ife-timN' murmured Simpson.
You are right It all seems such a
needless sacrifice. However. they
walked to the hotel door to go to the
car and as they reached tho porch the
old church clock struck five. The cof-
fee room clock had been an hour slow.
She went white with terror. Do you
grasp the drama now?" Gale stood up
and touched each article as, he spoke.
Wife here at this salt cellar at s
! p. m. Husband arriving NewQuay sta
tion-this glass-at p. m. He is
motoring comfortably two miles down
this crease. When he reaches the
knife-the. crossroads-he will turn to
| the right and soon reach his homo.
! ing at the best disillusion and life
long NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. this
| car here at st. Column can reach the
| crossroads frst-efght miles in twenty
minutes in a hired car"
IT learned an expression in Canada
once: Some haste and then some"
said Simpson TT seems the only ap-
| propriate COMMENT
Gale still stood. his hand resting on the
salt cellar II he saw the drama being
enacted on the table cloth.
They lost two precious minutes getting
| up the hood. She insisted on that. Then
sho took the wheel She was an expert
knew the country. Then she let her go.
Mason told me he would never forget
that drive. They met scarcely a soul
which accounts for the fact that no one
ever subsequently suggested a woman
driver. The hood prevented those they
passed from seeing who drove They
reached the crossroads without disaster,
swung round into the narrow road on the
| left-and then-we1l there was a child
playing in the middle of the road-that's
| ALL It was too instantaneous for any
I suffering-that was the one silver lining
| to the grim cloud of tragedy" Gale had
his finger a few inches down the knife
| pointing to where he saw the child lying
dead.
"She was out of the car in a second
protective-and knel: by the little body.
AS she leaned down to examine It q
warning boot was heard and her hus-
bands car hove in sight. Mason saw her
| face freeze with horror as she realized
| the iron fingers of fate closing round her.
| Then she looked up at her husband and
| well. let us be aritable-lost her head
completely"
"'Oh" she cried. 7 was Just walking to
meet you. There's been a terrible acct
dent"
Her husband looked at the dead child,
"'Were you driving, sir?'' he said
sterniy.
Doctors talk of drowning men seeing
all their past in a moment of time. I
rather think Mason saw past. present and
future with racing nerves. Every man
has his own code Of chivalry. Masons
was a high one. Had 1t been only man
slaughter he would have hedged, but a
woman's reputation was more serious
than mere crime. He looked at the hus-
, band and shrugged his shoulders. He
did not know then the husband was
! J. p"
This means the police said the hus-
band. Then turning to his wife, I must
| stay here-take the car and go home
She turned to go"
DO YOU mean to say" burst in Simp-
son. :she went without a word?"
Gale slowly put back his little direc-
| ton posts, and then clasped his two hands
| together as II to hold himself in. but
his voice as he answered shook with an
ger.
That woman. volatile and worthless,
| turned her back on Mason without one
word. stepped into her husbands car
| and drove home. rescued tho letter and
| doubtless burnt it. Subsequently she
| paid for a beautiful tombstone for the
child and the village called her Lady
| Bountiful'
"And did you defend him?'
"Yes-if a man with both his hands
| tied behind his back can be said to fight
| He refused to let me cross-examine her.
| Her evidence was that she arrived after
the accident had happened. Cool and cal
| 1ous, wasn't It? And he refused to go
( into the box himself ALL I could do was
| to try to show the case was not proved
| and after theeverdict of guilty to urge
| leniency on the Judge. 1t was no good"
| Simpson looked at Gallo In sheer amaze
| ment
He would not so into the box and tell
his story?"
Gales answering glance was momen-
! tary but full of comprehension.
| mo, he refused to go into Fhe box.
You cannot save a wonan's reputation by
halves. I doubt If any woman would
quite forgive hin-and yet to a man no
other course was tflinkable.'
i "And SO he went under?"
Eyes, he went under-as Smith. His
tracks we're well covered up and he reso-
/ lutely refused to give any information
| about himself. He was tried for man
| slaughter as Smith and condemned as
/ Smith. The case was only in the local
| papers. and ANYHOW none of his friends