The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-09-04
Love Affairs of a Lonely Woman
By MARY HAu

she was not telling the truth. T was
 only told to see that you got bath
 and lunch and anything else you want ed"
 "One thing I want more than anything
 else is to go back to New York" Jane
 exclaimed. Wont you let me do that?
 You can say that I got out of the win
 dow and ran away. Won't you?"
 Helga shook her head but Jane thought
 she noted look of regret in the womans eyes, and she made up her mind that if a chance presented itself she would do
 her best to escape.
 "She won't try very hard to stop me" Jane unused to herself. She's afraid to tell me to go, but if I could get away that would be different"
 Weekly Jane followed the woman from
 the room, through the hall and down
 broad flight of curving stairs. The evil dence of wealth and good taste were on every hand, and Jane could not help con- trasting this house with the man Billy Burns. The few times she had seen him he had appealed to her as being the last person in the word who woud have fur , nished a house as this was furnised. The impression she gained from the living room through which they passed was as though an older. more experi- enced person had had hand in the man. agement, but then she remembered read
 
 gave some such person the credit for the fittings of the house.
 The dining room was quite an elegant and rich, round table was set for one, and as the girl entered the room through the heavy draperies at the door, man in livery appeared through a swinging door of the opposite side of the room, and, walking to the single chair by the able drew it invitingly out for her. As nervous as Jane was, a sudden real ization of how much she needed food came over her, and it was with a feel ing of almost gratitude that she sank into the chair the butler held for her. An
 instant later the butler came back into the room, bearing in his hands a silver tray upon which Jane. much to her sat isfaction, saw a cup of steaming bouillon. Ut would be silly to be so nervous one couldn't eat!" Jane unused to herself as she slipped the hot liquid. Besides l
 have a feeling that I am going to need every bit of strength that I have before get back to New York. I wouldn't mind it SO much if I could only let MT. Nor
 timer know, or-the card!'
 In her excitement she almost said the word aloud for at that moment she re- called the queer card the old bookkeeper had given her, and the unusual adven- ture she had had in the restaurant at lunch the day before. Had it only been l young man rush into the telephone booth? It seemed at least a year, so much had happened since then.
 Then, as the butler replaced the bouil- lon with a plate of daintily served chops and wee potato balls, Jane, for no reason
 at all, found her mind dwelling on the
 young man who had called that myster- ious number-"City Hall 404!"
 She caught herself wondering who he was what he had done, to be hunted, as
 he evidently had been, by the police. Some criminal, probably. trying to es- cape, but why that number? How had
 he known of it? The bookkeeper had
 told her to call it if she ever found her self in trouble. Could anyone be in deep CT trouble than she was at present? But she realized almost immediately that the difficulty lay in reaching telephone. At last, however, she determined to make the attempt, and rising cautiously from the table she slided through the hangings at the door and stood looking nervously about her. The house, as far as she could observe, was deserted Helga was not in sight, and as Jane listened no sound reached her ears to indicate that the butler had returned to the dining room.
 .aThe telephone must be in the library"
 Jane whispered to herself. At least
 that's where it always is in books The trouble is. wonder where the library is?'
 She moved out from among the drap- cries. reached the door leading into what
 was evidently the main hall or the house,
 and with noiseless feet on the heavy rugs