Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-07-26
CHAPTER CCLNH
Copyright, 1919, King Feature Syn
dictate. Inc.

Copyright, 1919. King Feature Syn
dicate, Inc.
THE pistol Loretta clutched in her
dead hand belonged, 10 Euenne
Demerrais," Lane Cosby concluded
and sat hunched down in his chair
staring back through the years.
I could almost visualize what he
saw as if it were there before him
IN my living-room.
Worn. mating, blood-stained. a
draggled figure crumpled on the
rioor. From the mirror above a
girls chanty hung dresser man
picture staring down. Lane S own
picture. In the dead woman's hahu
Etienne's pistol.
How had she come by TINS
weapon.
That poor, crazed Loretta Cosby
had taken her life I had no douot.
That Valerie was innocent before
the law I felt sure. But even the
bare outlines of her story revealed
who had inspired the insane woman
to take her own worthless, un-
wanted life. And I could guess VINO
had given her the weapon.
There WAS no reason for the Ia"
to take cognizance of Valerie CosoS'
But if once Society-Nals world
knew her story, how could II Juase
her? I had caught Lane and al
exchanging looks of fear-hauntlns
fear. Now I knew why Woulo
their world ever find out, ana II II
did how would it judge?
For Val l had no sympathy. For
Lane Cosby 1 had the deepest pity
He was so big and so helpless, so
completely enmeshed in his love Tor
Nal. She had calculated her effects
perfectly. She had come into the
Lanes grim. sordid life when he was
struggling with the ugliest tragedy
our law countenances, the law that
binds a sane human being to one
whose mind is gone. He was too
kind, too full of pity to seek way
out. Val had found it for HIM:
All this seemed clear to me. What
couldn't see was why Envy should
dig this up and threaten Val with II.
But I saw plainly what I had to do
now il I really meant to help TINS
1"lpless man who had always oeeh
30 loyal to Jim.
How many people know-whose
gun it was that killed her." asked:
The sheriff and the coroner and
.he Democrats family" replied Lane
Why do you ask that?'
Then suddenly he understood. At
once he reacted and became at least
The semblance of his powerful, alert
self.
What of that?" he demanded:
The wound was in the temple ana
was burned with powder, because
she held the sun right against ner
head when she fred. II was the
.ast shot in the chamber. FIRST she
peppered the place with the otner
outlets. That's why Val hid in her
mothers room"
All right" I said judicially' But
where did she get the gun!
Loretta lived in that ranch house
Ior three years. Didn't she know
where everything was kept ASKED
lane Cosby patiently. She broke
n as cleverly as she ran away, got
he gun and went after my poor
little Val. And when the child es-
capped her she took out her blood lust
on herself The doctors will tell
sou that's the way crazy folks act
Forgive me for asking these
questions, Lane, but l want 10 help
you. I want to find out what your
danger is-and help you meet it."
said, conquering the revolving dis
.aste I had for the whole ugly tangle.
"All I want is for my little girl to
be happy-and contented. l want
my love TO give her everything" he
moaned. And il all the catty
women in town sneer at her and
turn away from her what will she
10? If that's all my love brings my
little girl-what will become of me
what will become of us both?"
He hadn't said it. He didn't even
know he thought it. But somewhere
deep within Lane Cosby was the
knowledge that this beautiful, un-
scrupulous woman, less than half
MS age, was his only so long as she
found advantage in being his. If
mis- money couldn't buy her social
prominence, position. friends, she
would some day fling aside his
money and go after something else
whatever her ruthless nature
,raved. Love perhaps.
l wouldn't have lifted a finger to
save Val from the penalty she ought
20 pay. But I knew she'd never pay
I. And II was willing TO do a lot
% save Lane Cosby from the suf-
'ering he had stumbled into when
1e was trying so hard to do right.