The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-14
E3 Love Affairs of TSl k,MsA Lonely Woman AV
R MARY HAu

ANO- A4Vs4
 "Jones?" Marshall repeated, looking after the doctor in perplexity. Do you know anyone by the names of Jones?' !"
 Mrs Carew shook her head. but mo- ment later Jane gave a little cry of ex- citement and clutched the old man by the arm.
 Don't you see," she gasped. Mortimer is here. too. and thesdoctor knew about it. You see. when Mortimer came he gave the name of Jones' 90 no one would know. Don't you think that might be if? At least can't we try at the of flee and find out. If it is 8 stranger there won't be any harm done" I believe you're right Mrs. Carew exclaimed. ''1n all probability there was a fight and Mortimer was wounded"
 The old man, looking from one to the
 other, nodded his head, and an instant
 later he was walking rapidly for the door. followed by Mrs. Carew and Jane.
 Yes, so the attendant behind the office
 window told them, there was patient
 in the hospital by the name of Jones.
 He had been brought in that morning.
 'Is he very sfck?" Mrs. Carew asked and her tone trembled a little as she put the question.
 "No.' the nurse assured her 'He had pctIi III all dulOiilODHc dCtAuCiN allu d piece of the car had cut him on the leg"
 "Then may we see him?" Marshall asked
 You will fisd him in private room upstairs" the nurse told them. You
 can go right up and the head nurse on the second floor will show you his
 room.
 The nervous tension of waiting was again apparent on Mrs. Carew's face, and Jane took the older woman's arm as they walked slowly up the stairs. "It may not be he,'' she said suddenly as they paused for a moment at the top. cor if it is. he may be wounded worse ! than they think"
 Crawford dead and Mortimer lives Marshall unused to himself as they fol- lowed the nurses instructions and walked down rubber-carpeted hall that led to a wing of the building. How strange things fall out If you had told me yesterday that this might happen l would never have believed you. Life is a strange muddle of queer things. any way"
 It was Marshall who knocked on the door, and they heard the well-known
 voice of Mortimer himself call in an swer, bidding them enter.
 Jane and the old man paused on the | threshold, but with a cry of something like fear, Mrs Carew rushed across the room and threw herself on her knees by the bed.
 You are safer" she asked. her voice low and intense. You are not going to die like that other"
 Mortimer recognized his stenographer and bookkeeper's presence with nod or his head, then the astonishment at his wife's words showed in his face.
 "The other dead?" he repeated. You don't mean-Crawford?
 His question was asked in tone that Twas hardly above whisper but Jane and the old man, leaning forward. caught the name as it passed his lips. "He died after he came out from the operating room" MT. Carew answered. They said he had been shot A pause folIoyod her explanation, and for long time the man on the bed frowned, then his face relaxed and & great sigh of contentment broke the si- lenee of the little room.
 ''I can't be sorry" he said, looking up at Marshall as he and Jane appfoaeheo the bed. "While it was by my hand, ne deserved all and more than he got. | went to the hotel to meet him, and when he didn't come I knew that it was a ruse that he had used to get me out of the office didn't know what it might mean, so started back for there as fast as I could go When I got there he was in the office before me, going through the papers in the safe. I dpn't attempt to defend myself, but l saw red All the things that he had done to me ana to my wife came over me at once, ana went at him with a paper cutter which I snatched up from the desk.
 II. might have known that he was armed. and an instant later he drew that villanous little gun of his with the si- lencer on the npzzle. He shot me twice both times in the thigh. and those soft rosed bullets tore away a great chunk of my leg. After that l got the gun away from him and emptied the magazine into his body.
 "He went down, and then came the problem of getting rid of him. Ifcouldnt have left him there, so dragged him out into the hall. Fortunately one of the freight elevators was standing on that floor, with the gate open. I got him inside, started the thing by pulling the rope and jumped clear. After that l had to stop and clean up the mess, and some how I got to the street. but l don't re- member much until I got here. and they asked me what my name was and l had just enough sense to tell them that IL was Jones. l guess after that fainted. (Copyright, 1919 Thompson Feature Service.) fro I,a continued tomOrrow)