The Washington herald., 1920-03-16
BY MAY CHRISTIE
Copyright. 1920. Mcclure syndicate.)

-what is it? What do you see!
What Is the matter?' cried my pa
tient. He craned around in the d.
rection of my gaze.
But, quick as lightning. the face
of Tony Disappeared
Had the sudden apparition been
of a flgment of my own imagina-
ton? ! wondered, terrified.
Yet. common sense assured me
that the pale. angry, spying coun-
tenance had indeed been Tony's-
and none other!
Ny first impulse was to tell Jim.
For he knew Master Tony-and
would undoubtedly throw light on
the subject. Although Jim had for
gotten me, IL wasn't likely that he
would forget his foster-brother,
the man who'd done him such
recent injury!
The name of Tony Lascelles was
trembling on my lips. One word to
Jim-and our wretched misunder-
standing would be surely solved
Jim-hearing Tony's name-would
think about the forged check. By
natural sequence. then, his mind
would wander back to the trouble
that the forging of the check had
caused-the quarrel-his girl-wife
Our parting,
One wordI All that was needed!
And then noticed Jim's dark
eyes, unnaturally bright with fe-
yer. Oh, what q careless, foolish.
selfish nurse I was. to let my trou-
bles interfere with the patients
welfare! Excitement was so bad
for him. His temperature was go
ing UP. His face was flushed.
please lie down." 1 urged. hold
ing his hot, damp hand in mine. 81
only saw the tree-boughs nodding
in the breeze outside the window,
Their movement rather startled
me. I'm ridiculously nervous. Do
forgive mer'
Jim fell back on his pillows, with
a little. tolerant smile-a masculine
sort of smile that clearly proved
he believed my explanation! With
the rest of his sex. no doubt, ne
thought all women just a trifie
foolish at times.
you'll only stay with me-" was what
he said.
The words were sheerest music
In my ears. Stay with him? Till
the worlds end. if only he would
let me! For loved him sol
/ fervently. hoped that Tony's
. angry countenance had gone for
goodA How dare he climb up to
the verandah, like sneak thief in
the night, and peer through the
window into Jim's room? The i'm
pertinance of the fellow! He really
knew no limitsI
What could the motive be? Jeal-
ousy? Inquisitiveness? Or anxiety
to verify Jim's condition.
1t couldn't possibly be that he
sought to do some injury to Jim
The very thought froze me to the
marrow! He'd done one injury al
ready, estranging Jim's father an6
Jim's wife from him. Was he GO
ing to follow up a spiritual in.
jury by a physical one?
Then a new thought struck me
with the velocity of a six-inch
she'll! Jim had already undergone
a cruel attack, an almost fatal
physical blow. Had Tony-and no
lunatic or tramp-been the perpe-
traitor of that cruel deed?
Hidden deep in the underground
had it indeed been Tony who sprane
out and struck Jim from behind
But-what could that extra mo-
tive be? Why follow up a spiritual
injury by a physical one? 1 rack
ed my brains for an adequate ex-
PLANTATION.
Perhaps the two men had me,
face to face on the lonely country
road. Jim-naturally impulsive and
hotheaded-had accused Tony OF
the forgery! Tony frightened OF
approaching exposure-had tried tc
murder Jim! After knocking jim
unconscious. Tony, like all towards
had been frightened, and had run
away.
1t was shortly after that, that
wed found Jim. Thank God. wed
been in time. His head had ble6
so badly. Another solitary hall
hour and he would have died!
1 longed to pour out the whole
tale to Jim-to tell him everything
II only 1 could explain to him his
lapse of memory-cou1d clear the