Omaha daily bee., 1921-07-10

her cry Benny" she said. "I remember It
now"
Halsey frowned now in apparent bewilder.
ment.
That make 1t more amazing" he declared.
Il declare, the woman is a menace!" he cried.
Allayne, shaken. sank down upon one Of
the seats. Halsey knelt beside her; his arms
went around her lssome waist. He drew her
close to him. She interposed her hands be-
fore his eager lips. One remembers, after tho
event, things that one did not know one saw
while the event occurred.
I thought" she said slowly, "that you
recognized her when she screamed"
Halsey laughed. How could I recognize
her when never saw her in my life before7"
Allayne's laugh Joined his, only hers was
shaken, uncertain. Doubt did not shake It,
make it uncertain. She was unnerved, un.
strung. but still no suspicion of Halsey
clouded her heart. But Halsey, himself dis
honest and therefore always suspicious, read
into her natural reaction following so violent,
even though brief, q scene, the thing that
was always uppermost In his own heart,
suspicion.
Allayne stared at him. OF course she be-
heved him; was he not her lawfully welded
husband? But even as she was assuring her
self that she did believe him, doubt, the doubt
created by Halsey's own insistence, was being
born in her mind. She pushed, half con.
sciously. Halsey's greedy lips farther away
from her.
Why-why, Ben." she said, "you-you-
when she screamed-and you looked so queer
you said something, too. I remember it
now. You said Rosa heard you."
Now, Halsey had waited all his life for the
big killing. 1t was at hand at last. He had
that infinite patience which people, nations,
sometimes possess until the sought for goal
seems near at hand. Then patience leaves
them and they are tmpetuous. casting away
in moment Of rashness the thing for which
they labored, perhaps. years.
Allayne Guernsey had been married to him
an hour ago. Her lips belonged to him; her
fortune was his. But at the moment he
thought Of her lips more than Of her money
She was enticing. attractive, irresistible
That she had dismissed Bourke because Of a
carefully engineered scandal was all very
well. But Bourke had not been married to
her. He, Bennett Halsey, was.
You heard nothing Of the Sort" he said
You imagined it,"
Once again he tried to take her in his arms,
and once again she avoided him. He laughed
impatiently.
1t had never been his hope to hide from her
all evidences Of his past among which Rosa
must stand foremost But he had known that
not for the wealth Of New York would Rosa
permit him to marry, even for a moment, an.
other woman. However, once the deed was
done, Rosa would be enough Of a philosopher,
when she had time to think 1t over. to forget
1t and pocket her share Of the loot So Hal.
sey firmly believed. To avoid trouble he had
arranged quiet marriage. But now that
trouble had not been avoided, why worry7
Why, his brides hatred Of scandal would In
itself act In his favorl
WELL" said he, suppose that did know
her? don't owe her anything, you may be
sure Of that"
Allayne stared at her husband. Into her
eyes crept that same fiery hardness that had
been in them when she had sent from her
side young Bourke. Had Halsey been used
to dealing with gentlewomen, had his knowl.
edge of well-bred people been something