Omaha daily bee., 1921-07-31

she brought forth an envelope. She held it
out toward Allayne.
Il am not bad-not that way" she cried.
Allayne waved the envelope away. Her
hand went over her eyes. She did not wish
even to sec the dead remains Of this man who
had tried to shame her. So! She had never
been Halsey's wife! Therefore. she was
Bourkes wife. If only she had det1ed the
man. telephoned Spenscr. Now, be-
cause she had feared lie, she was face to
face with a situation more dreadful than any
thing that her fears could have imagined.
"You thought he was your husband"
Rosa asked.
"Why else would 1 have met him here?"
countered Allayne. He demanded money
money which could not raise. I came here
when he telephoned me, to tell him that my
my husband would kill him if he knew that
I had been blackmailed, and that I intended
to tell him. Then that--man--told me that
he was going to kill himself, that my-pru-
dishness-had robbed him of fortune and life
itself. He said that + would be found here,
with his dead body beside me, unable to ex-
plain.
Rosa stared at the body Of Halsey.
He was worse than thought" she said,
II did not dream-you thought yourself
widow when you married again? OF course
And when Benny came to see you-I under
Prt hn m yrtch fn
must have loved you." she said.
Allayne glanced quickly at her. But there
was no jealousy in Rosa's heart Her love
had been lost in her hate. No shadow Of
regret, no tinge Of remorse did she feel. She
had endured the ultimate Of emotion, and her
endurance had eliminated in Halsey's death.
She had come here intending TO murder him.
She had fired to save Allaync, she thought,
but had Allayne been in no apparent danger
the bullet would have struck Halsey just
the same. She was born Of two emotional
races; for love she could murder. for hate
she could kill. But when emotion had
reached it's climax little but Indifference re-
mained. Halsey had wronged her, deceived
her score of times he had paid the price;
that he might have loved Alayne in his own
peculiar fashion, did not antagonize Rosa
now. Halsey was dead! She was finished.
She made the statement perfunctoriy almost
II will testify" she said. why I killed
him. 1 will not mention you" She rose
suddenly to her feet. mo one has come, :"
she cried. "Go-quietly. will remain. No
one will ever know. Hurry"
Allayne shook her head. She was swept
by the desire to obey. 1t was way out.
But, no matter what Rosa's intentions had
been, the fact remained that she had fired
the shot that killed Hasey in order, as she
believed, to save Allayne's life SO Allayne
could testify upon the stand, all in honesty.
Any one looking at Halsey would have
thought as Rosa had thought. Alayne could
not desert the woman.
But Rosa's words opened up a pathway
Of escape. What Rosa said was true She
could leave the room. And so could Rosa
She, Allayne, was heavily yelled. She had
never been in this Inn before. 1t was GER
tain that she had not been recognized. Her
car, the little roadster, was a common model.
It's number may have been noticed. but
that was chance that she must take.
For she had not learned that what we fear
will always overwhelm us until we cease to
fear. Had she defied Halsey at the outset,
yesterday morning. she would not be in this
dreadful predicament now. Halsey had
cowed her with threats that had no founda-
ton. She had yielded to them enough to