Omaha daily bee., 1921-07-10

love Bourke. that pride had
a driven him from her, had
wrecked her life. Wrecked IT,:
For upon the ruins that she
mad made OF life no clean and wholesome
structure could ever be erected. What had
happened could never be undone. For the
noisome formalities Of divorce court would
leave her always stained soiled And yet
what else could she do? This woman at the
train gates-her claim was a prior one to
that Of Allayne.
Claim? She. Allayne, had no claim, no
wish to maintain one. She only wanted to
be alone. away. far from the filthy tangle in
which she had become enmeshed.
Something of what was going on In her
mind communicated itself to Halsey. His
eyes, too, grew suddenly haggard, afraid
Look here, Allayne." he said, you aren't
going to be unreasonable, are you?"
Unreasonable? I'm going to ask You To
leave me-" she said.
Halsey tried to bluster. "That's nonsense"
!" don't think that the conductor will say
So" said Allayne
He stared at her. "You mean that you'll
disgrace yourself by"
I won't disgrace myself" said Allayne
Srll protect myself"
Once again their eyes met Then his
hands gripped her shoulders. But she was
years younger than he. lithe strong She
released herself easily, whereas the effort
whitened his lips, made his heart, that tricky
heart Of his, race and pound against his
ribs.
will you go?" she asked quietly
What will say-to the porter-the con.
ductor?" he asked In this moment Of crisis
In his whole life, his usual wit deserted him.
He thought, as people caught in fire think
Of wastebaskets. of such matters as the opin.
ions Of the train hands.
"You had no difficulty in thinking of
things to tell me-" she said coldly.
He was dazed; only the fact that his racing
heart warned him against any violence pre-.
vented him from seizing her again, striking
her. He had planned so highly, and
had accomplished SO lowly. . And he
realized. as one realizes the inevitability Of
the oncoming sunset, that Allayne was un-
changeable. That was the great outstanding
quality Of her. He knew exactly what she'd
do. Shed divorce him. He knew that her
lawyer would employ men who would find
plenty of evidence Of so many kinds against
him that he would not dare to contest a d.
vorce.
Out Of the wreck he might gather few
thousands. To avoid scandal Allayne
might pay. That was dangerous and
dubious. And yet Gelstein wouldn't wait
Gelstein would demand his money; failing to
get it Gelstein would whisper into the ear Of
the nearest policeman.
Halsey almost staggered as he left the
drawing room. Outside, in the small smoking
room at the other end Of the car, he sat
down, a cigar clenched between his teeth,
to think on what should be done. Hours he
sat there, while the other passengers
climbed into their berths and a surprised
porter exchanged confidential whisperings
with an amazed conductor.
Around midnight the train stopped. A
man, carrying a handbag, paused In the
smokeroom a moment, that the porter might
examine his berth-check in the better light
that the room afforded Halsey recognized
him, himself unnoticed. 1t was Bourke. The
crook wondered what accident had brought
Bourke aboard this train, what he would
think If he knew Of Allayne's wedding. o.
we'll, the account of the marriage would be
in the morrows newspapers. and the account
of the separation. j..
The porter timidly suggested to him that
he'd like to make UP his own berth on the
smokeroom lounge. Halsey wearily arose.
Have you spare berth?" he asked. my
wife isn't well, and-I thought I'd sleep
in berth outside
The porter grinned amiably He picked
up the handbag which Halsey had brought
from the drawing room and led the way down
the curtained car. Ten minutes later Hal.
sey was in bed. Two hours later, still awake.
he felt himself flying through the air.
He picked himself up, dazed, reeling from
the frightful crash. Screams Of agony tore
the darkness. How he escaped from the
blazing wreckage he never could coherently
explain. He only knew that he found him
self standing upon an embankment free
from the train, staring down upon the
dreadful agony of scores of his fellows. I'm.
hurt, he made no effort at assistance, though
cries for aid came from every yard Of the
telescoped train.
man staggered up the bank and dropped
by his side. In the light from the burning
cars Halsey could see him clearly. He mar
veled that so mutilated body could have
escaped, to live even for moment. Even
the face was unrecognizable.
1t needed to be no physician to realize that
he had died almost as he had dropped.
wearied, tormented, upon the ground.
Halsey had been one Of the first Of those
few who escaped. But now, from the other
train into which, he judged, the Express had
plunged came passengers and trainmen to
the work Of rescue. The flare just below
Halsey burned itself out. He sat In dark
ness, watching, in a daze, what went on a
few yards below him. Offering his weak heart
as excuse for not joining in the rescue.
From the farther end of the train he saw
two people stagger. The flame burned
brightly there, and by its light he saw that
one carried the other. and that the one
being borne was woman.
Shock had made him forget much. Stu
nidly. incoherently. he had known that. b