The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-09-30
When 4 Girl
 Murries
CHAPTER CCCIXXIH.
By ANN LESLIE.

CHAPTER CCCLXXIH.
 Get out of this room!" screamed Val when asked my ilf-chosen ques- ton about the depth of her feeling for Shelly. -'Get out of this room-and don't you dare-conle into it again."
 -Val, I'm sorry if I've said any thing stupid, anything, to hurt your feelings. Don't you know I'm your friend-Yours and Lanes? want to help. you Won't Souslet me?'' I words and frenzied manner because she had gone through so much.
 eHelpme?'' she sueered in a voice which shook1and broke. Why should need your-help2 I've been in a hid eous accident that cost the life of man who was a dear friend to all Of us I'm broken up because was so i close-to the end But do you think your insinuations and suspicious help me2''
 -Hm sorry-dear. I thought you needed. me- I began
 But Val broke non my words, her voice harsh and grating again and hereyes a1Jlaze with fury.
 ~Dfd tell you to-clear~out of here 1 or-didn't I? If you haven't any prloe' 1 | should think you might have the 1 decency toqget out when you see now {. offensive your question was Do l l care so Inuch-indeed. Do care: ! what is-drr. my mind for the poor : dead boy? Oh-he isn't dead lies { herei I can see him. Can't you feel it that magnetism, making you do :: what you never meant--
 ~She broke-off with a harsh .la1ISh i and slid down among the pillows /, with a. moan that rose to frenzy as ! I started toward her
 ~-Get outt Get outi Don't come here agafni Get out!r' she snarled, and fearing that shed bring on sone i terrible condition like apoplexy turned and softly closed the door be-
 Mercffully the nurse was com1ns i I'D the stairs, with Lyons back of her. carrying the tray. As they sneared the door the nurse took the tray from him, and while she gided away silently the man explained to l me respectfully:
 you, Mrs. Harrison And helping 1 auywheres can is part of my debt l If you had any job now you wished done ,zilent and unbekrownst to any Dne, you'd know you could Sask me- sWouadn't you?"
 <Yas,' answered, thoughtfuIly, l '~Yes, I would But I'm pretty sure that is never going to happen" sIt might-sooner than you think" retune1 Lyons, quietly Then he add ed: ''Krowing what yon do abouI kmy bad habits, you might th1nk dangerous for me to be having the run of a grand house like this. But exceot I'm with my Bertha, who hasn't a distonestA-jone in her body, along of some one 11ke that nutTSe fwho'd keep me from making a wrong move. I don't be about the house much" ~ ps +rr,s+ yuu," l. sad
 'I think you would--I think your kheart,s that much gold that you think no evil of others But I'm not trusting myseH yet.
 When the man said this and went gravefy on his way ] slowed myself in the stair seat and began to ponder. kHad I done wrong to put any m depreciation by the simplest on vai's driving down to Drean1wold in Sthe early morning with poor Sheldon?
 ! sternly took myself to- task kC4nittins the evidence of the hacked Ssstraps on the tank of the car and HVal'S uneasy insist tence before her !ienenry. Esvvy, that all was perIectly :tcoTnme il fant, why shouldn't De tsMeve that she was coming to us early flor a long day in the country? But l started back in sorrow from a. tragic fact that had just obtruded itself on Eny consciousness:
 | When SheIfyns car went over the eu11ank1nent on its fatal drop into the river ravine. that car was already snrany yards past the entrance to eDeamwodd-
 After all, the question I had to consider was not the truth of Va1s
 protests that I'd invited her down 5to spend the day-but the quad1ty or
  Shig and compelling. what sort or wife would SC make to Lane even in case | he forgaye her and took her pack eff they had been petty and weakly en1otioual, what right had she to a assecond chance to cheapen and de- Egrade Lane? But suppose 1t had been tsomethi1g els ssea .,a, magnetaf5n asn1Sad eftep e9 ta tremendous fght-a magnetism afrom which she was tragicaAy esayed? How, then was to judge?
 Remember her heroic rescue Of EiIacy W4Hougsoy, adding to that her kpIeass to Lane not to leave her, l sAfo1nd my judgment tottering. And Ithen another memory welled up s@from consci ousness. VaPs manner to FRShelIy had always been abrupt to eugly. Had he been driven to break this down by his ruthless desire to ssconquer?
 Shelly died in EvvyAs arms. Was Val jealous? Why had Evvy brought r. to Val part of what the hacked Astraps over the tank once held? Why Edad Val want to hide Esvvys visit
 from me?
 Tn tangled mass of evidence I ! could not read. in the midst of the
 mystery where I wandered abashed l-arRf at a loss for the truth, one thing seemed clear Something had pass
 ed between Val and EYvy which I was not to know. These two women l@wiha once had hated each other and s>Vaho had so strangely been thrown ttogether through the tragedy of ShsEdon Blake+s death held the key F. to the maze. And Val was in EvEy's s,power- How did FGTvy mean to use Etha1 power?
 strangely enough, in considering f-these uuesfions never stopped to kshsuk of VaPs treatment of me That
 a sick and terrified woman had
 hurFed abuse at me did not seem
 worthy of . second thought- then.
 (TTO Be Cont inred.0