Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-05-24

boots of soft leather.
The prospect of at last doing real
work before a camera, after her
long wait since falling in with Lon
taine's scheme, inspired a quiet Ella
ton. She had already been elabor-
ately tested and re-tested, of course,
by the cameraman under contract
with Linda Lee (Inc.) she had
ceased to feel self-conscious in the
fierce white light of the Kleigs.
1t wasn't till she found herself In
the corridor leading to her suite
that Lucinda remembered Nelly
Marquis; she hadn't given the girl
two thoughts since morning.
AS she passed Miss Marquis room
she noticed that the door was slight
ly ajar, and where the light from
the corridor struck in across the
threshold. a white hand at rest upon
the floor, a woman's hand. palm up,
the fingers slightly contracted, abso-
lutely still. A startling thing to
For a few seconds Lucinda stood
entranced with premonitions Of
horror. Then she moved to the door
and raped on 1t gently. There was
no response. the hand didn't stir.
She called guardedly: Miss Mar
quis." and when nobody answered
laid hold of the knob.
Nelly Marquis lay supine, breath
ing, IL at all, SO slightly that the
movement Of her bosom. beneath
the ragged lace of a pink silk negli-
gee, was imperceptible. Her lids.
half lowered. showed only the
whites of rolled up eyes. her lips
were parted and : discolored. her
--s-%-I --~- wwA x4A.A 0ha0t1yr
even than 1t had been in the morn
ing. On the evidence of her body's
posture in relation to the partly
opened door, she had been taken
suddenly i'll; had rushed to call for
assistance, and had fallen in the act
Of turning the knob.
Lucinda shut the door, knelt,
touched the girls wrist and found 1t
icy cold. But when she placed her
hand upon the bosom she found 1t
warm, and that the heart In 1t was
family but Enthusiastically f1uttering.
In relief and pity she essayed to
take the girl up in her arms and
carry her to the bed, but found the
dead weight too great.
Casting round at random for
something in the nature OF a restor-
alive, she found in the bathroom a
bottle Of aggressive toilet water and
a pint flask of whiskey. half emp
tied.
Alternately moistening the pale
lips with the whiskey and bathing
the brows and temples with toilet
water, she observed for the first
time a reddish bruise under the left
eye. the mark of a blow, possibly
sustained in falling. But there was
nothing nearby that the girl could
have struck, to infiict such a hurt,
except the door-knob. and IL she
had struck this with such force she
must, one would think, have
slammed the door.
1t was puzzling -.
Her ministrations eventually be-
gan to take effect. The bleached lips
quivered. closed, then opened and
closed several times. The woman's
lashes trembled and ~curtained her
eyes.
do you think you're strong
enough now to get to bed II I help?"
The girl nodded: 90. /. try" she
whispered. Using all her strength.
Lucinda succeeded in getting Nelly
Marquis on her feet. About this time
the clouded faculties began to clear.
Clinging to Lucinda's arm, the girl
started as il in a spasm of fear.
darted swift glances of terror round
the room, then turned a look of per-
plexity to Lucinda.
where is he?" the whisper de-
manded. Has he-has he gomez"
There Is no one else here, moth
ing to be afraid of. Come, let me
help you to bed"
Recognition dawned as she spoke.
with a movement of feeble fury the
girl threw Lucinda's arm away, but