The St. Charles herald., 1922-06-24

out disturbing Mrs. Sheriff. Constance.
kimona over her shoulders, stood at
the top of the stairs and waited. Ii
became plain to her at once that what
ever had happened had been to Alan
Conrad.
"Yes. Yes. You are
giving him every possible care? :.
At once"
She ran part way down the stairs
and met her father as he came up.
He told her Of the situation briefly.
"He was attacked on the street late
last night; he was unconscious when
they found him and took him to the
| hospital, and has been unconscious
ever since. No one can say yet how
seriously he Is injured"
She waited In the hall while her
father dressed, after calling the ga
| rage on the house telephone for him
and ordering the motor. When he had
gone, she returned anxiously to her
| rooms; he had promised to call her
after reaching the hospital and as soon
| as he had learned the particulars OF
| Alan's condition. 1t was ridiculous,
| of course, to attach any responsibility
| to her father or herself for what had
| happened to Alan-a street attack such
as might have happened to any one
yet she felt that they were i'll part
responsible. They had let him go to
| live alone in the house In Astor street
with NO better adviser than WaSsa-
guam. Now, and perhaps because
| they had not warned him, he had met
injury and, it might be, more than
mere injury; he might be dying.
Something which had disturbed and
excited Alan had happened to him on
| the first night he had passed in that
house; and now, it appeared, he had
| been prevented from passing second
night there. What had prevented him
had been an attempted robbery upon
| the street, her father had said. But
suppose 1t had been something else
than robbery.
She could not formulate more def
| initely this thought, but 1t persisted;
she could not deny it entirely and
| shake 1t off.
To Alan Conrad, in the late after
noon of that day, this same thought
was coming far more definitely and far
mofe persistently. He had been awake
and sane since shortly after monday.
The pain OF q head which ached throb-
bingly and Of body bruised and sore
was beginning to give place to feel
ing merely of lassitude-a languor
which revisited incoherence upon him
when he tried to think. The man who
had assailed him had meant to kill;
he>had not been any ordinary robber.
That purpose, blindly recognized and
fought against by Alan in their strug-
gle. had been unmistakable. Only the
chance presence of passersby, who had
heard Alan's shouts and responded to
them, had prevented the execution Of
his purpose, and had driven the man
to swift flight for his own safety.
A little before six Constance Sher-
riu and Spearman called to inquire
after him and were admitted for few
moments to his room. She came to
him. bent over him, while she spoke
| the few words Of sympathy the nurse
allowed to her; she stood back then
while Spearman spoke to him. In the
succeeding days he saw her nearly
every day, accompanied always by her
| father or Spearman; 1t was the full
| two weeks the doctors had insisted on
his remaining In the hospital before he
| saw her alone.
They had brought him home, the
day before-she and her father, In the
motor-to the house on Astor street.
He had insisted on returning there,
refusing the room in their house which
they had offered; but the doctor had
| enjoined outdoors and moderate exer-
else for him, and she had made him
promise to come and walk with her.
He went to the Sheriff. house about
ten O'Clock, and they walked north
ward toward the park.
"There Is something ! have been
wanting to ask you," she said.
"Yes.'
"That night when you were hurt-it
was for robbery, they said. What do
you think about it?' She watched
him as he looked at her and then
away; but his face was completely ex-
pressionless.
"The proceedings were little toe
rapid for me to judge. Miss Sheriff."
But there was no demand upon you
to give over your money before you
were attacked?"
NO."
She breathed little more quickly
"It must be a strange sensation" she
observed, "to know that some one has
tried to kill you"
''It must, indeed"
"You mean you didn't think that
ne tried to kill your"
II was hardly in condition, Miss
Sheriff. to appreciate anything about
the man at all. Why do you ask?"
BECAUSE" She hesitated an In
stant. .If you were attacked to be
killed, 1t meant that you must have
been attacked as the son of-Mr. Cor
vet. Then that meant-at least II
implied-that Mr.. Corvet was killed
that he did not go away. You see
|