Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-06-01

with the thought that she was ac-
cording charity to a dear transgres-
sor, already she felt her strength to
resist being sapped, flesh and spirit
succumbing anew to the spell he
knew toe well how to weave.
The scales hung long in trembling.
They turned only when Summerlad,
unwisely, losing patience, sought to
take by storm the lips she had not
yet made up her mind to surrender.
and thus aroused resistance till then
dormant.
With an ease that in a queer. de-
tached way she found surprising.
she managed to break his embrace.
Nevertheless the effort left her faint.
She faltered to the fireplace and
rested a hand on the mantel, her
forehead upon the hand. Lynn fol-
lowed, stood by her side. Over and
over he murmured gently: Linda,
Linda. Linda Shaking from
head to foot, she made a feeble sign
OF appeal. He disregarded this en-
tirely, his arms again stole round
her and would have drawn her to
him but that. of a sudden, her mind
caught at a straw of memory, she
drew away. with a hand upon his
bosom put him firmly from her. eyes
that were melting nom the less
denying him, lips that were a-quiver
with Yes resolutely pronouncing
mol"
You are cruel -
mo, Lynn. Wait. Tell me some-
thing /. You say she-your wife
agreed to divorce your"
st made her PROMISE" summerlad
asserted grimly.
"When was that? The day she
disappeared? The day I found her
lying s~enseless in her room?"
IT suppose so. Well, then-yes."
"Did you have much of a scene?"
'I'll say it was some stormy young
session."
us that why you found it neces-
sary to strike herr"
Summerlad started. WHAT
Strike her! What do you mean?"
But his eyes WINGED from her
importunate regard.
"She-Nelly had a bruise on her
cheek that afternoon; and 1t wasn't
an old bruise. Lynn, you struck
her!"
Perhaps. Maybe / did forget my
self. I don't remember. What If l
did? She asked for it, didn't she?
I'd have half killed her if she'd
stuck to her refusal to go back
east!"
Realizing hat his tongue was
again running away with his discro-
ton, he curbed 1t sharply.
She started back in repulsion. but
he overlook her in the middle of the
room and again crushed her to him.
Linda, Linda. what do these
things matter? I love you. dearest.
you love me. nothing else matters.
For Gods sake be kind to me! Let's
forget"
The fury of her antagonism found
him unprepared. Once more his
arms were empty. And this time
when he started in pursuit some
thing he couldn't see struck him
brutally in the chest and threw him
back. In the same instant he heard
a heavy, crashing noise he couldn's
account for. An inhuman sound. 1t
shook the room, beat ~deafeningly
upon ones ears. As if someone had
overturned a heavy piece of furni-
ture. Only no one had. Certainly he
hadn't, certainly Lucinda hadn't.
She was fattened against the farther
wall, watching him with a face of
horror, blanched and gaping.
Enraged, he put forth all his
Slk ellklI II W IcCONCE IlOIl thdL IiCA-
plicable blow. And instantly it a
repeated. And again. Each time ac-
companied by that savage. crashing
noise. Like thunder cut off short.
And each time he reeled under the
impact. and sickening pains shot
through him, like knives white-hot.
He felt himself sinking -.
In expiring flashes of conscious
ness he saw Lucinda, still fiat
against the wall. staring not at him
but at a French window nearby. Be-
tween its curtains a woman's arm
was thrust, the hand grasping an
automatic pistol with muzzle family
Tuning. There was a face of sha-
dowed pallor dimly visible beyond
the curtains. a face with wild, ex-
XXI
To the woman pinned to the wal.
by shock the moments Immediately
were q raving welter of horrors.
Between two ~heartbeats she saw
Lynn, with a face as blank as paper,
spinning. topping, beating the air
with aimless arms, pitching to the
fioor like something blasted. resting
there in a sickening. inert crumple;
and was keenlv aware of the acrid
reek OF smokeless powder cutting,
as acid cuts oil. the sensuous scent
of the roses that dressed the room
in her honor; and all the while was
conscious OF the pistol nosing in be-
tween the draperies like an animate
thing of infinite malice. and the pal
lid oval of the face behind it. thai
seemed to float in the dark rs might
tho mask of some mac ghost.
" H. ~ A eAAfe
lost weight and volume a thin shout
ing became audible from some point
outside the house, and Nelly Mar
quis, with the sweep of a fury. her
eyes burning like black opals. broke
through the hangings at the win
dow. and pulled up with pistol lew
eled point-blank at Lucinda's breast.
A single thought persisted: An
other instant and I shall be as
Then abruptly through the win
dow a dark and heavy body hurled
and fastened upon the woman's
back, swinging her aside, the pistol
detonated with q below, the bullet
pumped into the wall close by Luz
cinda's head.
She heard a voice crying out again
and again. Bel! Bel! Bell" -.
long time hung in dread upon the
issue of that swaying combat, while
Bel chung to the woman's arm. NUT
tering and painting in futile efforts
to wrest her weapon away; while
Nelly clawed. bit, kicked, pounded
her free fist repeatedly into Bells
face, and wrenched madly at her
captive wrist.
or a sudden. from her hand a
spiteful tongue of fre licked out 1T