The Holly chieftain., 1922-06-22

out disturbing Mrs. Sheriff. Constance,
kimona over her shoulders, stood at
the top Of the stairs and waited. 1t
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 rs he came up.
He told her Of the situation briefly.
| "He was attacked on the street late
last night; he was unconscious when
hospital. and has been unconscious
ever since. No one csn 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 in part
responsible. They had let him 20 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, 1t 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, 1t 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 it 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
more persistently. He had been awake
and sane since shortly after MONDAY.
The pain Of 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-
rill and Spearman called to inquire
after him and were admitted for a 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 l 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 it7" She watched
him as he looked at her and then
away but his face was completely ex-
pressionless.
"The proceedings were little too
rapid for me to Judge, Miss Sheriff."
But there was no demand upon you
+ to give over your money before you
were attacked?"
mo"
She breathed little more quickly.
ut must be strange sensation" she
observed, "to know that some one has
tried to kill you"
"It must, indeed"
"You mean you didn't think that
he tried to kill your
81 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, it meant that you must have