The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1924-01-18

naQ taken me, Inc DldCk0eSS INTO
which she had vanished. all this
combined. BY degrees it piled up into
a certainty that my wanderer of the
night had stolen child, and that 1
had assisted her. Then my confused
state Of mind became complicated by
the realization that babies with cor
Nonets on their clothes are not gener.
ally found in houses on Guelf St. / saw
myself in the middle of burlesque
rather than melodrama. But the
baby did have coronet on its clothes.
Perhaps it had been stolen that day,
and Rhoda was the person to afford it
| deeper concealment. Then l re-
membered my hat. and horror fell over
me like a muffling sheet. What was
! going to happen? If that baby was
| important, hunt would take place
Probably the taxi man read in the pa.
pers an account of the stealing from
/ Guelf st. He would remember the
| girl, the baby . and me. And my
| hat, within the. lining, bore my name
and address. How was ] going to
explain that was no accessory to the
crime? l had visions of a prosecu-
ton; of myself. if not going to Jail, at
least socially compromised.
There was no question of sleep now.
u turned about and about upon my
burning bed, at one moment a crimi-
nal, at another an outcast. 1 even
had a beautiful serene mood when I
saw myself going to the police station
and offering myself up. I loathed
myself for having been such a fool
and left my hat behind. Several times
I resolved in future to go TO bed every
night at half-past ten. But all this did
not give me back my fatal hat. Thus,
at half-past five, completely exhausted,
got up, dressed, out of habit shaved
thrusting away the idea Of cutting
my throat. did not at all know what
1 wanted to do. L mainly wanted to
get out and think.
1 went out into the cool morning
that was golden and radiant With
summer The streets were white and
lovely, as they are at that hour. l
walked through the pretty desert Of
Mayfair into the park. where for a
while | sat on a bench. But / was
too restless and after while went
on, still through the parks. 1t was
nearly a quarter to seven now; l
realized with a shock that I was in
stinctively moving toward Guelf St,
like a murderer drawn to the scene of
his crime.
When l reached the fatal corner,
instinct seemed to guide me: though
the light should have deceived my
eyes. l knew exactlySS where Rhoda
had gone. 1t was Just there, thirty
yards along, on the right. to a very
tall black house faced with stone.
There were a good many people about,
and already children were playing in
the cutters. Thus, without drawing
attention. l went up to the house. 1t
seemed ordinary enough: the curtains
suggested certain tidiness Then I
perceived a half-effaced brass plate
upon the door where read the words:
Mrs. Colds Nursing Home l was
stupefed, for Mrs. Colds Nursing
Home is one of the most famous in all
London, one of the most opulent. The
idea that a little shop girl from Elgin
Avenue could receive a baby from
such portals was absurd. unless she
received it illegitimately. The convic-
ton fastened upon me that my night
mares were correct, that kidnapping
was the adventure in which l had had
a hand. l felt puzzled. How was II
that Mrs. Colds Nursing Home lay
in Guelf Street? Then l remembered
that the next turning on the left was
Royal Place. which is the address of
the home. I was standing before the
3 ho al
1 had better face the trouble. Per
haps it was too late to repair what
had done. So 1 mounted the steps, and
with a trembling hand rang the bell.