VIIK OMAHA STTXDAV REF- REPTEMRFR 20. 1014.
MO
HEART
LOUIS
VANCE
JOSEPH
t
i V
EIGHTH INSTALLMENT
' The photo-drama corresponding to the tn.'rtaCmenfS of
"The Trey O'h'eartt" may nov be seen at the leading
tnyvtng picture theater. By ihit vnujve arrangement
vtth the Universal F'tm Mfg. Co. it it therefore not only
possible to read "V:e Trey O'Hcarts" in thia paper,
bet also to tee each installment of it at the moving
picture theaters.
(Ooprrtght, IPX, by Locta JiM(ill Tano.) .
MOCK ROSE
rrxor! ni a f Hmii la tha "9ibji aifir am-
1oyd trr IWiiw Trtaa In tha prim w of Ttnraance
which, throurh hn aivy of Ma deuchtar faSltb, w
mtn of violent paaalnna Ilk hl own, ho iN aalnat Abut
Uw, ann of tha man (now W4 ) wo waa Ifinocantlr r
ponatMa for tha aertdant wfclcti refill ri1 Trtna a halplora
erlppla for Ufa. Alaa) la In lora with Una, JoMtb'a twin
and doublo. though In aJI alaa bar appoalta. Judith vowa to
compaa Alaa'a daaUi. bat ba hth bar Ufa under dramatic
elrenmatanora and ao, nnwlttlnflr and anwlltinirlr. wlna
hr lova. ThoraaTtar JartWh la br tnrna anlmattd by tha
aid batrad. tha na lora, and jaalouijr of Baaa.
I MAKE-BELIEVE.
For npwards of three-quarters of an hour of that
golden morning which followed the night ol his
return to New York, Mr. Law wu permitted to
esteem himself tho happiest of mortal.
The beginning of the period waa synchronous
with the slam of a taxlcab door that shut away
a superfluous world from tha company of two who
floved.
That Bound spelled safety as well aa success In
Alan's understanding. Furthermore, If proved a
, signal for the taxi-motor to chant the opening meas
ures of a song of a single sweet-tempered note.
To this the car slipped smoothly away from the
trarb, pursued only by a little gust of semt-lronlo
cheers from the little company of working men
who had witnessed as well as measurably partlci-
pated In th putative elopement from the bouse of
Trine.
Vigilant for any Indication that their evasion had
had a witness In that strange home of deathless
hatred, Alan watched It through the little window
In the back of the cab until a corner blotted out
the vision of It; then with a sigh of relief sank
down by the side of the woman to whom bis every
thought, Impute and emotion were dedicated.
"Rose?" he whispered, and tentatively touched
i one of the hands that lay clenched In her lap.
I She responded with never a sign to Indicate con
sciousness either of his touch or his whisper.
And reminding himself of the strain Imposed
upon ber by the experience through which they
bad Just passed, Alan excused her unresponsive
ness on grounds of reaction, and for the time felt
constrained to let bis sweetheart rest and regain
,ber normal poise: there was bliss enough for him
In the consciousness that he had won ber safely
away, that nothing now more than a short hour's
drive across town and by ferry across the Hudson
stood between them and the marring that should
I prove the consummation of all their trials ...
I Barring accident!
i Alan bad too often suffered th penalty of dis
appointment for over-Indulgence In this falling of
I bis for depreciating the unforeseen, not to make
the mental reservation, "Earring accidents! " with
,a little sbtver of dread.
Had any of Trlne's household been cognizant of
i his daughter's escape, Alan argued, Interference
) toast have been instant.
I Despite the reassuring aspect, the preoccupation
iof his companion ao wore upon htm that he was
presently no longer able to refrain from disturbing
I ber.
"Roue!'' he begged again, closing a band tender
ly over hers. "Dearest girl, don't worry another
lnetantt Do calm yourself: remember we are safe
now; we fooled them handily thanks to year faith
and bravery, sweetheartl and everything la going
to be well wKh us from now on. Over in Jersey
the minister is waiting now to marry as; and down
at the White 8tar dock the boat is waiting that is
to carry us off to England the moment we're mar
ried. Think of that sod that I lor yon. Nothing
can possibly break the strength of that combina
tion" "Alan!" she breathed gently. "It cant be troet
I'm trying ao bard to believe out all the while I
know it cant be true!"
He converted a skeptic with the mete eloquence
of' bis Hps ...
Head upon his shoulder, the girl clung passion
ately to him. "Tell me again that yon love me!"
be prayed. "Promise me you'll never let anything
come between us. Promise me, Alan promise me
you'll be kind to me always, dear!"
"Can you doubt I will be kind?" be murmured
reproachfully.
"I am afraid . . ," sbe whispered.
"How could I be anything elee, lovtng you as I
dor
"Ton can't be sure. What if you were to find
you'd been mistaken T" Sbe caught ber breath and
added hastily. "That you didn't really love me, I
mean.'
"Oh, that's ridiculous?-.
1 cant be sure. Nothing in life is permanent
What is love? Illusion of the senses! What Is
happiness? A will-o'-the-wisp I What la life? A
make-believe I "
"Dearest!" He held ber mote closely still. "Ton
are nervous and overwrought Ton don't know
what you're saying. Ton cant mean what you're
saying. . . . But say that It's so that life is all
make-belter. Then make-believe you love me"
"Ob, but I do, I do!"
"And make-believe for a Tittle we've caught the
will-o'-the-wisp only for a little until you wake
tip and realise that Ira all real and true."
She closed ber eyes again: "Tea," she breathed,
"yoa are right Let's make-believe It's all true for
a little longer . . . and forget . .
He could by no meana account for this Strang's
humor; but be did bis beet to comfort ber, none
tha lees tenderly because of his mystification. And
tor a long time abe let Illusion blind her, resting
Quietly In hie arms.' making believe ...
n THE RINO.
Theirs was the last vehicle to swing between th
gates before the last ware closed.
And this waa quite as well; for Alan, rising for
one last backward glance through the rear window,
Started involuntarily and choked upon an exclama
tion when be descried a powerful touring car tear
ing madly toward the ferry-house, its one passenger
half rising from th front seat, beside th driver,
and exhibiting a oountenanc purpl with congested
chagrin as h saw his car barred out of the car
riage entrance.
Quickly sensitive to bl emotion, th girl caught
nervously at Alaa s tana.
"What Is It, dnrr
"Marrophat," he snapped.
She uttered a hushed cry of dismay.
"Don't be alarmed, howevsr," he hastened to
com fort her. "He's lost the race: tho gates are
shut evrn the passongor gates and there must
be a company spotter somewhere near by, for th
gateman is virtuously refusing to be bribed by a
roll of money as thick aa my wrist!"
At that Instant the taxlcab roTlwl abosrd the
ferry-boat; the deck gates were cloned; a boarse
whistle rent the roaring silence of the-clty; winches
rattled and chains clanked; and the boot were pon
derously out of its slip.
"So much for Mr. Marrophat!" Alan crowed. Bit
ting down. "Foiled again! He can't stop us now."
"Perhaps . . ."
"Why that perhaps? Why that toner be de
manded sharply, struck by the foreboding her ao
centf confessed.
"This Inn't the only ferry. There's the Pennsyl
vania and the Lackawanna and by hard driving
he might even manage to catch the boat that con
nect with this from the Christopher street ferry
of the Erie!"
"Impossible! I don't believe it! I won't!"
"Let's not," she agreed. "But, Alan . .
"Yes?"
"Promise me If ho should manage to cstch np
with us you won't let him talk to you. I mean,
don't let him"
"No fear of that!" he asseverated hotly. "If be
tries to exchange one word with ma I only wish
he would!"
Nor was their taxlcab three minutes out of th
forry house on theVersey shore though the chauf-
V-rr- I i A $1'-- ' girt
v.',' $six;&ki -r xi?vc '
' - U I ' rw V:l: iTl ''3vf
Y J 'C j -4 f V
';v.,-;. .... ., , rt,i
, - -.:
tetrr, stimulated by Alan's extravagant promise,
waa doing bis best to fractur the speed laws
and escape arrest when the girl's fears were am
ply Justified; a shout from bohlnd drew Alan's head
out of th window on one aide and the girl's on
the other and proved to both that Marrophat had
indeed found some way to make the crossing with
out great delay.
nis touring car was within fifty yards when
they first were made aware of it; and Marrophat
standing on the running board, was shouting in
articulately and flourishing an imperative hand;
while th distance between them was momentarily
growing lees noticeable.
As Marrophat's car drew abreast Alan nodded
and said quietly: "Don't be alarmed; I can attend
to this gentleman singlet-handed."
. And this he proceeded to demonstrate with ad
mirable ease, even though called upon to do so
far sooner th,n he had thought to be thanks to
Marrophat's hair-brained precipitancy. For, failing
to Influence the taxi driver by shouted demands or
threats, or to gain the least attention from Alan,
Trlne's first lieutenant abruptly and surprisingly
toot his llf in his hands and in one wild .bound
bridged the distance between the two flyfng oars
and landed on th taxi's runnmghoard. ,
"Stop!" be screamed madly. "Stop, I say! Ton
don't know what you're doing! Let me tell yon "
He got that far but no farther. In the same
breath Alan bad flung wide the door and was at
the fellow's throat. There was a struggle of negli
gible duration; Marrophat waa rn no way bis an
tagonist's match; within three seconds he threw
out -both hands, clutched hopelessly at the frame- i
work of the cab. and fell heavily to the street ,
The taxi sped on without pane, its driver deaf to
the bails of innocent If Indignant bystanders. Alan
pulled himself together and looked back Just In
time to catch a glimpse of a number of loafers
lifting Marrophat to bis feet and helping him te
the sidewalk of an unsavory-looking tenement, be
fore the cab took a corner on two wheels ..."
"Not seriously Injured, I fancy," be told the girl
in response to her eager look. "Wore luck!" b
added gloomily. -
But It seemed that h was to hav greater cans .
than this to complain of bis luck, before that ride
waa ended. Three blocks further on a tire blew out
wlth a rport lik a cwuK-crcker, aa j t& tiLXl
furched perilously, hesitated, slowed down, and
limped dejectedly to the curb.
Alan and the chauffeur piled out In the same In
stant the one standing guard with an eye out as
well for another cab while the other assessed
damages.
"Nothing for It but a new tiro, sir," this last re
ported sympathetically. "It must hav been a
broken bottle or something like that It but did
rip the usefulness clean out of that shoe."
"Oo to it," Alan advUd him tersely; "and If you
make a qnick Job of It, 111 stand the cost of the
new tire."
The rapidity wltb which he'comploted the change
of tires proved him aa excellent chauffeur, an adept
at bis craft; but the delay was one disastrous for
all that It worked together with what Alan par
donably described as the devil's own luck to bring
the touring car In Bight at th precis moment
when th chauffeur was cranking np and Alan on
the point of re-entering the cab. And though they
were off again before Alan could close the door, the
attempt was hopeless from the start
No until they were well into the suburbs, with
few dwellings near and no pedestrian to interfere,
did Marrophnt's purpose become apparent Then,
however end. it happened while Alan was looking
back the touring car drew in swiftly and easily
and Marrophat rising in his scat leveled a revolver
over the windshield and fired.
The crack of his weapon was practically coinci
dent with, a mstnlllo thud beneath the rear seat of
th taxlcab.
Not for soma moments did Alan appreciate the
rlciousness of the scheme. Surmising that the
gasoline tank bad been punctured by the bullet, be
was inclined to believe that Marrophat hoped to
That Women r JaoTth, Not Rom," Shouted Marrophat,
stop th taxlcab by depriving It, in course of time,
of its fuI. And with this in mind he was pres
ently surprised, as the cab took a corner, to see
Marrophat's car stop at that corner and Marrophat
himself got down. The brow of a hill Intervened,
shutting off sight of the blackguard aa he knelt and
lit a match. It was the girl who gave the alarm,
suddenly withdrawing ber bead from th window
to scream at Alan:
"He's flred the gasoline! Ifs flnmlng along the
street, following the line of th leak and catching
up with us!"
Without panslng to put his hand to th latch,
Alan kicked the door open.
"Jump!" he cried. "For your life Jump! As
soon as that flame catches np with the tank
Simultaneously the chauffeur, overhearing, shut
off the power.
The three gained the sidewalk barely Ir time:
th tiny trail of flames, almoBt Imperceptible in
the sunlight, was not a yard from the Jet that
spurted through the bullet hole In the tank. In the
flutter of an eyelash, tbe explosion followed. Had
th cab been loaded with nitroglycerin its destruc
tion could hav been no more absolute. !
There was a roar . . , and then a heap of
smoking ruins.
Without waiting to admire the spectacle, Alan
caught the arm of the girl and hurried her up th
street at the same time calling to the chauffeur to
follow. And chance brought them to the next cor
ner as another cab, fareless, hove into view. Prom
ising Its driver anything h might ask, in or out
of reason, Aian gav him th address, and helped
the gtrl in.
If Marrophat pursued Alan could see no sign of
him, Th second car mad better time than tho
first Unhindered, and as far aa could be deter
mined, without being followed, it covered the brief
remaining distance la a gratefully abort laps of
time.
Th suburb dropped behind a maze of streets
where dwellings stood shoulder to shoulder and
dooryards were scant The car swept np to a cor-
tier bouse of modest and homely aspect Two n?ln
nte mora, and Alaa w exchanging salutations
with and making bis brtd4o-b known to Dtgbri
good friend, the Reverend Mr. Wright,
Emberraaornent worked cotrfWoa with, tbe yocng
man's perceptive faculties. As this) moment ap-fT?-04-
to slKdberria piie wh.o hod
gone through fire and flood, literally as well as
figuratively, for each other's sake, Incredulity drew
a veil before his vision. He viewed the world as in
a glass, darkly. .
And then he was aware of a door that banged
violently In the hallway; of the sound of a man's
voice making some indistinguishable demand; that
Rose's hand waa suddenly whipped away, before he
could fit on the ring; that the study door was flung
open and that this animal of a Marrophat had
precipitated himself into the room.
He opened his month to protest and Marrophat
v silenced him with a cry.
"You fool! Drop that ling! Stop this -farce!
Don't you know whom you're marrying? That
woman Is Judith Trine, you Idiot not Rose!"
Blankly Alan turned to the girl.
Her flaming face, her sullen eyes, her very pose,
from which the manner of Rose had dropped like
a cast garment, confessed the truth of Marrophat's
assertion. And as if this were not enough, Judith
confessed It doubly with a sudden outbreak of
such rage as never could have been brewed in
Rose's gentle nature.
"You devil!" she CTled and threw herself in
front of Marrophat with a spring as lithe as that
of a leopardess. "Take "warning now from me:
keep out of my way forever after this or take the
consequences! God knows," she panted, "why I
don't kill you as you stand!"
He was in her way, between ber and the open
door. She gave blm no chance to move aside, but
seized blm so fiercely by the wrists that he instinc
tively lifted to protect himself, and she fairly
. threw him half a doren feet from ber. He brought
up with a crash against the wall even as th door
slammed behind the girL
4 I
Whn Alaa, th first to recover, gained the side
walk, so was already In tbe taxlcab. Whatever
reward ah bad promised the man, be whipped his
machine away as if from th fear of sudden death.
And darting from the house hard on the minis
ter's heels, Marrophat leaped Into his own car and,
as if he had not heard her threat or received sub
stantial proof of her earnestness, tor oft la pur
suit , ni AND THE ROSE.
Taking the daxed young man by the hand, as
though he had been a child, the Reverend Mr.
Wright led Alan back to his study and established
blm In a comfortable armchair beside his desk.
"Sit there and compos yourself, my dear young
friend," he insisted In a soothing voice.
At the elbow of the Reverend Mr. Wright a
telephone shrilled imperatively. With a gesture of
professional patience he turned to the instrument,
lifted the receiver to his ear, and spoke in musical
ly modulated accents.
"Yes. . . . Yes:' this is Mr. Wright . . .' Ah.
yes, Mr. Dlgby. . . Not coming? But. my dear
sir, Mr. Law Is already here. I must tell you "
He checked with a reproving glance for Alaa,
who was twitching his sleeve Insistently.
"If you please." Alan begged, "let me spesk to
Dlgby at once. Forgive me"
Reluctantly the minister surrendered th tele
phone. "That yon. Dlgby V
"Alan! Bless my soul, what are you doing over
there? Is Miss Trine with you? But bow can
that be posalbJer
"Rose? No. What about herr Alan demanded,
stsmmerlng with anxiety.
"Why one of my spies has Just reported by tele
phone. He was going on duty this morning when
b saw a young woman either Rose or Judith
wearing a rough coat over boudoir dress elimb out
of one of the basement windows of Trlne's house.
She was apparently la great distress of mind and
anxious to escap without being seen from the
bouse; but befor my man whose post of observa
tion is in the third story of on of tbe houses op
posite could get to th street she bad been caught
by several rough-looking customers, who rushed
out of Trtna's boose, seised th girl, and mad off
with ber In motor-car bearing a New Jersey,
license number. I am sending men to watch the)
Jersey ferries. Call me up in an hour"
Without a word of response, and without a word
of apology to the Reverend Mr. Wright. Alaa
dropped the receiver, snatched up his hat, and fled
that house like a man demented.
Rose, escaping from Trlne's house, overpowered
and made the captive of Trlne's lowest creatures
gunmen possibly, of the stamp of that animal whom
Trine had charged with the assassination of Alan
the night before!
There was neither a motor-car in sight for him
to charter nor any time to waste in seeking one.
Alan could only hope to find one on his way back
toward the ferry. It must have been upwards of
an hour before he came Into a street which he
recognized, by Its dinginess and squalor, as that
In which be had thrown Marrophat from the running-board
of the taxicah.
And then, as he paused, breathless and footsore,
to cast about him for the way to the ferry, a tour
ing car turned a corner at top speed and slowed to
a stop before that selfsame tenement of the un
savory aspect to whose sidewalk he bad seen
Marrophat assisted by the loafers of the quarter.
t
And this touring car was occupied by some half-a-dozen
ruffians in whose hands a young girl
writhed and struggled when, immediately on the
Btop. they Jumped out and wrestled her out with
brutal lnconslderatlon.
Like a shot Alan had crossed tbe street but only
to bring up nose to the panels of the tenement door,
and to find himself seized and thrown roughly aside
by a burly denizen when he grasped the knob and
made as if to follow in.
"Keep back, young feller!" his assailant warned
him viciously. "Keep outa this, now, if you don't
want to get into trouble."
To the speaker's side another ranged, eyeing
Alan with a formidable scowl. At discretion he
stepped back and turned as if persuaded to mind
his own business, then swung on his heel, caught
the two In the very act of opening the door, and
threw himself between them.
An elbow planted heavily in the pit of the stom
ach of one disposed of him for the time being.
A blaw from the shoulder sent the other reeling
to the gutter. And Alan was In tfie tenement's
lowermost hall a foul and evll-odored place, dark
as a pit the Instant the door was closed. Its murk
relieved only by the flame of a kerosene lamp smok
ing in a bracket near the foot of the btalrs.
Sounds of scuffling of feet were audible on tbe
first landing. Alan addressed himself Impetuously
to the staircase, gaining its top in half a dozen
leaps, and only in time to see a door slammed at
the forward end of the hall and hear a key turned
in Its lock.
A cluster of men blocked his way. He dldnt
pause to wait for It to be cleared, but threw him
self headlong into their midst, and by dint of tho
Eurprlsa had gained the closed door before they re
covered and sought to stay him.
Indifferent to them all, he shook the knob and
shouted: "Rose! Rose!"
Her cry camo back to blm, a muffled scream:
Alan! Help! Help!"
Backing away with a mad Idea of throwing him
self bodily against tbe door and breaking It down,
he was suddenly confronted by a hideous mask of
humanity face of man all mlsshapened, bruised
and swollen and disfigured with smears of dried
blood and a dirty bandage round his templeB, but
none the less vaguely recognizable.
The words that streamed from its distorted lips
drove recognition home.
"Gee, fellers, look't who's here! If it ain't th
guy what threw me off'n that girder this mornln.
Stand back and let me kill th' "
Without the hesitation of a heartbeat Alan swung
heavily for the thug's Jaw. The blow went solidly
home. The man fell like a poled ox.
Pandemonium ensued. Rallying to their comrade,
th ruffians attacked Alan with one mind and on
Intent. Murder would have been done then and
there had It not been for a rotten banlster-raTL
which gave way, precipitating the lot to the ground
floor of tbe hallway.
Simultaneously the lamp on the wall was struck
from Its bracket and crashed to the floor, its glass
well breaking and loosing a flood of kerosene to
receive the burning wick. The explosion followed
instantly. In a trice the hallway was a lake of
burning oil, and hungry flames were licking np th
rotting wallpaper and eating Into decayed base
boards and stair-treads.
Still fighting like a madman, contesting every
foot of the way, Alan was borne down the ball and
out of the front door. A scream of "Fire!" greeted
him as be reeled out Into the open. It was echoed
by a dozen throats.
He looked up, dashing from his smarting eyes
tears drawn by the stifling clouds of smoke, and
saw vaguely at the second story window a woman
leaning out and shrieking for help.
That it was hopeless to attempt the Btalrcase
be well knew. Drawing aside, he endeavored to
come to his sober senses, and cast about for some
more feasible way to effect the rescue of his Rose.
The tenement occupied one corner of a narrow
street. ' Directly opposite, a storage warehouse
stood upon the other corner. Before this last was
the common landing stage for truck deliveries, pro
tected by a shed-roof. And, suspended from a tlm
ber that peered out over the eaves, a hoisting
tackle dragged the ground with Its ropes.
It was the work of a minute to convince a thick,
headed policeman that the attempt was feasible
and should be permitted. It was the work of less
than another minute to rig a loop in the line and
fasten round his body beneath the arms. Volun
teers did not lack: a couple of husky longshoremen
sprang to the ropes at his first call. They heaved
with a will. His feet left the ground, he soared,
he caught the eaves of the shed-roof, and shouting
to ceasa hauling, drew himself up on this last
backed a little ways down it and calculating bis di
rection nicely, with a running Jump launched hlnv
self out over the street.
The momentum of his leap carried him well out
over the heads of the throng assembled In th
street and truly toward that window where Ros
awful Instant he believed that he had failed. But
with the last expiring ounce of Impetus, he was
brought within grasping distance of the window
Hauling himself up. he gathered her Into bis
arms ... "
A great tongue of tawny flam licked angrily out
of th window as he swung her back to saftj,
ilo be ontiauaiLi.
