THE BEE: OMAHA, MONDAY, JUNE 19, 1916.
Go
riar&
Roman
ce
By Mr. and Mrs.
Rupert Hughes
The Wages of Sin
itovallaad from tba Motion Hotuio Bnw of iho ma Tma M
Craorga xlelnt. ; '
.TVIMO 10 VOTED STAB, HIS! B Hi I. IB BVBZB.
Copyright. 1SU6, by Adelaide M. Hughes. .,-
SEVENTH INSTALLMENT.
Freneau in his office going over
the morning's mail was in a beastly
temper. He snapped at his clerk
when that cheery young man wished
him i bright ' Good morning." He
made short work of the mildly flir
tatious stenographer's attempt to be
gin the day l.reezily f r him.
. .:. The air of the office was clouded
with Freneau's gloom when his part
ner, Mulry. entered gayly and slapped
him on- the back.. The clerk and
stenographer paused, expectant, but
before he spoke to Mulry, Freneau
snarled to them:
. " Get out and stay out till I send
for yo-j."
- They got out ,
Mulry was amused at his friend's
had temper. He chuckled: - Wrong
side of the bed this ' morning, old
bear? What seems to be your little
trouble now?" ;
Freneau rose, threw his cigar away,
stuck his hands in his Dockets, and,
pacing the' floor, proceeded to ac
quaint Mulry with the dire state of
his love affairs. Mulry continued to
be mildly amused until he realized
that their financial security was again
at stake; then he became serious at
once, v , .
' Freneau told him that Lois Staf
ford, whom he was attempting to get
rid of., had learned of his engage
ment to her Sister-in-law. Gloria, and
had become unmanageable.
-".!, thrmt.n.A ,l.t ...I... T .....
up my proposed marriage, she will
confess the whole affair and then kill
herself."
-principally tnis meant to Mulry that
the firm would have to refund the
large sum of money Freneau had just
borrowed from Gloria's father on the
strength of the engagement, Mulry
began pacing the floor also, chewing
his cigar. At last he chewed out an
idea that pleased him.
"You make the trip to the branch
officers in my place, and take your
fair tormentor along. . Perhaps you
can appease her and get her into a
reasonable state of mind."
Freneau did not care for the
scheme. He shook his head in de
rision. Mulry urged. -
"At least it would gain time for
US." ;v
no, us out oi tne1 question; try
again." Freneau manned. "Shi
i ing to the Catskills for a, week and
anc inaisu on my tagging along.
. Mulry rubbed hit head. His mas-
idea, for he began to rummage
through his desk. He beckoned to
freneau to come over to him and h rl
up delightedly a handful of miscel
laneous papers. Freneau looked and
saw merely a number of sheets of
writing twoer and envelones from
various big hotels about the country
jncy mesne noming to mm.
Mulry laughed and swung his huge
bulk -back in the iwivel chair till he
almost capsized it. Freneau, saving
him from a fall, demanded the reason
for the gay outburst. Mulry waved
the blank sheets of paper and en
velones at him and exclaimed:
"When I stay at a hotel I always
a nr.. v . In, , . - .1 I
FFC envel
opes.
."Yet? And what have your par
simonious habits to do with our pres
ent irouDier quenea rreneau pa
tiently.
Mulry was disgusted. ' "Why, don't
you see, you poor Don Juan? You
take these letterheads and write love
letters on them to your sick fiancee.
I take them with me and mail them
from the different towns I make.
Then Miss Stafford will think vou are
there. Meanwhile you can go away
to the Catskills and meet' your
irouoicsome iou. it you can t rig ui
some atory to get your letter bad
from her and keep her quiet until
after your marriage, why you're not
the little bright eyes I always took
you for. See now?" . '
PpDHMBH AlA U. n,.. ...I.
. uiu -.. -IV T. . 1 1 V k Eli'
thusiastic but this teemed the onlv
, possible way to tide over the present
reet in nts way to tne harbor of mat
rimony. At least it uoi a rhanra mnA
he would ae it. It was the only one
he dared to try.
Freneau was riinhonnrahl. Freneati
was unmistakably an adventurer and
what the world calls a cad, but he
was born of gentle people; he had
good blood in his veins, as hit world
ly graces showed. He truly adored
Gloria and wanted only her. There
was sharp torment in the agonies he
endured fearing the loss of her
through his previous sins. His pun
ishment was not far off and he was
to meet it with neither peaceful
thoughts nor clear conscience. He
had enmeshed himself in so complex
a web of intrigue and wrongdoing
.thai- tri a ffNfrK laana, xf tar- A nam aar f m.m a.
more complex. He had courage of a
kind and a great belief in his own re
sources, cut ne was growing sxepti
cal of his ability to fight to many ene
; tnies at once.
V Who knows? If Gloria had been a
woman when he first saw her, the
woman the now was, instead of the
child then, ahe tniffht have laved hia
' soul and his life. But he had to take
the present as the past gave it to
him. and hone for a future of more
, Straightforward life.
Late that night in his apartment
Freneau started the batch of love let
ters and telegrams for Gloria, He
became interested in them, and so
carried away by the fervor he infused
into them that early dawn and his
valet found him asleep at last with
his head resting on sheets of paper
that bore such messages as:
"Dear Darling Gloria: As I tele
graphed your I arrived safely, but
missed you terribly. This week of
ahtenfa. will aeem an efernttv .
. This was on a letterhead of the
, Hoel Ten Eyck in Albany. ' Others
were written from other hotels. The
last one he had written was on the
paper of the Fort Pitt hotel, Pitts
burgh. In it he said:
"The eternity of this long week is
over. I return tomorrow to your
armt. .'.
He sealed the letters, wondering
what would be the answer to them.
He took them to the office, and the
next day when Mulry took his train
to Albany he carried with him these
letters. He was well Dleased with
the network of lies that he and Fren
eau had woven to deceive Gloria. But
1 h is much easier to carry out plots in
fiction than in fact.
CHAPTER XXIII.
David, Lois and her father, Judge
Freeman, were going to the opera
t -at night and they stopped to see
i loria on their way. Gloria was tit
t .ig up -on her chaise lounge, still
venge, but so far he had been unre
warded. Unable to run down Freneiu
elsewhere, he picked on the Pier
pont Stafford home as the most like
ly and also the most fitting place to
accost him. It was there that he had
first seen Freneau in New York. He
stood by the iron-barred gate, watch
ing, until a policeman drove him
away. Then he crossed Riverside
drive to the Soldiers' and Sailors'
mounment and resumed a more dis
tant watch over the house.
Freneau was indeed there; he had
come to bid Gloria goodby. He told
her he was leaving on a midnight
train.
Gloria was reclining on the chaise
longue, exquisitely attired in an ivory
colored lace peignoir, the bands of
white swansdown which trimmed it
no whiter than her own fair skin.
Her beautiful hair, drawn lightly into
hit "templet. Lois' armt were' about J , j fjgii II
Freneau and his about her. -. Royce 1 SJ . 1 il
heard her saying: 1 ABtM t I Sf
"At midnight by the pavilion, near '"'HL aJkl ";lF Will I l(
the soldiers' monument I'll be there. . V JHk$&flj 1 sir
Don't fail me," - T Y J H tr
't I Jk I
' V-' ' O.K. lii tti aili ' arf i .laiy
aaam mi, ilyVW
r
WHEN MULRY TOOK THE TRAIN HE WAS WELL PLEASED
WITH THE NET WORK OF LIES THAT HE AND FRENEAU HAD
WOVEN TP DECEIVE GLORIA.
pale and somewhat weak. She sub-'
mitted, rather than invited, the in-law
kiss that Lois brushed over her cheek.
Then she turned to David and pouted:
"Oh, dear, some people- have all
the luck, 'You are going to hear
Geraldine Farrar in 'Madame1 Butter
fly,' while I must lie here doing noth
ing. They won't even let me read,
the stingy old things I" she made a
mouth at her nurse ."And I do de
spise to be read to. Just wait until
I get out of their clutches. I'll make
up for this; I'll be Madame Butterfly
all over the place."
David smiled at her innocence in
the allusion to Butterfly, but neither
he nor Gloria knew that Lieutenant
Pinkerton was a white woolly lamb
compared to Gloria's own lover, Fre
neau. - Lois had moved away from Gloria
toward the bedside table, where a
framed photograph of Freneau looked
tauntingly at her. A jealous desire
for possession came over her. She
longed to take the image of the man
from Gloria as well at the man him
self. The whim became immediately
a necessity to her. She glanced across
at the group about Gloria. No one
was looking her way. A tmile curled
at the cornert of her lipt and a' tri
umphant gleam shot for a moment
into her handsome, sullen eyes as the
slipped the picture into her opera bag.
Lois was utterly maddened and
desperate in her pasion for Freneau
now, for the knowledge that she was
to lose him made her utterly ruth
less to herself as to alt who might
stand in the way of her last days
with him. She hardly knew what
the wat doing; the had but one idea
on earth. Even if the had known of
the anonymous letter her husband
had received, and of the suspicions
aroused in Royce's mind, it is doubt
ful if the would have acted differ
ently. - She must be alone with Freneau
uninterrupted to plead with him to
give up Gloria and to run away with
her or, failing that, to get back her
letters and gain time to reconstruct
her life and recover trom her loss.
The next morning, as the was go
ing over Freneau's letters, her father
droDDed in unexpectedly, une oi rre
neau t envelopes had fallen to the
floor unnoticed by Lois. The judge
ttoooed to Dick it up for her. He
saw Freneau's name and, trained as
he was in the wiles of criminals, he
tutpected Lois at once and flatly ac
cused her of an intrigue with Freneau.
She merely flonced away in a temper,
y ng:
"I am
mvaelf. If vou want to. believe evil
of your own daughter why, believe
. . . .
She left Tudse Freeman dumb
founded and distracted.: In the aft
ernoon, while David was at his office,
theworried father again visited Lois
to try aotter woras. in tne .nan ne
met her houseman carrrying a trunk
ddwnstaita' for" the express. -Freneau
had advised Lois to tend her baggage
by train and motor up with him in
the Catskills.
Judge Freeman took the liberty of
reading the tag on that trunk. He
saw that it was checked to Blendike,
a village n the Catskills. ,' -
Going to Lois room, be questioned
her. She answered that as David was
going away that evening she thought
she would run out to Lenox to visit
Aunt Kate.
Aunt Kate has gone to Florida, as
you know, her father answered
sternly.
I forgot, but anyway. 1 have to get
off by myself for a few days; my
nerves are in ribbons. - f lease leave
me alone," Lois said,, and burst into
tears. ,
Again her father left her, hit anx
iety greater than before.
. . i
When Dr. Royce made his morning
call on his beloved patient, Gloria, he
found her still progressing toward
complete recovery trom her illness.
But her spirits did not seem joyous
as they should be. He thought bit-,
terly that this might be due to his
orders that she should not be allowed
to see Freneau. He told her that he
withdrew the embargo and her rap
ture confirmed his fears. ,
That afternoon he chanced to be
passing David Stafford's home just as
David stepped from his car, David
greeted him warmly and insisted on
hit coming into the house. Royce
wat out of his coat and hat before
David had finished glancing at tome
letters the butler gave him. As he
felt thoroughly at home here, Royce
wenti ahead to the living room. He
thought he heard a Murmur of voices.
Parting the curtains, he saw some
thing that made the blood pound in
Royce dropped the curtains noise
lessly and stepped back as David ap
proached, talking briskly. Royce was
thankful for the sound; it would give
the vulgarly guilty pair time to separ
ate and spare David a hideous knowl
edge, at least for the time being.
Royce and David entered, and Lois
greeted her husband warmly. Royce
sickened at the sight. He would not
speak; but he refused Freneau's hand.
Freneau, a trifle jolted, said that he
had dropped in to inquire about
Gloria. After a few minutes he left.
Rovce said he would go along, as he
had something to discuss with Fre
neau. ' -
He told David that he would see
him later, and for very pity did not
look him in the eye.
But he gave Lois a meaning look
of wonder at her evil recklessness.
Then he followed Freneau with wrath
boiling in his heart.
Without waiting for an invitation,
he jumped into Freneau's car, and as
soon as it was under way Royce burst
forth:
"You infernal hound I You couldn t
play iair if you tried, could you? And
you wouldn't, would you? But now
you've got to give up Gloria and get
on tne other side ot the globe or
you'll wish you had never been born
I know what you are up to and I ad
vise you not to undertake it. I mean
it. I warn you that I will stop at
nothing to rpevent you from wreck
ing both of those homes."
A spark of manhood flickered vet
in Freneau's soul, and he attempted
to explain in tome part his own help
lessness, but Royce cut him short.
The facts as he had seen them per
mitted no explanation.
ut course you won t listen; you
want Gloria yourself. You are only
too anxious to get me out of the way.
But don't let your Jealousy drive you
absolutely insane."
Koyce stopped the car and got out.
"I've warned you." was his nartins
'shot. "i
All the rest of the dav Rovce non-
dered over where his own duty in
th ematter lay. He could not tell
Gloria what he had seen. The shock
might have thrown her back into a
fever. -He could never bring himself
to smirch her love and young faith in
his rival's honor, ' He could not put
the responsibility and the horror of
tun Knowledge on hit friend David,
nor east the burden on David's old
father. It was not Rovce's nature to
shift responsibilities on other should
ers. Ther teemed to me onlv one
way: He alone knew everything; he
alone must save the Stafford family
from scandal. But how?
He tried to clear hit brain by for
getting. He took un a medical hnnk
for ttudy, but between his eyes and
tne page came a vision oT Freneau
at a leering Satan. It laughed and
mocked at him, teeming to say:
"I will destroy Gloria and Lois and
David, and ynu cannot stop me."
- Royce jumped up and closed his
book, a look of set purpose coming
to his grim face. It was nearly mid
night when he took from the drawer
of his desk table a revolver and
slipped it into his pocket.
When Koyce met David, David
had not told him that he was leav
ing town for a week. David was not
sure what would happen, and Lois
was the only one he wanted to de
ceive. She was to buisly duping him
that the had no thought of his re
turning the compliment. It was diffi
cult for him to play the part he had
assumed, and if the had been more
on the alert the would have seen
the constraint in his manner.
She played her own role with the
ease of long practice. There was
nothing sincere about her except her
joy in wavin s oenanure. sne thought
that nothing in the world could have
been more -Opportune. But she
wanted to make sure that no accident
befell him. She did not want him to
mist that train.
, She went to the Pennsylvania sta
tion with him, acting the heart
broken, deserted wife with all her
art. She bade him gooyby at the
gate and when he went down stairs
to the train underground she still
would not leave till she taw the roofs
of the cart move off' into the tunnel
and the porter who carried David's
baggage come back. Then the felt it
safe and the departed from the na
tion with a sigh of deep relief.
If she had been a little less im
patient the would have tern David
return through the gate after the
A SMILE CURTED AT THE CORNERS OF HER LIPS, AND A
TRIUMPHANT GLEAN SHOT FOR A MOMENT INTO HER HAND
SOME, SULLEN EYES AS SHE SLIPPEDJHE PICTURE INTO H.ER
OPERA BAG. v '
train had7 pulled out. David, making
sure that she had not caught sight
of him, took his miserable doubts
with him to one of his clubs.
Judge Freeman found him there,
and, noting his expression, asked
him what had kept him from taking
his train. When David saw his
father-in-law the smoldering of his
trouble burst into flame. He snatched
the anonymous letter from his pocket
and was on the verge of showing it.
But he withheld it, though he could
not check the bitter words: "If this
letter is true I may have to kill a
man."
An icy hand seemed to grip at the
judge's heart. He knew without see
ing it what that letter said. He put
his hand on David's arm and was
about to speak, when a man slapped
him on the back. He turned to face
the club's most notorious bore, nick
named the "White Man's Burden."
The fellow was fat and even more
impervious to snubs than usual, as
he had been drinking heavily. Judge
Freeman tried to escape him, but as
the Burden had him clasped by the
lapel of hit coat it was impossible to
get away -at once without knocking
him down. So the judge stood the
repetition of an ancient story as well
as ne could, waiting only tor the
loosening of the grip on his coat,
which came with the roar of laughter.
the tlurden emitted at the end of his
yarn.
The judge turned to reioin David.
but found him gone. He started at
once in terrified pursuit.
David meanwhile had fled to his
own house, where he watched on this
outside, eavesdropping on his own
property. Presently he saw Lois
silhoutted against the light m her
own roomv She was taking off her
hat and coatv The; poor young man
telt calmed ot his tears, she was
home. She was taking off her
things and she was alone. It was hit
ter cold in the street, so he returned
to his club in chastened mood, call
ing himself names and glad that he
owed Lois an apology. He did not
quite dare to face her with it just
yet. He would watch her another
day. , . ;
David had seen I ois divest herself
of hat and coat, but had been too
easily reassured, for she exchanged
them tor a fur hat and coat, in the
pocket of which she had slipped
Freeman't letters.
Judge Freeman, arriving fifteen
minutes after David had gone, rang
the bell and was admitted by Lois'
butler, who , told him that she had
left the house on foot a few moment!,
before, The butler did not know
where she had gone or when se
would return. The judge dashed off,
leaving the butler to shake his head
over the scandalous proceedings of
his household. ,
.-(
. Gideon Trask, the bargeman, had
infinite patience in pursuit of his re-
a knot at the top ot her little head,
made her look more like a child play
ing at being grownup than she had a
right to look with all her twenty-one
years. :
Freneau had paused a moment at
the door when he entered to enjoy
the charm of her, then he crossed to
her side with all a lover's eagerness.
Her eves beamed on him with tend
erness as she welcomed him and gave
him her lips.
"How much do you love me? she
queried, measuring an infinitesimal
space with her tiny nanus, mat
much?" then, stretching her two
arms wide and purring forth her
musical laugh Or that much?
Freneau came within the circle of
her arms, holding her to him, ex
claimed: "The width of the whole
world it not big enough to measure
my love for you." And he meant it.
Releasing her tenderly to her pil
lows on the couch, he continued: "I've
had such a wonderful day on the
market, Gloria. I cleaned up a pile.
By Jove, it was thrilling. If I can
only keep this up you won't have to
be ashamed of your poor husband.
And, thank God, I shall have you to
work for. Just see what I've brought
my little mascot with the first spoils
of war." He tossed a leather case
into her lap. .
Opening two shrine-like doors,
Gloria gurgled in delight at the string
of pearls within. She made him clasp
them about her throat. Then she
leaned forward to thank him with a
kiss; she saw the corner of a large
sealed enveloje in his inner pocket.
She pulled it forth impudently.
"What's this? More business, or
love letters?"
A dull motled red began to surge,
up Freneau's face. She spoke so
much truer than she knew. It was
the packet of letters he was taking
to I-ois. He had pocketed them to
make sure that he should not leave
them behind.
"Just business documents connected
with my trip," he said, as naturally
i. he could. Gloria accepted the ex
planation in perfect faith. It. did not
occur to her to suspect him of any
deciet. She put the envelope back
in his pocket, making a little gesture
of disgust, "Ugh I I hate your old
business I How long must you be
away?"
"One whole week, dearest little
love," he murmered brokenly. "I'm
afraid it will never pass for me, but
take good care of your precious self,
and get those wonderful roses back in
your cheeks. I will write and tele
graph you every day."
Then his face darkened and he
hung his head before her as he
added: "I can't give you any address
to write to me, as I shall be jumping
about so, but I'll telephone you. '
When the hour grew late and the
nurse began to frojvn he told her
he must leave. She stood up sadly
and they clung together for a last
embrace. He felt that he could not
let her go. The cup of his happiness
was a cup of bitterness filled with
the dregs of his own perfidy.
Freneau went to his rooms in a
new mood. Gloria's trust had touched
him more than Royce's threats. He
was furious at himself and at Lois.
He started to the telephone to call
her up and tell her to do her worst,
he would not go away-with her. As
he was about to take the receiver off
the hook he looked at his. watch. It
was late; she would have started for
their trysting place by now. He
caught a glimpse of himself in a
mirror and loathed the face he saw.
He vowed that he would redeem his
soul. He would begin at once. He
would meet Lois at the pavilion and
tell her that he would carry no fur
ther the chains of intrigue.
On his way to the little classic
stone pavilion near the Soldiers' and
Sailors' monument, where Lois had
agreed to meet him, his car broke
down. He took that as a further rea
son for not making the journey. He
left the chauffeur to correct the
trouble and went ahead on foot.
Gloria had retired after Freneau
left her, but lay tossing about on
her pillows unable to sleep. The moon
was pouring white glamour on her
window. The night nurse, sitting up
right by her bed, was sleeping sound
ly. She had won Morpheus because
she was spurning him instead of
courting him. Gloria determined to
try the same method herself.
.Doctor Royce, who seemed to think
of everything, had, during her illness,
made her a present of a pair of
binoculars. She had been able to
while away many tedious hours with
them watching the traffic on the drive
andboats on the river.
Kfow she slipped into a negligee
and slippers quietly, not to disturb
her sleeping sentinel. She took "Tip
the binoculars and moved to the win
dow. The moon cast such a glow on
the river that she drew in deep
breaths of delight. The columns of
the monument stood in the fore
ground like marble trees clustered
about a little templee.
Suddenly her attention was caught
by the curious behavior of a man who
seemed to be skulking about the
monument." He had his hat pulled
down and his overcoat collar pulled
no and she could not see his face.
He was appanently waiting for some
one. She saw him take from his
pocket something that looked to her
like a revolver. Gloria was greatly
excited. Before she could decide what
to do the skulkeer walked away. She
saw another man come around the
column and crouch down for a mo
ment. She put up the glasses to see more
clearly. The figure moved forward,
beneath a street lamp and Gloria
could see distinctly a wild and beard
ed face. A shudder went through her;
unconsciously she drew her robe
closer about her.
"Turning her glasses down the drive,
she saw a third man approaching.
He looked vaguely familiar. Coming
closer, he stopped to light a cigar.
It was Freneau I , ,
' She realized it1 with astonishment.
She wondered if he had missed his
(rain. He saw that she looked out of
her window. Before she could wave
to him a figure sprang - from. . the
shadows and leaped upon Freneau,
long hands clutching his throat.
' Gloria tried to cry out. She could
not make a sound. Subconsciously
her hands kept their grip on the
binoculars and held them to her eyes
that she might see the whole of the
tragic spectacle.
The struggle htat ensued seemed
impossibly unreal. Surely she was
in some hideous nightmare. But the
fight went on. No policeman arrived
to interfere. Then suddenly it was
over. She saw Freneau's limp body
fall to the ground, saw his enemy
raise his hands toward the sky and
then hurry away.
And still Gloria could not give vent
to her terror, she could only watch
helplessly. Now the first man she had
seen came back along the drive, saw
Freneau's body, knelt down quickly
and listened to his heart. Gloria was
sure that he would help her lover.
She continued to gaze, though her
strength was ebbing away.
Instead of rendering aid, the
shadowy figure began to ransack
Freneau's pockets. He found the en
velope of letters and put them in his
own pocket. Then, startled by the
approach of a third man; he also
vanished. ,
The third man came on openly.
Gloria felt sure that she would either
waken from her nightmare or that
aid was at hand. She used all her
will to control her reeling senses.
The newcomer did not even see
Freneau till he stumbled over the
prostrate form. He knelt down by it,
seemed to be 'aghast at recognition.
Tl)en he, too, began to search through
Freneau's pockets. Then Gloria
screamed. Shriek after shriek burst
through the silence of the Stafford
home. v
1 , (To Be Continued.)
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SERVICE STATIONS IN OMAHA- ,
latk aid Cm Stmt 3la ead Paraam Street Slit Stmt and Dod. Strict
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