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have married. With a sudden im
pulse she went to the telephone.
"Jim," she called. "I am in great
trouble. Won't you come round and
see me and help me?"
"Sure, Lily," answered Jim.
He came" into the room half an
hour later, big, stalwart, honest-looking.
She offered him a chair. -
"What's the trouble, my dear?" he
asked.
"John doesn't love me any more,"
sobbed Lillian.
"Oh, I guess you've got that
wrong," said Jim. "I know he does,."
"No he doesn't He thinks n-now
he'-e g-got me it doesn't matter how
he acts. And I'm going to give him
the lesson of his life. And I want
you to help me."
"Well, I don't mind playing a trick
on old John," said Jim. "Spell it out,
Lily."
"I want you to pretend to elope
with me. I mean to leave a letter
Baying I've run away with you. Then
we'll Just go to the station together
about the time he's coming home,
and if he c-c-cares for me, he'll fol
low and bring me back."
"And shoot me, maybe," said Jim
meditatively.
"Of course, if you're afraid," said
Lillian scornfully.
"No, I'm not afraid," answered
Jim. "But suppose he doesn't come
for us?"
"Then I shall take the train to
mother, and you'll go home, and I'll
never, never" see or speak to John
again as long as I live."
Jim reflected. "It's a sort of low
game to play," he soliloquized. "Lily,
dear, are you dead sure you've got
John correctly? You know he isn't
much of a hand to show his feelings,
but he's got 'em, all right." (
"I know he doesn't care for me,
and I'm going to show him that he's
lost me."
"All right," said Jim finally. "Now
about the details. John gets back
about?"
"Half-past five."
"Suppose we start 5, then, and
wait at the station until 7. That will
give him time to catch us. Say inr
your letter that we are leaving on?
the 6:30 for where do you say?'
"San Francisco," gulped Lillian.
'That's good enough. And I guess
you'd better have a real trunkful of'
clothes in case he doesn't come and
you have to go to your mother."
Jim went away, leaving Lillian in a
flood of tears. Outside the house he
stopped and shook his head regret
fully. At 5:30 John arrived home with a
box of fresh candy, to find Lillian
gone. He read the letter upon the
table. She was gone with the man
who had always loved her, she said,
and she had made the biggest mis
take in ,life in marrying John. The
train for San Francisco left at 6:30
and he needn't try to find where she
had gone, because he would never
see her again.
- John put the letter down calmly
and looked at 'his watch. Then he
took down the railroad guide. There
was . n& train for San Francisco
at 6:30.
John washed and did his hair, put
on a clean -collar, selected his favor
its walking stick and went into the
street and took a car to the station.
At 6 o'clock Lillian paced the plat
iorm beside Jim in anguish. What
would John do? She was beginning
to grow afraid. She had never seen
John angry except once, when he
kicked an impudent plumber out of
the house. He had seemed terrible
then. What would he do? There
might be murder.
She went up to Jim. "I think you
had better go," she said. "You aren't
really necessary, you know. John
won't know who the man was for
sure. If you stay here he may shoot
you."
Jim looked scared. "You think
so", Lillian?" he asked in a hollow
voice.
"It would be terrible," said Lil
lian, sobbing. .
V
