The Washburn leader. [volume], June 25, 1915, Image 2

About The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986

Image provided by: State Historical Society of North Dakota

                
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THE TREY O'HEARTS
(Continued From Last Week)
Make-Bel leva.
For upwards of three-quarters of aa
hour of that golden morning which fol
lowed the night of hia return to New
York, Mr. Law was permitted to es
teem himself ae happiest of mortals.
And inasmuch as this Is not only a
longer uninterrupted term of happi
ness than is humanly common but la
more of that emotion than ordinarily
leavens the whole of a lifetime, Alan
was perhaps to be envied, even though
disillusionment when it came was sud
den, sharp, and to him unspeakably
shocking—a awlft, unpresaged plunge
from sunlit peaks of supreme content
to the black depths of a bleak Aver»
BUS of despair.
The beginning of the period was
synchronous with the slam of a taxi
cab door that shut away a superfluous
world from the company of two who
loved.
The sound spelled safety as well as
success in Alan's understanding.
The car slipped smoothly away from
the curb, pursued only by a little gust
of semi-Ironic cheers from the little
company of working men who had wit
nessed as well as measurably partici
pated in the putative elopement from
the house 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 his
every thought, Impulse and emotion
were dedicated.
"Rose!" he whispered, and tenta
tively touched one of the hands that
lay clenched in her lap.
She responded with never a sign to
Indicate consciousness either of hia
touch or his whisper.
And reminding himself of the strain
Imposed upon her by the experience
through which they had just passed,
Alan excused her unresponsiveness on
grounds of reaction, and tor the time
felt constrained to let his sweetheart
rest and regain her normal poise:
there was bliss enough for him in the
consciousness that he had won her
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 marriage that
should prove the consummation of all
their trials Barring accident!
Alan had too often suffered the pen
alty of dieappointment for over-indul
gence ip this failing of his for depreci
ating the unforeseen, not to make the
mental reservation, "Barring acci
dents!" with a little shiver of dread.
Had any of Trine's household been
cognizant of his daughter's escape,
Alan argued, interference must have
been instant.
Despite the reassuring aspect, the
preoccupation of his companion so
wore upon him that he was presently
no longer able to refrain from disturb
ing her.
"Rose!" he begged again, closing a
hand tenderly over hers. "Dearest
girl, don't worry another instant! Do
calm yourself: remember we are safe
the Appeared Anxious to lEscspe
Without Being 8een.
low we fooled them handily—thanks
(o your faith and bravery, sweetheart!
ind everything is going to be well
with us from now on. Over In Jerseyj
the minister is waiting now to marry
as and down at the White Star dock
the boat Is waiting that Is to carry us
off to England the moment we're mar-i
rled. Think of that—and that I love
you. Nothing can possibly break thq
strength of that combination!"
For another minute ehe rested aa
•he had ever since sinking Into" her
corner of the taxlcab—moveless, taut,
•nresponsive.
Then a long sigh shook her to ker
very heart, and of a sudden the small
flat in Alan's grasp relaxed and her
faee turned to hia like a flower to
the sun, face transfigured, its Hps
aow soft and yielding. Its eyee un
closed and smiling into hia a smile
•11 misty with unshed tears.
"Alan." she breathed gently. "It
can't be true! I'm trying eo hard to
believe—but all the while I know It
cant be true!"
He converted a skeptic with the
grate eloquence of his lips
1 Bead upon Us shoulder, the ghfl
&
clung passionately to bin. 'Tell me
•gain that you love me!" she prayed.
"Promise me you'll never let anything
come between us. Promise me, Alan
—promise me you'll be kind to mo al
ways, dear!"
"Can you doubt I will be kind?" bo
murmured reproachfully.
"I am afraid she whispered,
"How could 1 be anything else, lov
ing you as I do?"
"I am afraid ."
"Why should I be unkind to you?"
"It isn't that. ... I'm Just
afraid."
"Of what?"
"Of losing you."
"But that can never be!"
"You can't be sure. What If you
were to find you'd been mistaken?"
She caught her breath and added
hastily—"That you didn't really lovo
me, I mean."
"Ob, that's ridiculous!"
"I can't be sure. Nothing in life Is
permanent. What is love? Illusion of
the senses! What is happiness?
will-o'-the-wisp! What is life?
make-believe 1"
"Dearest!" He held ber more close
ly still. "You are nervous and over
wrought. You don't know what you're
saying. You can't mean what you're
saying. But say that it's so—
that life is all make-believe. Then
make-believe you love me—"
"Oh, but I do, I do!"
"And make-believe for a little we've
caught the will-o'-the-wisp—only for a
little—until you wake up and realise
that it's all real and true."
She closed her
eyeB
again: "Yes,"
she breathed, "you are right. Let's
make-believe it's all true for a little
longer and forget ."
He could by no means account for
this strange humor but he did his
best to comfort her, none the less ten
derly because of his mystification. And
for a long time she let illusion blind
her, resting quietly in his arms, mak
ing believe
Only on approaching the Twenty
third street ferry they must needs
rouse and sit apart constrainedly for
fear some one might glance through
the window and eurprise their secret
As if one needed the evidence of a
caress exchanged to know that they
were lovers, who had eyes to see the
flushed loveliness of the girl shrink
ing back in her corner or wit to inter
pret the radiant happiness that shone
in Alan's face as. he bent forward and
watched warily from the window.
CHAPTER XXVII.
The Ring.
Theirs was the last vehicle to swing
between the gates before these last
were closed.
And this was quite as well for Alan,
rising for one last backward glance
through the rear window, started in
voluntarily and choked upon an ex
clamation when he descried a power
ful touring car tearing madly toward
the ferry-houBe, Ite one passenger half
rising from the front seat, beside the
driver, and exhibiting a countenance
purple with congested chagrin as he
saw his car barred out of the carriage
entrance.
Quickly sensitive to his emotion, the
girl caught nervously at Alan's band.
"What is it, dear?"
"Marrophat," he snapped.
She uttered a hushed cry of dismay.
"Don't be alarmed, however," he
hastened to comfort her. "He's lost
the race: the gates are shut—even the
passenger gates—and there must be
a company spotter somewhere near by,
for the gateman is virtuously refusing
to be bribed by a roll of money as
thick as my wrist!"
At that instant the taxicab rolled
aboard the ferry-boat the deck gates
were closed a hoarse whistle rent the
roaring silence of the city winches
rattled and chains clanked and the
boat wore ponderouely out of its slip.
"So much for Mr. Marrophat!" Alan
crowed, sitting down. "Foiled again!
He can't stop us now!"
"Perhaps ."
"Why that perhaps? Why that
tone?" he demanded sharply, struck
by the foreboding her accentB con-,
fessed.
"This isn't the only ferry. There's'
the Pennsylvania and the Lackawanna,
—and by hard driving he might even]
manage to catch the boat that con-!
nects with this from the Christopher'
street ferry of the Erie!"
"Impossible! I don't believe it! I
won't!"
"Let'e not," she agreed. "But, Alan/
."
«Yes?"
"Promise me—if he should managej
to catch up with us—you won't let himj
talk to you. I mean, dont let him—"
"No fear of that!" he asservatedj
hotly. "If he tries to exchange one
word with me—I only wish be would
She seemed satisfied with that but
the Incident had served appreciably to
chill their spirits. They accomplished
tho remainder of that voyage in a
silence that was no less depressed be
cause they sat band in hand through
out.
Nor was their taxlcab three minutes!
out of the ferry house on the Jersey]
shore—though the Chauffeur, stlmu-j
later by Alanjp extravagant promises,!
was doing his best to fracture tho'
speed laws and escape arrest—when
tbe girl's fears wore amply Justified
a shout from behind drew Alan's head
out of the window on one side and the
girl's on the other and proved to both
that Marrophat had Indeed found soma:
way to make the crossing without
great delay.
His touring car was within fifty
yards when they first were aware, of
it and Marrophat, standing on the
running-board, waa shouting Inartleu
lately and flourishing an Imperative
while tbe distance between
'A
7
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tbem was momentarily growing less
noticeable.
As Marrophat's car drew abreast
Alan nodded and said quietly: "Don't
be alarmed I can attend to this gen
tleman single-handed."
And this be proceeded to demon
strate with admirable ease, even
though called upon to do so far soon
er than he bad thought to be—thanks
to Marrophat's hair-brained precipi
tancy. For, failing to influence the
taxi driver by shouted demands or
threats, or to gain the least attention
from Alan, Trine's first lieutenant ab
ruptly and surprisingly took his life
In his hands and in one wild bound
bridged the distance between the two
flying cars and landed on the taxt'a
running-board.
Stop!" be screamed madly. "Stop,
I say! You don't know what you're
doing! Let me tell you—"
He got that far but no farther. In
the eame breath Alan had flung wide
tbe door and was at tbe fellow's throat
There was a struggle of negligible
duration Marrophat was in no way
his antagonist's match within tlrree
seconds he threw out both hands,
clutched hopelessly.at the framework
of tbe cab, and fell, heavily to the
street.
The taxi sped on without pause, its
driver deaf to the halls of innocent if
Indignant bystanders. Alan pulled
himself together and looked back just
In time to catch a glimpse of a num
ber of loafers lifting Marrophat to his
teet and helping him to the sidewalk
or an unsavory-looking tenement, be
fore the cab took a corner on two
"Not seriously injured, I fancy," he
told the girl in response to her eager
look. "Worse luck!" he added
gloomily.
But it seeemed that he was to have
greater cause than this to complain of
his luck, before that ride wae ended.
Three blocks further on a tire blew
out with a report like a cannon-crack
er, and the taxi lurched perilously,
hesitated, slowed down, and limped
dejectedly to the curb.
Alan and the chauffeur piled out in
the same instant, the one standing
guard—with an eye out as well for
another cab—while the other assessed
damages.
"Nothing for it but a new tire, sir,"
this last reported sympathetically. "It
must have been a broken bottle or
something like that—it sure did rip
the usefulness clean out of that shoe."
"Go to it," Alan advised him terse
ly "and if you make a quick job of it,
I'll stand the cost of the new tire."
"But if another cab comes along
while you're at ft you'll* lose' tfo as
quick as a wink. Here's my card, in
case we have to desert you in a hurry
you understand this is a matter of life
and death, and I'll have no time to
settle up with you. But you can call
at Mr. Digby's office and he'll fix
things up to your satisfaction."
The man took the card and after a
glance at the name touched his hat
with more noticeable respect.
"All right, Mr. Law," he agreed
"anything you say." And forthwith
got to work.
The rapidity with which he com
pleted tbe change of tires proved him
an excellent chauffeur, an adept at his
craft but the delay was one disas
trous for all that. It worked together
with what Alan pardonably described
as the devil's own luck to bring the
touring car in sight at the precise mo
ment when the chauffeur wae cranking
up and Alan on the point of re-enter
ing the cab. And though they were
off again before Alan could close the
door, the attempt was hopeless from
the start.
And yet—whether or not because
Alan's distaste for interference had
been too convincingly demonstrated—
the touring car for the time being
contented itself with trailing about
fifty feet in the rear, while the taxi
fled the tenement purlieus oMhe Ho
boken waterfront and found Its war
Into the broader streets of an unpre
tentious suburban quarter.
Not until they were well Into the
suburbs, with few dwellings near and
no pedestrians to Interfere, did Marro
phat's purpose become apparent Than,
however—and It happened while Alan
was looking back—tho touring car
drew In awlftljr and easily and Marro
phat, rising In his seat, leveled a re
volver over the windshield and flred.
The crack of his weapon was prac
tically coincident with a metallic thud
beneath the rear seat of the taxlcab.
Not for some moments did Alan ap
preciate the vldousness of tbe scheme.
Surmising that tbe gasoline tank had
been punctured by the bullet, ho was
v*i j* 1
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Tin%*
inclined to believe that Marrophat
hoped to stot the taxicab by depriv
ing it, In course of time, of its fuel.
And with this In mind be was present
ly surprised, as the cab took a corner,
to eee Marrophat's car stop at that
corner and Marrophat himself get
down. The brow of a bill intervened*
shutting off sight of the blackguard as
he knelt and lit a match. It was the
girl who gave the alapn, suddenly
withdrawing ber head from the win
dow to scream at Alan:
"He's fired the gasoline! It's flam
ing along the street, following the line
of the leak—and catching up with us!"
Without pausing to put his hand to
the latch, Alan kicked the door open.
"Jump!" he cried. "For your life
Jump! As soon as that flame catches
up with tbe tank—"
Simultaneously tbe chauffeur, ovei*
hearing, ehut off tbe power.
The three gained the sidewalk bare
ly in time: the tiny trail of flames, al
most imperceptible in the sunlight,
was not a yard from the Jet that spurt
ed through the bullet hole in the tank.
In tbe flutter of an eyelash the explo
sion followed. Had the cab been load
ed with nitroglycerin its destruction
could have been no more absolute.
There was a roar and then
a heap of smoking ruins.
Without waiting to admire the spec
tacle, Alan caught the arm of the girl
and hurried her up the street, at the
same .time calling to the chauffeur to
follow. And chance brought tbem to
the next corner as another cab. fare-
"That Woman Is Judith Trine, You Idiot—Not Rose!"
less, hove into view. Promising Its
driver anything he might ask, in or
out of reason, Alan gave him the ad
dress, and helped the girl in.
If Marrophat pursued Alan could see
no sign of him. The second car made
better time than the first. Unhindered,
and as far as could be determined,
without being followed, it covered the
brief remaining distance in a grate
fully short lapse of time.
The suburb dropped behind a maze
of streets where dwellings stood shoul
I der to shoulder and dooryards were
I scant. The car swept up to a corner
house of modest and homely aspect-
Two minutes more, and Alan was ex
I changing salutations with and making
his bride-to-be known to Digby's good
friend, the Reverend Mr. Wright.
Embarrassment worked confusion
with the young man's perceptive facul
ties. As this moment approached
when two should be made one who had
gone through fire and flood, literally,
as well as figuratively, for each oth
er's sake, incredulity drew a veil be
fore his vision. He viewed the world
as in a glass, darkly.
He was aware of a decently fur
nished minister's study of two wit
nesses in the- guise of unassuming
womenfolk of the minister's house
hold of tbe Rev. Mr. Wright himself
as a benevolent voice rolling sono
rously forth from a black-clad pres
ence of the wpman of his heart stand
ing opposite him of questions asked
and responses made of a ring that
was magically conjured from some
store apparently maintained against
precisely similar emergencies of a
hand that took the hand that was to be
his wife's and placed it in his of bis
clumsy and witless bungling with the
task of htting that ring to the finger
of his sweetheart's hand
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 was 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 mouth to protest—
and Marrophat silenced him with
cry.
"You fool! Drop that ring! Stop
this farce! Don't you know whom
you're marrying? That woman Is Ju
dith Trine, you idiot—not Rose!"
Blankly Alan turned to the girl.
Her flaming face, her sullen eyes,
her very pose, from whloh the man
ner of Rose had dropped Uke cast
garment, confessed tho truth of Mar
rophat's assertion. And as If this wero
not enough, Judith confessed it doubly
with a suddsn outbreak of such rage
as never could have been browed In'
Rose's gentle nature.
"You devHI" she cried—and threw,
herself In front of Marrophat with
spring as lithe as that of a leopardess.
"Take warning now from-me: keep
out of my way forever after this—or
take tbe consequences! God knows,"
the panted, "why I dont klU you as
you stand!"
Ho was In her way, between ber and
the open door, flho gave him no
fr^ i-%"
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mmmmm
chance to move aside, but seised hfa
•o fiercely by the wrists that he in
stinctively lifted to protect himself,
•nd she fairly threw blm half a dozen
feet from her. He brought up with
crash against the wall even as tho
door slammed behind the girl.
When Alan, the flrat to recover,
gained the sidewalk, she waa already
In the taxlcab. Whatever reward she
bad promised tbe man, he whipped bis
machine away aa if from tbe fear of
sudden death.
And darting from the house bard
on the minister's heels, Marrophat
leaped Into his own car and, as If he
had not heard her threat or received
aubstantial proof of her earnestness,
tore off in pursuit.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
And the Rose.
Taking the dazed young man by tbe
band, ae though he had been a child,
the Reverend Mr. Wright led Alan
back to his study and established him
In a comfortable armchair beside his
desk.
"Sit there and compose yourself, my
dear young friend," he insisted in a
soothing voice.
At the elbow of the Reverend Mr.
Wright a telephone shrilled impera
tively. With a gesture of professional
patience he turned to the instrument,
lifted the receiver to his ear, and
spoke in musically modulated accents.
"Yes Yes: this Is Mr.
Wright. Ah, yes, Mr. Digby.
Not coming? But, my dear sir,
Mr. Law is already here. I must tell
you—"
He checked with a reproving glance
for Alan, who was twitching his sleeve
Insistently.
"If you please," Alan begged, "let
me speak to Digby at once. Forgive
me—"
Reluctantly the minister surrendered
the telephone.
"That you, Digby?"
"Alan! Bless my soul, what are you
doing over there? Is Miss Trine with
you? But how can that be possible?"
"Rose? No. What about her?" Alan
demanded, stammering with anxiety.
"Why—one of my spies has just re
ported by telephone. He was going on
duty this morning when he saw a
young woman—either Rose or Judith
—wearing a rough coat over boudoir
dress—climb out of one of the base
ment windows of Trine's house. She
was apparently in great distress of
mind and anxious to escape without
being seen from the house but before
my man—whose post of observation
is in the third story of one of the
houses opposite—could get to the
street, she had been caught by several
rough-looking customers, who rushed
out of Trine's house, seized the girl,
and made off with her in a 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 Rev
erend Mr. Wright, Alan dropped the
receiver, snatched up his hat, and fled
that house like a man demented.
Rose, escaping from Trine's house,
overpowered and made the captive of
Trine's lowest creatures—gunmen pos
sibly, of tbe stamp of that animal
whom Trine had charged with the as
sassination 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
ite dlnginess and squalor, as that in
which he had thrown Marrophat from
the running-board of the taxicab.
And then, as he paused, breathlese
and footsore, to cast about him for the
way to the ferry, a touring car turned
a corner at top speed and slowed to a
stop before that selfsame tenement of
the unsavory aspect to whose sidewalk
he bad seen Marrophat assisted by
the loafers of the quarter.
And thle touring car was occupied
by some half-a-dozen ruffians in whose
hands a young girl writhed and strug
gled when, immediately on tbe stop,
they jumped out and wrestled her out
with brutal inconsideration.
Like a shot Alan had crossed the
street—but only to bring up nose to
tbe 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 as
sailant 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 open
ing the door, and threw himself be-,
tween tbem.
An elbow planted heavily In the pit
of the stomach of one disposed of him
for tbe time being. A blow from tho
shoulder sent tho other reeling to the
gutter. And Alan waa In tho tene
ment's lowermost hall—a foul and'
evll-odored place, dark as a pit thS
Instant tho door was closed, its murk
relieved only by tho flame of kero
sene lamp smoking In bracket nsv
tho foot of the stairs.,
Bounds of scuffling of feet were au
dible on the flrst landing. Alan ad
dressed himself impetuously to tho
staircase, gaining Its top In half a
dozen leaps, and only In time tq see &
door slammed at the forward end of
the ball and hear a key turned in Its
look.
A cluster of men blocked tbe way.
He didn't pause to wait for It to be
cleared, but threw himself headlong
Into their midst, and by dint of the
I S
amprap
{j
•ut prise had gained the cloeed doot
before they recovered and sought to
stay him.
Indifferent to them all, be shook tbe
knob and shouted: "Roee! Rose!"
Her cry came back to him, a muf
fled scream: "Alan! Help! Help!"
Backing away with a mad idea of
throwing himself bodily against the
door and breaking it down, he was sud
denly confronted by a hideous mask of
humanity1—face of man all misshapen,
bruised and swollen and disfigured
with smears of dried blood and a dirty
bandage round his temples, but none
the less vaguely recognizable.
The words that streamed from ita
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 mornin'. Stand back
and let me kill th'—"
Without the hesitation of a heart
beat Alan swung heavily for the thug's
Jaw. The blow went solidly home.
The man fell like a poled ox. Vs,
Pandemonium ensued. Rallying to
their comrade, the ruffians attacked
Alan with one mind and one intent
Murder would have been done then s|
and there had it not been for a rotten
banister-rail, which gave way, precipi
tating the iot to the ground floor of
the hallway.
Simultaneously the lamp on the wall
was struck from its bracket and
crashed to tbe floor, its glass well
breaking and loosing a flood of kero
sene to receive the burning wick. The
explosion follpwed instantly. In a
trice the hallway was a lake of burn
ing oil, and hungry flames were lick
ing up the rotting wallpaper and eat
ing into decayed baseboards and stair
treads.
Still fighting like a madman, con
testing every foot of the. way, Alan
was borne down the hall and out of
the front door. A scream of "Fire!"
greeted him as he reeled out Into the
open. It was echoed by a dozen
throats.
Tbe doorway vomited men and
women of the tenement. They choked
it for a time, blocking both egress and
ingress. By the time they broke out
and left the way clear a solid wall of
flame stood behind it.
Thrice Alan essayed to pass that
barrier of fire, and thrice it threw him
back. Then, struggling and kicking
to release
himBelf
That it was hopeless to attempt the
staircase he 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 tbe
other corner. Before this last was the
common landing stage for truck de
liveries, protected by a shed-roof.
And, suspended from a timber that
peered out over the eaves, a hoisting
Charged With the Assassination
Alan.
tackle dragged the ground with Its
ropes..
It was the work of a minute to con
vince 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. Volunteers 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, be caught tho
oaves of tbe shed-roof, and shouting to
cease hauling, drew himself up on this
last, backed a little ways down It
calculating his direction nicely.
running Jump launched himself
Over the street.
The momentum of his leap carried
him well out over the heads of th'
throng assembled In the etreet
truly toward that window where
was waiting. Then Ita fores si
ened. For an awful Instant ha ho
llered that he had filled. But with tho
last expiring ounce of Impetus, he wss
brought within grasping distance of
the window sill.
Hauling himself up, he gathered her
I a a
A great tongue of tawny flame licked
angrily out of the windows as ho
swung her bach to safatr.
(Continued next week.)
K'
3 f* I*
.pp...,..*..,,
I
and try again, he
was seized by a brace of able-bodied
policemen and rushed fifty feet from
the house before let go.
Lack of breath checked him momen
tarily.
He looked up, dashing from hie
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.
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