Newspaper Page Text
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15 , 1924 .
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VICTOR ROUSSEAU \
COPYRIGHT by W-G. CHAPMAN \
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I Chapter XII
Without a sound Lancaster leaped
at him.
Joan saw the secretary snatch up
the lamp and hold It on high, She
heard his screaming, terrified voice
above the uproar. He stood like some
squat statue illuminating the space
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Joan Saw the Secretary Snatch Up
the Lamp and Hold It on High.
above the dark in which Lancaster
and Lawson sprnwled, clutching at
each other like two primeval care
men.
It was grotesque, for it was like a
man fighting with himself; and, In
fact, It might have been Lancaster
fighting with his evil angel. He was
no match for Lawson, but at first his
pent-up fury, at last unleashed,
* matched the two equally. Then Law
son flung his adversary from him and
Struggled to his knees. As Lancaster
grasped him and tried to rise he flung
him down again. Lancaster’s head
struck the corner of the iron bedstead.
His hands unclosed; he sighed and lay
perfectly still. Joan saw the look of
malignant rage upon Lawson’s face,
saw him raise his heel above the face
of the unconscious man. He would
have ground out L ancaster's l ife , but
that Joan wSE&B pulled t It'Tnfo > 1 V< Jrts
face
for the second time.
Lnwson staggered backward, rage
and terror depicted upon his features
In the light of the swaying oil lamp.
. At that moment Myers was crouching
near her. He set the lamp down.
Joan felt a sharp pain In the upper
part of her arm. She saw the secre
tary putting something Into his pocket.
He dodged the wavering revolver and
backed toward the door, pulling Law
son with him.
'Tm going to finish this I” yelled
Lawson.
Myers clutched at him and polled
him Into the ball. Joan heard Myers'
eager whispers, and Lawson’s strug
gles and angry muttering gradually
subside.
Then she heard them enter the sec
retary's room, and, forgetting them
Instantly, she bent over Lancaste^amf
raised his head upon ber knee.
-He was breathing heavily. The
blow had only stunned him. Joan
tried to lift him upon the bed, but he
was too heavy for her. As she was
attempting to do so, however, the door
opened and Mrs. Fraser came in.
"I found a key,” she whispered,
trembling. "I heard them fighting.
Heaven help me, what has that devil
done to the doctor? D
M He Isn't badly hurt,” said Joan.
“Help me get him upon the bed."
Mrs. Fraser and Joan succeeded.
Lancaster lay there, still unconscious.
The matron clung heavily to the bed
stend, looking hi Joan piteously.
“I know it all now," she muttered.
“I should have known before If I’d
listened to the Millville gossip. That
devil Is hl« brother.”
•I Yes," said Joun shortly. "What
are you going to do, Mrs. Fraser?”
“I’m going to stand by the doctor,"
the woman answered. "I stood by him
year after year when I thought be
was possessed by an evil spirit
Wouldn't I stand by him now?”
* “Good," said Joun. “And I, too.
Tomorrow we'll make short work of
those men." *
"Heaven save you, you don’t know
that man, Miss Wentworth," muttered
the matron. “He’s a devil. He has
no pity. And he has a devil ten times
worse Winn himself."
’ H Myers? Who is he? U
“He was his imslstfint here. He was
triefl once, they tell me. for poisoning
tils Sweetheart He sent her candy—
but they couldn’t find any poison In
her body. It was his master made the
analysis, and he lied to get Myers free
and have his hold on him. It’s all
plaIn t0 rae now ’ Mlss Wentworth, -
“ If you knew tWs -" said Joao '' you
-
should have told me; you should have
told the police, told anyone rather
than let him drug Doctor Lancaster
day after day."
•* I thought It was the doctor who
was in league - with him,” the matron
muttered. Miss Wentworth, I’m
timid, I’m easily frightened, but not
another day will 1 keep silent. To
morrow—”
“Yes, tomorrow," said Joan. “You’d
better go to bed now, Mrs. Fraser, i’ll
guard the doctor with my revolver,
and tomorrow we’ll end these years
of slavery. Doctor Lancaster is a free
man. Think of him as a free man.
The past is all behind us."
The matron slipped away stealthily
to her room. Joan took her seat be
berent muttering* which had begun. ft
Presently his eyes opened. He stared
at her for some minutes until recog
nition came into them.
"Joani" he whispered, stretching
out his hand to hers.
She let him take and hold It, and
sat beside him, while he began mut
tering again. Gradually he began to
realize where he was, and to re
member.
”It is all true, then, Joan,” he said.
i He has had his revenge for his fan
cied wrongs. He has had the best
years of my life, and he has beaten
me In the end.”
"Beaten you?” asked Joan. “You
are wits’ not beaten. Thejgfltfe at their
ends what to do now, and to
morrow you will send them packing
and begin your new life."
“A pitiful hope,” he answered. "For
he has given me back one thing—my
faith In that poor woman upstairs,
and, with It, a greater faith In hu
manity; but he has robbed me of all
my hope."
■ Why, John?”
“Because 1 could not have Imagined
that humanity was so vile. Joan, 1
am crushed by his revelation. If he
entered this^room now I .feel that his
will would dominate mine.”
“Those are the words of a sick
man,'' said Joan. "Tomorrow you will
adjust yourself. Tomorrow you will
he strong. Why, hardly a man on
earth could do what you have done
s with the morpblneft : = saws
”T suppose T khaTI carry on my
fight." he answered wearily. “But
victory will mean nothing to me.” 4
“1 shall stand by your side until I
have seen you conquer, and until I
have seen you happy in your success."
“And then, Joan?”
“Then? Then 1 shall go some
where, I suppose."
“Go away? From me? Is it be
cause of Mrs. Dana?”
"Because of her, John.”
“But she la nothing to me. !he
was never anything. Even my m 1 10
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mania of revenge rose out of wounded
pride, not love. Surely yoi will not
leave me because I once thought that
I loved another?"
Ml /Isn’t that, John. But, yon see,
she has been an Integral part of your
life all these years. Even though her
jnlnd was gone, there was the con
sciousness of her presence that ate
Into your brain; she was the main
spring of your existence here. She
would have been your wife today, but
for that dastard's scheme. She is
Innocent, she has been deeply
wronged, and her life has become
bound up with yours Indissolubly.
You see, John, there Is no getting
away from that."
"Joan, don’t you know she hates
me? She thinks that my death will
avenge her wrongs and cure her of
her troubles. She has tried three
times to kill me. rin some mysterious
manner she has learned the location
of my room. Once she stabbed me In
the wrist with a table-knife. Once
she got the matron's revolver, but for
tunately It was unloaded. 1 have been
planning to send her somewhere
where she could be better cared for
and where my presence would not be
a constant incitatlon to tier."
Joan shook her head, ’it Is all part
of the past," she said. “One can’t
cancel the past One muet Just carry
It with one and try to profit by It.
You know that. John."
“You do not love me, Joan."
She turned her face away; tears
that filled her eyee came from the
depths of her being. Lancaster took
both her hands In his.
“You love me. Joan? »»
"Too well to wrong you and my
sflf," slip answered. “Too well to
let cur love build a wall between us.
So, ’Wet! that 1 would rather let the
spiritual bond remain, rather thau
mar If*
GRIFFIN DAILY NEWS
He drew her toward him, and she
remained with her cheek retting
against his, with his arms about her.
She could not stir. A strange physical
lethargy seemed >to hold her limbs, but
her will was unshaken.
tour last word, Joan?” whispered
Lancaster.
“No, dear,” she answered.
The humorous look that came at
such odd moments Into Lancaster’s
eyes dickered there now. “Your very
last?” be asked.
“O. don’t ask me to deny my reso
lution.” she said.
She released herself and stood be
side him. As she did so she had a
sensation as if her feet rested on a
cushion pf air. Her physical weak
ness 'vas iifntehed by her sense of In
stability; she longed with all her
heart to ieun within the arms out
stretched toward her; she knew that,
if she had given Lancaster life, he
could give her the strength of life;
he was of her own people, and nil I hut
was cliivalric and dear In the land
she had loved seemed embodied in
him. And before her she saw the
dosing hospital walls of some far dis
tant city: she must exile herself from
everything that she had known.
“You little stubborn thing, Joan!”
sold Lancaster tenderly, “Rut I shall
go on loving you.’’
“I shall love you, John. *»
“I shall hear from you sometimes?”
“Yes. And I shall remain In Avon
mouth until your battle Is won. But
there will be no battle. They know
that they are beaten. You will never
be weak again.”
“No,” said Lancaster. “But, O Joan,
if you hud said ■yes’ to me It would
have been so easy.”
With the maternal feeling that is
part of every woman's love for the
man she loves, she stooped and kissed
his forehead.
“You must try to sleep now,” she
said. “I shall leave the revolver
door."
“I am not afraid of them,” he an
swered. “They can do nothing, Joun.
Keep it to assure you of your own
safety.”
That seemed the better way. There
was nothing that the pair could do
to Lancaster. If they aimed at any
one it would be she. She saw that,
and she went out without speakfng to
Lancaster again. In the hall she
breathed more freely. It was ended
now, and she knew that she had done
the right thing, the only possible
thing. But Lancaster had not sur
mised the terrific woman’s battle
which she had fought during those
last few minutes.
She stood In the hall for a few mo
ments in uncertainty. She did not
mean to sleep, but to lie awake with
her door open, resting, and listening
for any movements In the house. But,
though ber brain was awake, she was
more tired than she had ever been
in her life. She could hardly drag
her limbs upstairs, and again she hnd
that sense of walking on air. Under
the little burning lamp she stopped
ngnin to gather strength to go to her
room. The ticking of the clock in
the hall below was the only sound In
the house. She strained her ears to
catch the sound of voices from Myers’
'room, but she could hear nothing.
Yet the men could not be asleep
They must be planning together.
The silence in the ramshackle old
-? wmm
(o hide Innumerable thoughts, as If
those of all who had ever lived within
its walls survived, breaking upon her
brain In invisible waves. She felt en
meshed In a web, as the dreamer who
struggles U> wake into free life from
the horrors of nightmare. The wind
had gone down, and the raindrops
dripped rhythmically from the eaves.
Joan bad an intense inclination to
surrender, to run back into Lancas
ter’s room, cry to him to help her, to
let her fight beside him as long as
they lived. And the silence, which
was becoming more terrific every mo
ment, was unmistakably malevolent.
She reached her room and tried to
shake away her fears. She went to
the window and leaned out. The night
was clearing, and a delicious air blew
In from the hills. Not a light was to
be seen In Millville or Lancaster. And
she wept again, heartbroken. It was
all ended, that peace which had begun
to Inclose her, and all her hopes, and
all that love within was bound up so
Intimately with the Idea of home
Sbe lit her lamp, but her fingers
slipped over the glass, and it fell to ;
the floor with a crash that startled
all the echoes tn the old building. The
smoky wick flared up. Joan turned It
down with difficulty until the blaze
was extinguished, and staggered to
the bed, amazed at her weakness.
She could not keep her eyelids
open, and she let them close wearily.
But sleep was far from her, and still
she listened. And after while an
unmistakable sound reached her.
'Somewhere within the Institute she
heard a key turn in a lock.
It was the slightest distant sound,
but It cut the darkness like a knife.
And to her mind, the sound, which
might moan nothing, might be, Indeed,
the key of Lancaster’s door, seemed
like the snap of a trap.
She slept and could not waken. Or,
rather, she .did not sleep, could not
have slept; yet sleep had paralyzed
her limb* and left her brain un
touched ; and her mind seemed preter
naturalty acute, ao that she felt and
saw everything that was happening In
the building.
Someone was coming along the pas
sage, as on that night before. The
Inintl was upon the door. Through
lies dosed and paralyzed eyelids Joan
yet set ".ieil to see the figure of a
madv.-ota.'in. Something, was in her
hand. It was the revolver which Joan
* f
had left upon tha little table be»
side her.
Mrs. Dana stood over her, the
weapon aimed at her, while her eyee
sought her face.
Was she dreaming? Joan had wait
ed through agony of centuries, and the
woman was gone. Once more there
was silence everywhere. And still she
lay there, helpless, feeling all and
knowing all. and that it had been no
dream, but the prelude of worse to
come. '
Ir was strange, but she did not once
picture Lancaster as In danger. It
was as if the unchulned spirit of evil,
Impotent to harm him, sought another
victim. She waited. It seemed for
aeons. And the the blow felL
She heard a man’s scream of fear,
dinned through her ears distantly,
with the accompanying pistol shot
Yet she was unable to stir, and It
passed Into her memory, as of some
thing infinitely long ago. Presently
there came the hum of voices, chatter
Ing cries, bare feet that ran wildly
along the corridor without, hands at
her door.
It was Mrs. Fraser's voice. Now,
with a mighty effort, Joan shook her
self free from the spell. She stag
gered from the bed and groped ber
way across the room.
Nobody was at the door now, but
when she unlocked It a whirl of smoke
burst in. Smoke filled the passage.
Upon the floor beneath a woman was
screaming. There were voices out
side, and the sound of men running
along the passages, but Joan could
not locate them,
She staggered through the smoke,
feeling for the stairs. It blinded her.
She fell Into a wall, felt a rigid body
before her, and perceived dimly Mrs.
Dana’s face, wearing a look of exal
tation.
She had come too far; she had
reached the door of Mrs. Dana's room.
Joan saw that the door was
Behind It someone was hammering.
Then Myers’ screams broke through
the din and confusion. He was bat
tering against the door, and the strong
door, built to resist such pressure, re
fused to yield. His cries were terri
fying. Under the door came little
creeping tongues of flame.
Joan caught at Mrs. Dana, “Come
with me!*’ she mumbled. "Cornel"
The woman stood rigid as a statue.
She felt like marble to the touch, but
there was the same exaltation upon
her face.
<< Open the door!" whispered Joan
with her last strength, and pointed.
“Open It I Somebody is locked In
side."
Myers was yelling as Joan had once
heard a horse yell, trapped In a burn
ing stable. The wood of the door was
smoldering. Joan tried to reach the
key. But the rigid body barred her
way.
Then she heard her name called
through the smoke. At the cry Mrs.
Dana snatched the key from the lock
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8he Staggered and Fell Into Lancas
ter's Arms.
and began to run along the corridor.
Joan saw her dimly through the en
wrapping smoke. She staggered, and
fell into Lancaster’s arms.
That was her last effort. Incapable
of speech, she felt him bear her along
the passage, where the smoke clouds
were now shot through with streaks
of flame. They thickened about her.
Lancaster was carrying her down the
sta **'s now, while hungry flames
sprang at them from the walls and
floor. He was staggering drunkenly -
when they, reached the ball below.
He placed her on the grass, and
plunged back Into the flames. The In
stitute was ablaze, fire streamed from
the roof and windows. A group of
villagers, clustered upon the lawn,
looked on helplessly. Joan saw Jen
kins, leading the matron, approaching
her. She tried to tell him that Lan
caster had gone back; she could not
speak, but he understood ber.
"The doctor’s safe,” he said, and a *
he spoke Joan saw Lancaster among
a group of men who had gathered
about something wrapped In a blanket
He rose and came to her. That was
all Joan remembered.
«
And for days and nights her memo
ries of the past were cot short with
Lancaster's return that night, borne
back by tbe power of Her love flung
across the miles between them. She
knew that he lived, and as tbe night
mare of the end filtered into her mind
there came with It the sense of an,
abiding peace, as If the past was dead
.with all Us terror!.
' ’
. .
Sometimes the felt that Lancaster
was beside her; but when at Iasi com
plete consciousness returned Joan
found herself In bed In a strange
house. Through the windows she
could see the outlines of the familiar
mountains, gilded In the red sunset
Blow against the blue of the sky. Be
side her sat a figure which seemed to
he so remotely of the past that it was
difficult to refrain from laughing at
the Incongruity of the sight
It was Jenkins, with hfs black head.
As Joan stirred lie turned toward her.
"That’s right Miss Wentworth,” he
said heartily. "Now you’ve roundod
the corner, and I reckon the lane lies
straight before yon."
“The doctor did not steal that
money," murmured Joan weakly,
Jenkins laughed as If her words
amused him Immensely. “Why, Miss
Wentworth, you’ve been saying that
to,me every time you woke these five
days past," he said, “but I couldn’t
ever get you to tell me how you
knew It"
«» I don’t remember saying it be
fore," Bald Joan.
“I reckon you’ve been pretty weak,
Miss Wentworth. But tell me now
how you know it."
"I don’t know. Why, yes, of course
I do. Doctor Lancaster couldn’t steal
anything. Where Is he?”
"I’ll fetch him. Miss Wentworth. He
wants to see you; he’s been sitting
beside you for days waiting till you
really woke up.”
»« I’m not burned, Doctor Jenkins?”
asked Joan in alarm.
“Not the least little bit, Miss Went
worth. I’ll bring you a mirror.”
“No, I take you on trust What
made me so 111, Doctor Jenkins?"
The doctor hesitated. The old ob
Btlnate look began to close down on
his features. But Joan caaght him
by the arm Ingratiatingly.
- Come, now, tell me.” she .said.
“No, Miss Wentworth," said Jen
kins, unable to hold out. “It wasn’t
morphine. It was curare—the stuff
that paralyzes the motor nerves with
out destroying consciousness." Ills
face grew somber. "It doesn’t leave
traces, as morphine does, and that
devil had put It into morphine bottles
and made the doctor think be was a
morphine fiend. They hoped to kill
him more quickly, but somehow he got
nsed to It, and I guess they were
at their wits' ends when you came
along. But I’ll call the doctor, Miss
Wentworth."
When he was gone Joan lay back
on her pillows, looking out Into the
mountains. She knew what had oc
curred that night; In her drugged
state she had seen the whole dread
ful picture: Myers unlocking Mrs.
Dana’s door and leading her to her
own room, where she had obtained
the revolver; her journey to Lancas
ter’s room, bent on ber dreadful mis
sion ; the murder of Lawson, In the
room opposite, Instead, for reasons
which would never be known, but
were certainly providential.
She 6a w further, by the same In
tuition which told her that It had been
Mrs. Dana’s body wrapped in the blan
ket upon the lawn. Myers, knowing her
to toe drugged, and believing Lancas
ter dead, had waited In Mrs. Dana's
room and given her the matches, on
fire, hoping thus to m o k e-sa v e- g f-d
victims and cover up his tracks. Anri
be had fallen into the trap he had
baited. Strong as he was, there must
have been a stronger Power fighting
him with Mrs. Dana’s arms that night,
when she turned the key In the lock
and left him to die as be bad
Joan should die.
But Joan knew that no word of
would ever pass between
and her. And Indeed, as sbe lay
and looked across the fields
the mountains, she felt that
bad turned that page, so that It
become not only of the dead past,
unreal In a way, and only the
peace existed.
She hesnfi a quick step
Lancaster stood In the doorway,
toward her, kneeled at her side
took her bands In his. And with
even the memories of the past
tenuous, half forgotten.
“Dear, it has come true," he
tenderly.
She lay happily In his arms,
ing out all the time toward the
on the hills. There wag so little
say, because their lives were only
ginning.
"1 don’t want to go back to
mouth,” she said at length.
"Nor I, Joan. This Is our
"It must always be our
But—but the fight, John?”
“I have stolen a march on you,
dear,” he answered gayly. "I
fought out my fight while you were
I have resigned from the hospital;
body guesses anything there; and
have convinced the,, trustees here,
my appearance, snd by the
tion of certain papers happily
ered after the fire, that I am a
sponsible, moral person, honest
to head the new institute which
are going to build—guess where I"
She looked at him. Then—
“That village In the
•he cried happily. “Where 6nr
really begun, f I could not wish
anything better."
“And the patient is going to be
porter And Doctor Jenkins w ill
house surgeon, resident, with his
—Joan, he didn’t tell you about Mrs
Fraser? Jenkins 1 Jenkins!"
voice rang through the little house.
• i Come in at once and face the
like s mn 5 ^ instead of slinking sway
Into your sultlng-room. you ruffian
ly young benedict I"
{THE END]
PAGE SEVEN
EAST GRIFFIN
Correspondent—Phone 731-J.
Miss Estelle Grubbs.
Give your news to Miss Grubbs or
leuve it for her at Forbes Drug Co,
No. 2 Cloth Room or with Ben Jay.
John H. Cheatham, president of
the Georgia-Kincaid, has gone on a
business trip east.
The Georgia-Kincaid Mills have
,
closed down this week so that the
operatives may attend the Griffin
and Spalding County Fair.
Miss Beatrice Wood, of Experi
ment, visited in East Griffin Sunday.
Bennie King, Wilson Caston, Ralph
Kelly and Walter Maddox of Jackson
visited in East Griffin Sunday.
Horace Gatlin, Mrs. Pearl Palmer
and Mrs. Ross Cockran, of Thomaa
ton, visited in East Griffin Sunday.
Bennie King, Wilson Gaston, Ralph
Kelly and Walter Maddox, of Jack
son, visited in East Griffin Sunday.
Horace Gatlin, Mrs. Pearl Palmer
and Mrs. Ross Cochran, of Thomas
ton, visited in East Griffin Sunday.
Mrs. Wilson Morrow, of Zetella,
spent the week end with her sister,
Mrs. Annie Garret.
Roy Kelly and family, of Jackson,
spent Sunday in Griffin with rela
tives. ........-------——;........ 1 X
Miss Emily Morrow, Miss Florence
Keirbow and Miss Ruby Finly were
the guests of Mrs. 0. W. Meeks Sat
urday.
Mr. and Mrs. 0. W. Meeks were
called to Thomaston Sunday on ac
count of
Miss Mhe Brooks and mother mo
tored to Barnesville Saturday to visit
Mrs. Brooks' father, who is very
sick.
Mr. and Mrs. John Brooks and
family spent Saturday with Mr. and
Mrs. Jim Calweli at Esmond.
Miss Georgia Butler and Miss Eva
Nolan spent Sunday with friends and
relatives at Experiment.
Carl Price, of Forsyth, spent ttw
week end with his family in East
Griffin. —
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Couch and
family spent the week end with their
mother, Mrs. J. P. Couch, of Senoia.
Senoia.
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Harmon were
the guests of Mrs. T. C. Brown, of
Aberdeen, Sunday.
Miss Ruth Loyd spent the wee’,
end with her mother in Fayetteville,
Miss Willie Kierbow spent Sunday
with Miss Emma and Esther Bowk.
West Griffin News
Mr. and Mrs. Ruggles have- re
turned home after a visit to their
relatives, Mrs. Emma Holt and Mrs
Susie Cjawford, in Griffin.
Mr. and Mrs. Warren haye return
u aih u&*
Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Rhodes and
Mrs. J. V. Westmoreland motored
to Forsyth Sunday to visit their
daughter, Mrs. Marvis.
Mr. and Mrs. M. C. Cole and
Misses Nellie Ellis, Beauiah Sparks,
Lucile Leach and Louise and Marie
Harris motored to Orchard Hill Sun
day.
Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Cody, of Ex
periment, visited their daughter,
Mrs. A. F. Garrett, Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. J. M. Jones and Mr.
and Mrs. L. P. Jones visited in
West Griffin Sunday.
Friends of C. A. Stallings are
glad to see him out after a recent
illness.
Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Warren and
son and Mrs. J. D. Dutton and lit
tle daughter and son motored to
Columbus,
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