The Horry herald. (Conway, S.C.) 1886-1923, August 31, 1916, Page SIX, Image 6
" =
I
K&jtfbi V| - ^^SSiBjfc* ^l^n
GfcOftOfc /' 4
*Jt*tti& ..^^T mi
Her Telegram Had Is
GI OR]
ROMA
^ffT\r. &rvcl T\rs. T<
Novelized from the M
Picture Play of the
name by George Klein*
Copyright, (91b, by Adelaide M Hwghn
* , SYNOPSIS.
Plerpont StafTorU, banker and rallrotd
magnate, with his slUtecn-year-old (laughter,
Gloria, is wintering at Palm Beach.
Gloria is a vivacious but willful young 1
lady who chafes under the restraining 1
hand of a governess i rum whom she repeatedly
escapes. Her childish capers
cause young Doctor Royce to fall in lcve t
with her. She steals from her room at
night and in an auto plunges into the
surf where she leaves the ear. Becoming
lost in the everglades she falls into the
hands of the Seminole Indians. She is
rescued and returned to her father who
had offered a reward for her return. Gloria
falls in love with her rescuer, Freneau.
Five years later she leaves school
and meets Freneau at the theater; his
attention having been occupied with her
aister-in-law he hus forgotten Gloria. Gtoria
feels that her one dream is shattered.
Luter Freneau persuades her to forgive
him. Gloria's sister-in-law. Lois, becomes
Intensely jealous and Doctor Royce discovers
in her an ally to assist in thwarting
Freneau. Doctor Royce warns Freneau
that there is another woman besides
Gloria; Freneau goes sleighing with Gloria
without her father's knowledge. It results
in pneumonia for Gloria, whose family
becomes incensed at Freneau when
they learn tlie truth. Royce is summoned
to alleviate Gloria's suffering. Freneau's
finances being low lie approaches Pierpont
Stafford for a loan. Doctor Royce again
warns Freneau of his conduct. But I<ois,
learning of Freneau's betrothal to Gloria,
threatens him with dire punishment. Her
husband. Gloria's brother David, becomes
auspicious; he plans a trap for his wife.
Freneau driven to desperation by Lois'
threats agrees to send a week with her
in the Catskills. ' plans to have Mulry
Fend Gloria a bum u of telegrams. lx>is'
husband threatens to kill a man. After
Freneau takes leave of Gloria she sees
from her window an attack made upon
him when he goes to meet Lois.
EIGHTH INSTALLMENT
The Mesh of Mystery.
Was it delirium or was it truth? Or j
part truth and part delirium? If part
of both, where did truth leave off and
delirium begin?
This was the problem that confronted
Miss Emily Richards, night nurse
to Gloria Stafford. Miss Richards sat
quivering in her chair by the night
lamp and watched the exquisite girl
who, though quieted now by drugs,
was conscious enough to be troubled.
Her eyes, still filled with something
of the horror they had seen or thought
they had seen, turned every now and
again towards the door. She was j
waiting for the doctor to appear Where.
Ho was searching for the body of her i
lover, whom she had seen?or said
aho had seen?murdered.
Before this unhappy moment Gloria
had been progressing swiftly towards
recovery from the attack of pneumonia
that had struck her down on
the very threshold of her marriage to 1
Dick Freneau.
Nurse Richards' heart had already
troubled her in this affair, and her
heart was an orgau she made a point
of ignoring; at least she had cased
it in such iron determination that she
seldom felt it throb. But this particular
patient had been so beautiful^*
favored by the gods otherwise
that her untimely illness seemed incongruously
cruel.
Some day Richards might congratulate
Oloria upon this disaster and realize
that the gods had been cruel to be
kind; but just now the knowledge
could not come to sustain her. All
she could see was a young girl of
great beauty, great patience in the
face of trying and tedious disease, one
who had all to live for?wealth, a
devoted father and brother, and an ex*
Jot Been Delivered.
HZtrl
L\ipGrtf1k^KG5
.raordinary handsome bridegroom
?> iiki uu iiioucu uio nuai mum IU mu
picture.
it was really the Insouciance nrftf
diablerie of the dashing Freneau, with
his charming manners and somewhat
wicked glances cast her way that wilted
Nurse Richards' starch?though she
would not have acknowledged this,
heaven knows, and bless us, never!
Richards had arrived as* uf.ujjI to
relievo the day nurse. She buckled
on her armor of white linen in the
room next to Gloria's own and as she
looked from the window facing Riverside
drive, she thought she had never
beheld so beautiful a night or so beautiful
a scene. * Already the young
moon was up and gleaming softly but
purely on the noble beauty of the soldiers'
and sailors' monument opposite
the Stafford house. The white marble
columns of that magnificent
tribute to the heroes dead and gone
stirred her strangely.
Richards sighed her last tribute to
sentiment, romance and the beauty
of the night, and, moving towards her
patient's room, assumed her usual
crisp and cheerful manner. As Richards
came in Gloria turned to her
with a wan little smile of welcome
and put her hand out towards her.
She looked like a small child lying
there, and the color scheme of her
room?soft grays and powder blue?
made an exquisite setting for the
girl's own colorful type. The blue of
}|pp pv ou Pfinf roctinfr "tWI. * I
- va vj VM VUIIVI UOllll^ 1111 llIU UCIT
cate red of her hair, her peach-blosHorn
skin, a bahy chin, a girl's mouth,
and a woman's soul, made up a total
of irresistible appeal.
Just now a heavy splash of scarlet
on either cheek told the nurse of unusual
fever, but with her newly awakened
sense of romance she attributed
the condition to Gloria's probable disinclination
to parting with iter lover.
For Freneau had told her that he
must leave town on business for a
wholo week, When he came to bid
farewell the nurse left the room, returning
when Freneau had gone. He
left Gloria in a lonely gloom.
Gloria was fretful and restloss, complaining
that sho did not feel ready
f^.r sleep. It was the nurse who was
drowsy after the long strain of
Gloria's illness.
Richards put out all the lights save
the one shaded lamp by the bedside,
and then sho must have dozed, for the
next thing she knew was that her ears
were throbbing and her nerves jangling
with the wild clamor of Gloria's
screams.
For an instant the nurse was too
horrified to move, then as her wits
returned to her the fact that the voice
was Gloria's penetrated to her consciousness.
Gloria, indeed, was tugging
at her and crying to her incoherontly.
Then she fainted as her
father rushed in in his dressing gown.
He and Miss Richards lifted the girl's
body to the bed. Then Richards
reached for the telephone to call Doctor
Royce, blaming herself bitterly
the while for having slept at her post.
Doctor Royce was not at home. His
secretary promised to send him the
moment he returned. The nurse did
what she could.
Turning to the bed she was clutched
by the groping hands of Gloria. She
THE HOMY VCR
beard her cry:
"Save him, save him, father; they're
murdered him! Let me go to him!
Oh. Dick. Dick!"
Richards held the frantic girl tight
in her arms and tried to soothe her
as she struggled to rise from the bed
again. But the eyes that looked into
hers were almost those of a maniac,
and the nurse signed to the distracted
father to help her. Qlorla was shrieking
now as she found renewed
strength:
"There, there, look! Look down by
the steps of the monument! Dick is
lying there. 1 tell you they've killed
him. Oh, my God, why don't you go
to him instead of holding me here?"
With one supreme effort she
wrenched herself free from the two,
only to be mercifully seized with another
fainting spell. Swooning forward,
her face would have been
dashed against the footboard of her
bed had not Richards recaptured her
in her arms. At last Doctor Royce
I appeared in the doorway. His foot
struck the binoculars, which still lay
on the floor where they had fallen
from Gloria's hand. He started back
from them, looked towards the prostrate
Gloria, and, stooping swiftly,
thrust the glasses into his pocket with
what sounded to Richards much like
an oath. Then he came forward to
Gloria, taking her from her fathers
! arms.
Gloria opened her eyes again and
stared into the doctor's own with another
outcry:
"You will believe me and go to him,
won't you?"
Reason seemed to return to her
now, and her eyes were overflowing
with tears. Her father had to turn
his own nwav, for Gloria's made him
think of a child torn from its mother
and beaten and pleading. When Doctor
Royce spoke his voice was hoarse
with emotion:
"Gloria, you know that I would give
my life to spare you any pain or to
do you any service, but remember
that you are still very ill, that any
further excitement might bo fatal to
you. You have a high fever and are
not yourself. You are a very sick
child. Tell me what is troubling you
and what frightened yeu and 1 will do
anything 1 can to help you."
Gloria seemed to be lidding herself
under extreme control as if to convince
them of her sanity.
"Oh, Stephen, you must believe. I
tell you I saw it all?from the window
here. Hut there is no time to lose.
You must go to him. Dick Freneau
is dead! Murdered! His body is
down there at the base of the monument.
"Miss Richards was sleeping. 1
couldn't. 1 looked through my glasses
on the drive. I turned them towards
th? mnnnmpilt I BMW a man nun.
? m v???? M. MM ff 111 V/ T Vy"
ning dress loitering about. I couldn't
see his face. IIo seemed to be waiting
for someone. A policeman went
by. The man stepped behind the monument
till the officer had gone. Then
ho came out again. He took a revolver
from his pocket. Then he walked
away as a tramp came along.
"I saw the tramp?a slouching creature
with a hideous face?a face I
shall never forget. I saw it plainly
under the light of the lamps as he
dropped on a bench. Hut 1 thought
nothing of him and turned my glasses
down the drive.
"I saw a man stop to light a cigar.
It was Dick. I was surprised. I
thought ho would have been 011 the
train. He seemed to look up at my
windows. Then ho walked on. I
turned my glasses back to the tramp.
I saw a terrilic look come over his
face, under the lump-post?as he saw
Dick approaching. I wanted to scream
a warning, but he was too far away.
I saw the tramp skulk behind a tree.
"As Dick passed him the tramp
leaped on him from behind. There
was a struggle in the shadows. I tried
to scream?not a sound came from
my throat. 1 could only hold the
glasses tc my eyes and watch. The
tramp was like a mad gorilla. Dick
hadn't a chanco with him. The fiend
either choked him tc death or stabbed
him, I don't know which. Hut I know
that 1 saw these things. I know it's
l V.<v
Came a 8pecial D
^ II"
ALP, OOHWAT, 8. ft
true, and I saw his body thrown down
> lifeless.
"The man In evening dress came
back again. I thought he was going
to save Dick. The tramp ran away
at sight cf him. The man knelt down
by Dick's body. I couldn't see very
well, but he seemed to be listening
tc his heart. I thought surely he
would help Dick. Then 1 could hardly
believe my eyes, for he began to
search Dick's coat. He pulled out
from the pocket a long envelope with
seals on the back.
"It was the very envelope that I
saw in Dick's pocket tonight as he
said goodby to me. I recognized it
perfectly, for I laughingly asked him
what important business it contained
and he grabbed It from my hand so
quickly that it startled me. 1 know
it was the same?this man held up
the envelope to the light to make
sure of it, then put it in his pocket.
Then I found my voice und screamed
and screamed. And then I don't know
what happened.
"But, oh, Stephen, go over there
now at once. Bring him back here
dead or alive and tell me the truth!
1 promise to be brave, but tell me the
truth?tell me the truth!"
Her sobs choked her now so that
she fell back exhausted on the pil!
lows.
Doctor Royce did not go to her. He
was at the window, staring through
i the binoculars. He seemed to be
greatly astounded, then he said: "I
can see the place perfectly; there is
nothing there."
| Gloria screamed: "Hut I saw him
killed; I tell you! He must be there!"
Doctor Royce handed the binoculars
to Mr. Stafford.
I "Mr. Stafford, do you see anything?"
Piorpont stared through the glasses
and shook his head:
"Nothing."
Ho passed the glasses to Miss Rich- ;
ards. She also shook her head, then i
exclaimed: "A policeman is com- i
ing up the drive?ho is passing right .
across the spot?he didn't stop!"
Gloria saw this herself and won- |
I dered if she were truly mad. Doctor
I Royce turned to Gloria, stroked her j
hand, and spoke to her gently.
"There, there, Gloria, child, don't
torture yourself so. You have sirn !
ply been delirious and imagined these j
| things. But tc satisfy you I will go :
over there at once?if you will promise
to lio quietly here on your bed. |
And try to believe that it is all a
hideous nightmare?until I come back
to assure you that it is?will you?"
Gloria nodded her head to him, unj
able to speak, but it seemed to Richi
ards that the doctor's assurance had
! no effect upon her and that she held
herself in leash only until she could
get him out of the room.
Then she turned to Miss Richards,
sobbing: "Hold me, Miss Richards,
hold me up quickly to the window?
first give me the glasses. I must look
again."
Together they strained their eyes
towards the monument. She felt every
nerve and muscle of Gloria's body
taut strung beneath her hands. And
she likened it to a bow. Gloria's soul
was the arrow and it was ready at'
any moment tc speed on its swift and
terrible Journey.
She felt the agony as if it had been
her ftwn, The not knowing was the
most terrible part of it, for Richards
seemed tc feel more bewilderment
than the girl herself. Her instinct
and the girl's conviction seemed tc
point to the truth of Gloria's vision;
yet her common sense told her that
such a thing was almost impossible,:
and that Gloria's fever would fully account
for it all.
They watched tho monument. The
doctor appeared there shortly and
j walked about the empty spot, signalling
to the window what he had said
befcre.
"There is nothing here?nothing."
And then Gloria began to muitar:
"Lay him down there."
She raised her arm and pointed toward
the chaise tongue. The.- her
arm dropped. Richards put her hand
on Gloria's head, only to have it
thrown off by the girl as she shrilled
in a weak voice: "Loosen his collar
?he's choking. Dick?D'.c'fi?it'8 all
jpMhflr' ^H|xQ|
a'-'J'- Kjvw^^vi iv'.y ' ; . .
vv!%,X*!i^Iv,*I'X">x">?/^x^>5"?J$*"*^svm ; " ri)'.v/.
:;;^^>3H|H^^^^< > '. \ ->Z>'
el I very Love Letter.
i
i
I v^x ^ "
*<3K*.\;.; Jpiiifca'i : '*H
^K^BNM -i!- Xv v'.v '
She Showed the Te
~ight now, dear; they shan't touch you
again!"
Richards felt a thrill of Joy mingled
with pity go through her. This was
bwlktuning uau coui^ understand at
last?this was delirium. Then the
rest must havo been delirium, too?
The sound of ';lie doctor's step on
the landing brought her grateful relief.
He came ir. with a smile cn his
face. Going at once to the bed, he
took Gloria's hand to feel her pulse.
Richards Si.iu; "She is delirious
now, doctor, completely so. I>id you
find anything?"
"There was nothing there," but the
doctor drawled the words with
strange listlessness, and, sinking into
a chair, covered iiis eyes wearily with
his hand, though Gloria babbled faintly:
"Has the mail come yet? Why don't
you give me Dick's letter?"
On the following morning Gloria
awoke from her drugged slebp with
a feeling of hovering calamity. Presently
realization came. Her lover had
been murdered. She hid her face in
the pillows and moaned: "It can't be
true; it can't be true."
The day nurse tried to soothe her,
bathing her face and hands, arranging
her hair. Then the butler arrived
with a telegram for Gloria, who took
it from him with trembling hands.
A glad cry escaped the girl's lips
as she read it.
"Arrived safely. Miss you terribly.
Hope you slept well and dreamed of
me. Am writing. Devoted love.
DICK." ^
Gloria passed her hand across her
brow in a daze. She read the telegram
again and called to Miss Armstrong
and Doctor Royce, who had
just entered.
She showed them the telegram, trying
to hold her lingers ever the words
to let them see only "Arrived safely"
and "Am writing."
Doctor Royce started, but recovering
himself, expressed great delight.
"I told you it was a delirium." Yet
the nurse, glancing from the telegram
to the doctor, noted a puzzled look on
his face that belied his words.
At last the doctor was able to place
the thermometer in Gloria's mouth.
She tried to speak, but he ordered her
to keep silence, and stood in a brown
study. Gloria indicated by crude and
impatient pantomime that she wanted
paper and pencil. Sue proceeded to
compose a telegram, shifting her position
that the doctor might not see
what she wrote.
Doctor Rcyce took the thermometer
from her lips, and she went on
writing, without noticing him. Ho
nodded his head, apparently satisfied.
and the nurse entered the tempera'
turo on the chart. Then bidding
Gloria gcod-by, the doctor left the
room, still musing.
Gloria continued her task, apparently
a difficult one, and chewed the end
of her pencil to bits. At last the result,
much underscored and scratched
out, read:
"Your angelic telegram received.
It was terribly welcome. I did not
sleep, but I dreamed a horrible dream
about vou. Overioved to know von
are safe. Please take care of your
self and telegraph on receipt of this
that you are still all right. Much
love. GLORIA."
Dispatching her telegram by a servant,
Gloria gave her attention to the
breakfast'tray her nurse placed on the
bed. The Invalid turned up her little
nose as she uncovered the plate of
gruel, but ate it greedily, nevertheless,
and then, worn out by her emotions of
the night before, but in a peaceful
frame of mind at last, she settled herself
for a long, refreshing sleep.
A few hours later when she awoke
it was to receive another message.
The telegraph company notified her
that her telegram to Freneau at his
hotel was not delivered: "Party not
?
I
- -
fll
Icgram to Doctor Royce.
known there."
Before she could recover from lier
bewilderment, close on the heels of
this message came a special delivery
love letter from her lover written on
the hotel paper and postmarked Albany.
Gloria was completely dazed, lier
brain in a whirl of contradictions.
What could she do? Where could
she iiiul her lover? Was he alive or
dead?
At this time, in the boudoir of her
home, Lois Stafford paced the floor,
staring at the photograph of Freneau
which she had stolen from Gloria.
Despair tore at her heartstrings. She
sobbed and beat her breast. A knock
at the door brought her to herself and
uhe called: "Who's there?" The
voice of her husband came through
the door. She cast a look of anger at
the door, then hid the photograph and
dried her eyes hastily. Then she
forced a smile and admitted David.
He carried an offering of flowers in
his hands.
"I thought you were on your way
South," Lois exclaimed as she embraced
nim with apparent fervor.
"I decided not to go and turned
back. Are you sorry?" ho asked hungrily.
She answered: "My love!" and
, clasped him close.
She was afraid to ask him any questions
lest he ask questions of her.
I The following morning Gloria, still
' see-sawing between Joy and anguish,
received a telegram from Freneau at
Buffalo. She telegraphed to him at
his address there. Later the message
was reported undelivered. Yet in due
time a letter came from Freneau on
the hotel paper.
The next day a message of love
from Cleveland. Now she called the
hotel on the long-distance telephone.
The clerk insisted that Freneau was
not there and hod not been there.
It was the same with messages
from Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, and
Pittsburgh. Gloria felt that she was
being slowly driven Insane. But her
bodily health improved throughout the
week in spite of her mental distress
and Doctor Royce told her that she
might go down to the dining room for
her breakfast. She was glad of this
because Dick's letter from Pittsburgh
had promised that he would call on
her that morning. She wanted to welcome
him in state.
She herself had a royal reception
from the servants. She was dressed
in a trailing breakfast gown of orchid
chiffon, and she bent to the bowing
old butler as if he wero her prime
minister. Her father escorted her to
her place, then whipped open his paper
to the financial page and vanished
behind it.
Gloria turned to the page of social
gossip in another paper. She had
I pretty well lost track of the world.
She laughed as she turned to the
front page and only now saw the big
headlines announcing: "Freneau
Dead. Body of Well-Known Clubman
Found in Lowe Bay. Mystery as teal
Death. Suicide Hinted. Financial
Affairs Known to Have Been in Disorder."
Gloria's eyes widened. Her fingers
clenched and crumoled the naner in
anguish. Her father, looking up from
his paper, saw the wild terror in her
eyes. He hurried to her. She handed
him the paper, and while he read,,
she rose to her feet unsteadily, leaning
on the table for support.
s soon as her father understood
the news he put his arms about her.
Hut she gently thrust him from her
and stood gazing great-eyed into
space. She was seeing again what
she saw that night beneath the monument.
All her girlhood seemed to
drop from her. Her small figure grew
terrible with agony, her little white
mouth was drawn with determination
to hare revenge.
She lifted her hands to heaven In