Telegram-herald., 1891-08-25


coming n on the train from LsBox,
..Grses" met ham at the station IL wa
the day after Sloconb got the telegram
by mistake. The thing did not look
well At all Slocomb SurFied back 70
Lenox He resolved TO tell Carrie
Tracy the whole miserabie story
And what are you going 70 do about
it?" she asked, eoOlly, when siocoEnb
finished the narration
What am going 10 do about itr'
he echoed in amszement He dh not
know what - make OF Carries utter
nonchalaace. That's not the ques-
tion. wha. are gou going 10 do about
it,"
Carrie Tracy only leaned back In her
chair and looked a. her cousin with
quest on marks in both of her pretty
blue eyes.
Really it seems 20 me that you are
awfully cut up about this.
But ! am" declared slocomb earn
estly-.'awfully Good heavens, Car
rie, can you see a man carry on double
game before your eyes and not say
word or LIT nnger?"
What can do?" She said this
wearily, and then sloconb saw what
was beneath her mask OF cold raillery.
She had put on . bold front and tried
10 pass over it lightly. 1t was no use,
however. Slocomb prided himself on
his knowledge of human nature. He
felt that he was not At fault in ono
fact-Carrie Tracy loved Mourdant.
They went TO dance that evening.
and everyone noticed that Carrie Tracy
was more beautiful than ever. Yet
ehere was n pungent flavor to her wit,
q sharp edge on her talk. Some ill
natured bellies, who were becoming
passe, said that she was becoming
spoiled at last Callow youths were
placed In the seventh heaven by her
unwonted sweetness to them. But
every throb of the music, every waltz
she heard brought back the memory Of
q pair Of dark eyes, low, tender voice
and q dream that would come no more.
And 30 matters went on, and the wane
of the season came. The story OF Jack
Mourdant came out, of course, with
various notifications. Society shrugged
its shoulders again, and pitied poor Car
rie Tracy.
.'Too badr' everybody said. "She
should know better than TO fall in love
with handsome sdventurer. He was
an awfully nice fellow, though, but
frightfully wildr'
And so Carrie Tracy had TO stand by
and hear all this, and accept the con-
dolence Of her friends. II was gall and
wormwood 10 her, but it only made the
triumph that came in October ali the
sweeter.
You don't believe there Is man in
the world you may trust?" she heard
one girl say 70 another. She was sit
ting by q window in the hotel which
opened upon q piazza. The two girls
were pacing up and down outside.
81 know it sounds awfully silly, but
don't believe in trusting people"
Il wish you would let ne tell you a
little story; it's only an everyday sort
OF a story It's from real life. I'll tell
you the story Of Jack Mourdant."
At this Carrie Tracy looked up quick
ly. She listened eagerly to every word
The two on the piazza had seated them
selves near her.
"The family IL an Albany ono; therc
were four brothers, and he was the
! youngest One of tho brothers is now
| in Albany, the other abroad. the third
is-wen, was near Albany-in jail 1t
was his own fault that no got there; he
was the black sheep of the family
Percy Mour dant. When a very young
boy he was always stealing trifles from
his schoolmates. There was no excuse
for it. His family was rich and he had
every advantage. Percy was an awful
ly wild boy
Jack had always been Percy's bosom
friend. Again and again he had helped
him out of scrapcs. Percy was q quiet
fellow TO all Appearances. He wore
eyeglasses. and was meek as Moses.
But he had the very devil in him. Jack
seemed more like the rascal, with his
dark. Spanish beauty. Percy was light
and had sandy hair. He appeared quito
harmless.
after they got out Of college Percy
behaved himself, bat not for long. He
got to gambling and drinking and all
sorts of horrid thinga The family was
proud and extremely sensitive They
feared he would do something that
would disgrace them forever; some
thing that the sensational newspapers
would make q hue ana cry over as
Another swell gone wrong? you know
what | mean.
/ AT last he did Ho made an un-
fortunate marriage. A very good sort
| of a woman was Grace Morris, but
| quite below HIM. He did not stop here.
but forged large check on his fathers
name- The matter was partly hushed
| up. Old Col Mouriant sent Percy
away. And TO make the matter worse,
everyb body in Albany was talking about
| it.
"Jack was the only one Of the family
| who stuck 20 the unfortunate Percy.
| This summer Percy got into more and
serious trouble. Grace came here to
see Jack and get him to come to Al
bany TO help him out Jack couldn't
come, but believe he arranged for
/ Grace 10 send word when she needed
/ him.
Jack went 10 Albany soon sfter;
met his brothers wife at the station;
arranged with her " help Percy out
| His brother was in a serious fx this
tine IL was not a question of hush
ing up ~ was a question OF life and
| death There had been a row in . low
gambling resort A man had been
killed Percy was not wholly TO blame,
but he had been held for-whas do you
call it1-maaslaughte~7
Jack did some clever detective wora