Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-08

terly new sort upon his face-not the hard
lines of hate, nor the marks Of drink, nor
the distortions of jealous rage which had
generally marked it when he had sought that
spot there in the swamp edge, but the deep
and not repulsive lines of real heart worry.
Any expert physiognomSt who had studied
his expression might have told you that
the man who wore it might have suffered
a great and recent loss, such as that of
wife or child, or that his worry was for
some loved one whose life hung in the bal
ance of critical Illness. The last would
have been the right Interpretation. His
worry was for Billy Sucker.
In all ways Hubbard's plans for the pre-
vious day had been carried out SO far as
he was concerned To the letter he had
kept his word with Musser, and had printed
the attack on Cooper without many qualms
of conscience. He had been false to his
employer, Selkirk, quite as he had intended
to be. After it was all over he had done
as he had planned to do; gone over the
fields unobserved to a small railway sta
ton some miles away and boarded the first
train going toward New York, with Mus
ser's money in his pocket determined to
leave Toms River and its hates, heart burn
ings and jealousies behind him forever.
Bun there had been one thing which he
had been unable to leave behind, which
had forced him to get off the train when
it had gone fifteen or twenty miles along
it's way; which had made him, after an
all nights struggle, take another train back
to the station next Toms River and then
walk over the fields TO his old bfooding
place. The memory of Billy Sticker's DEATH
like face, with the mark of blood upon
his temple and the slowly blueing lips as
he lay upon the floor after the flying metal
had struck him down, had haunted
him and narrowed him; had drawn
him irresistibly back TO Toms River,
where he knew danger lurked, and
where his life, he told himself. had been
a hell He had helped to carry the lad
out of the building, but had turned him
tn1r4 thn
place His arms had, even then. been re-
luctant to let him go from them, but they
had unclasped and Hubbard had fled. Now
he was back again, sitting in the edge Of
the swamp-wondering, wondering about
the boy.
He cursed himself for a fool for being
there He knew that by lingering he eX-
posed himself to possible detection in his
crime against Selktrk, and certain punish
ment If he were found out; but he could
no more resist the attraction-the dread at
traction of the little boys white face-than
he could spread out wings and fly
He was strange mixture OF guile ana
good impulse strength and weakness bru-
tality and gentleness. He had not hesi-
tated TO let his unlawful love for Mercy
Cooper-and his love was unlawful, for he
knew that he had a wife living somewhere,
although he did not know just where
make him plead with her to marry him,
| although he knew he had no right, and
would, II he won her. bring to her eventual
disgrace and sorrow. He had not hesitated
TO yield to the temptation of Musser' S
money when the yielding meant the posi-
| BILE defeat of honest candidate and the
| election of scoundrel. He had not hest
| tated to sell out the rights and honor of
| his employer at the bidding of the same
man. That the lying kilograms had not
! gone upon the wires had been no fault of
| his. and the knowledge would have sur
| prsed him greatly. Then, after he had
done these things. he had not hesitated to
run away. leaving a tangled skein to be
Strengthened out as best ii might be. But
the boys face had drawn him back
with every mile that he had Travelled he
had seen it more distinctly. with its pellor
and the blood upon it. With every mile
that he had Travelled the little form that
was beneath 1t had grown frazier to the
eyes of his Imagination. limper. weaker,
death. And he had. as he saw this face
before him, realized that he loved the boy.
He had wondered more than once before
If he did not-now he knew he did. He
| could not go away without knowing how
he fared-and so he had come back
There was much danger in ii, and he
| realized Ii. If Selxirk had returned and
! learned the full measure of his trickery
| he knew enough of law to know that he
| could prosecute him for forgery as GER
| tainly as he could have done had he signed
| IL from the bank. But he could not go
away until he knew how Billy Stickel
| fared-whether he was much or little hurt
whether he lived or died.
He sat there in the swamp edge and tried
i to plan some way to get the information
without going nearer to the town. He
knew not at all what 1t was that had han.