Middletown transcript., 1909-08-21

q y " OtAA uAaSA - - Aee1tA IA GU I
barrased annoyance followed,
! land still the inexorab1e man
would not let her pnt him of
with bis question unanswered.
Finally she venturned to seem
actually amused, though the
warm dnshes chased each other
to and fro upon her cheeks.
It-lt isn't the doctor, she fdl.
tered, her eyes doWncast
II.
Mr.. Delrpsche was absent from
Nora's side for barely q quarter
Of an hour, long though that time
seemed to a young woman in her
pee uliar and unprecedented
position. But, short or long,
busy d. lrosche did a great many
things while he was gone. First
of all, he walked into a drug
store, q block away, nodded to
the busy clerk. with whom he
was acquainted, went behind the
counter and helped himself to the
drug or drugs he wanted, and
then having counted out the ex-
act cil Lnge his pdrch ases amount
ed TO, he put the money on the
counter, nodded again, and went
out. Perhaps he knew that the
clerk was usually alone in the
store at that hour; possibly he
counted on the fact that he was
almost always busy. Atany rate,
when he was on the street again,
his face showed that he had sue
cessfully passed through some
ordeal he dreaded. And the
drug clerk no more knew what
he had taken from the shelves
than-wel, than you do.
Secondly he accosted a sharp
looking street boy, this time
evidently an individual be didn't
know and one who didn't know
him. He stood in the shadows, |
the boy stood where the glare
from an electric light fell upon
his face. | give the man credit
for being a good judge Of charac-
ter; the boy had a clean face and |
neatly patched garments. to be
sure, but not every boy SO cir.
cumstanced could be trusted to
do d piece of work for which
he was TO be paid in advance.
Perhaps the man recognized thei
boy as bis moral opposite;a mans
own vileness sometimes makes
his appreciation of goodness.more
Keen. AT any rate, the man did
not hesitate; and he was about to
take a risk that meant all sorts
of evil things to Uneven to
possibly death itself-if he made
any mistakes.
Will you deliver two message
for me? asked the man. There
are no answers, and you needn't
90 beyond the door of either
house. | will give you He
lIesitated, and looked the hey
very carefully over from his van.
Jage ground in the shadows. /
will give you-fifty dollars! he
What boy would have refused?
-hesitated? Not that one. The
nan had his letters ready, square :
md solid looking envelopes en-. !
losing them, and addressed ia !.
plain and non committal type 7
writing. He had had them ready I
Ilmost twenty four hours He 9
lad prepared them in antieipa- !
ion of certain contingencies that .
night make their use advantag !,
Gus to him. The time had come :,
Q use them, and use them he (
Fould. Whatever might happen /,
4 the fnture, DelroSche would !,
ever have the right to- claim !,
hat he had not gone about this i
lights work with all due ,leliber.
ton. ).
The boy paid, and sent, the i
ian crossed the street and ran j
Pstairs to his own rooms. Here ;s
e loaded his overcoat pockets 3
18th certain things that had been :,
laced where they would be ~
andy. Dan Delrosche was evi. i
emily man who was used to
aying the details of his plans i
ork themselves out to his SOM =
er satisfaction. i
He came out from his rooms, i
cked the door behind him, and
-ossed the street to the restau- =
int. Nora had never known !
i'm 50 gay before, as he was at
rat last dinner of hers, after 81
le had refused his love.
On the street again, when The m
nner was done, at an hour that til
ould haveseemed terribly late to 50
y one Of the femme sex less
n Il