The Washington times., 1910-01-23
.=By-
ALBERT PAYSON TERHUNE

Z 4
doing so. she averted her face with
something Ike a shUddcr-
Then J took up my weary waiting
once more Fifteen minutes passed be
fore Hilda and her father emerged
from their suite
7 STEPPED forward and confronted
Mr. Graves seemed amazed 20 see nc
there but greeted me pleas 1ntly and
PASSED on. EIi!da twhOse sau, dark Ia
dowed eyes had grown cold and br ght
as Ice pools on sight OF me and Who
had given no word nor sign Of recoSni-
tom moved forward to- follow him
But 7 turned her way
''Filda-r I urged desperately. lower
iuz my voice that Mr. Graves might
not overhear me -HiIda- You must
listen 20 me
Isn't it sufficient I have seen you
she asked IN weary scorn- II must
Yes 7 declared. vehementIy. you
must. in common fairness Aou We
known me for years And a man does
not change his whole nature in single
. hour"
fortunately. it seems possible to kno"
"A man for years and then 70 discover
In one moment what Tlanrrr OF man
YOU have no right q say THAR
I b1aZed- You see
Yes she interrupted. II saw"
In sheer desperation I tried another
1 tack
..Yoa can believe me OF not" said
( ]. but 7 never in my life saw SiEnorlna
Ferrl uutu an hour ago She had never
{ even heard Of me-
rs IT. customary for women who are
Z total strangers 10 throw their arms
about your neck and 10 weep on your
I can explain that" protested,
= bs- Won viii not trouble. II really
IS ED affair OF mine. nor would sucG "a
story interest me-
She was for passing on BuI AGAIN
almost -sdeIv- J barred her pat
I ''HUGa.- 7 pleaded. L nave ever leo
20 YOU Nor do 7 lie 10 any one You
ought to know that And you must be
I Tfe-a nae yyhen I say the whole 5diuJIC
scene YOU witnessed W-S 4 miserable
I DlUuder- It"
/ Tt was" she agreed The door
should have been shut Not aJar. for
/ THAT is unworthy OF you I de-
+ declared. If it hda been = love scene DO
. you suppose J should have behaved as I
did, Or Zee explaining as L am now
Thus far" she remarked, you have
| explained nothing
f "A hundred sentences rushed TO my
+ lips. only TO die there WHAT could /
saw Could I tell why 7 had gone To
see SfEnorina FerTi2 That il was part
. of my plan in the bond hunt2 That she
had been writing love letters 10 Kari
/ ma king love TO Hilca herself
The one explanation would have IN
. VOWED Mark and betrayed his t5ettS-
z the other would have struck an INV ar
Tautcd blow 10 Huda-S own pride and
would have been an equally unfair at
4 tack on @ dead man. And even were
{ 90 bring myself TO tell Of the clues that
{ had led me 10 the prina donna I must
StIU involve Mark.
4 What could I say a clever man 10
1 whom 7 cr-a told this story called me
]
. q way out Of his latest and most po.Eu-
ant Of my many difficulties / asked
him how ne J.luld have eXtrICated him
self from the same situation He hem
med ana hau-yd and finally answered
. with uneasy VaEueEsSs- "Ch, In any
/ OF q dozen Ways-' But ne did not men
Ji0u one Of The dozen, nor, 1 think
At any rate. I-poor normal thick
! headed Hugh Le@-COUld find no an
sWer- And I looked down al HilCs- II
dumb misery
/ She waited for minute, eyeinE me
with eager eNpectaucy- I had broken
through her armOr Of sCOrn- She was
1 actually giving me a chance to set my
brothers prospects Of winning neT- !
could not avail myself of that chance
/ So helpless. I watched the light %
Z half nope IN her gray eyes die away
and give place TO her former sCOTu-
{ fuI disbelief Women are strange Mere
man. I believe, cannot, at best UnceT-
Z stand them
If / had 1oId HiIda I was a Eorger
an smbezzler, or even that { was the
SLAYER Of Karl Vaughn, the CivIne pity
in her heart would probably have made
her find some excuse for M
I But when. a few hours after all my
/ soul had looked from my eyes INTO heI
own she saw me with another WON
ans arms about my neck, she was as
hardened against me as the neither mill
eF,e -r5o ,rol,e the nafrF4.1
silence between US
Hugh" said she. steadyins her sweet
voice with a visible effort when
saw Won in BOSeon, YOU told me YOU
/ we're in trouble Again, this very day
your face as well as your words toto
me that that trouble had frightened It's
hold on You and was crushing. you
lOuged TO help you You would not le
me I hurried from your mother s h0uSt
10 the station to meet my father anC
catch the Washington train There
met Mark He was buying ucke
for Philadelphia. I asked him frankly
what was distressing you. You know q
was not out of idle curiosity that
asked; but with the hope OF helping yo1
Il know I said, And I thank you
Mark confessed"
''What2'
That you were in great trouble Blu
he would not tell what it was. He sal,
. he could not But I got this much on
( OF him. That the person responsible
p for EOuT worries was IN Washington
b. and that you were on your way here t.
r / seek that person When next ! saw
YOU you had fOund-heT--7
1T was not SignOrina FerTi ] Camt
l here to meet. l protested, I canno
tell you who il was, nor why But j
was not she on. can't you believe me
/ Can't YOU trust me2"
II could believe you - could trUs
yoU-aEainst all the evidence in TIT
world-except that Of my own eyes
Even now. her dear voice softening
b 7 am Teady-yes, and eaEer-to havt
. you prove 1 am wrong know it E.
not easy TO explain away such a sigh
a. I saw. But If you are sincere il
{ Z wanting me to believe you you can ex
plain it, Won't YOU. Hugh p
7 shook my head in despair. I coulJ
not speak
/ She drew a step nearer TO ne and LAID
lhcr little white hand gently, almost ap
peLinSly, on my arm