The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-01-15
.--By-
ALBERT PAYSON TERHUNE

! his old friends death was quite prob
able But anyone who knew anything
] of either banking or Of law could see
/ that the rest Of the speech was idiotic
twaddle.
Yet Brock was no i=iot. Why was
he talking such nonsense 10 me- lie
| had some object What did he KEW
of that bond theft? Was he purposely
.Yo6 look done up he observed,
meeting. my puzzled glance with - one
! Of highly irritating solicitude- The
berths on the midnight train from
Boston must be uncOm fOrta BILE.
How did you know I took the mid
night train from Boston, / snapped,
at once all on the alert
Didn't YOU just tell me YOURSELF
he asked, With an air OF candid Won
81 did not"
why, YOU must have. How else
could 1 have known
That's what / would like TO know"
7 reIOTted-
Perhaps he coujectured. 81 Just
inferred IL by the fact OF your being
here so early this morning Unless
you'd caught the midnight train you
could hardly be in Philadelphia be
fore noon, you know
Perhaps" I agreed
But IN my heart 1 knew he was ~
ing and that he was struggling TO
cover Up a break. he was aware
not from word Of mine nor from his
own deduCt.Ons-that I had taken the
midnight train from Boston He had
had word from Boston OF that ! was
certain
Then. too. that rambling. absurd
yarn OF his about the Rltteuhouse
bonds Why had he COnCOCted such a
story TO me2 Why, but to see Il /
would show sign OF UnessineSs when
he dragged those same stolen dOCu-
ments into the conversation
Yet how did ne know OF that2
And again, Vaughn flashed into my
mind This time with far more Ger
taInty that I was right The wi ole
business was becoming complicated past
my understandings
We reached the bank and Z went
about my daily toll with a dead nGarL
From time 10 time during the day my
eyes stole fUTtively TO the paper
safe - the far end Of our inner office
Strive as I would, for way out Of
the difficulty, no inspiration came 10
me
As soon as I could get through my
work I hurried toward the station 7
was barely IN time 10 buy my ticket 10
Baltimore and 20 board the W aShlnstOn
limited. Yet. as I swung myself upon
the platform and into a. smoking com
partment I once more came face 20
lace with B-OeCk.
Nv first idea was that for some reason
OF his own he was shadOwiug me Eut,
unless ! was vastly mistaken, his
Ratchet face portrayed quite as much
genuine amazement IS did my own
counteuance- I vCuchsafed him but a
stiff word for greeting; then passed on
As / left the train at the Union sta
ton In baltimore, / saw not only
BroecE hut Vaughn as well pass
through the waiting room gates ahead
Of me-EauEhn, who-Iille myself-v Is
supposed TO be IN Boston for al least
two days longer
I lost the two IN the crowd. Nor had
any special reason or desire 10 keep
ca1ghJ a Mount Royal avenue ear
and after what seemed in my haste
an inteTmina oily long ride found myself
az the big frame house where my
mother lived.
The house-ny grandfather's country
seat IN the days before Baltimore had
spread its length 50 lar into the pleas
ant surrounding SuburbS-WaS the sole
hit Of property left from the old Lee
estates Here. with two old coIOred
servants. dUelt nv mother ClInE1nE 10
that would not suffer her TO accede TO
olr plans yaat she mae her home with
Mark and rsc in Germantown
Dinner vas over before We spoke on
more tns-r iInpersODal topics Then she
fell to questioning me- mOtner-like-
ahout O-r Boston visit 7 was sore put
70 IL to devise a line Of replies which
would exclude all mention Of the quar-
rel with Vaughn. or Of Marks predica-
Teut- When 7 mentioned my visit 20
Hnda Graves the dear old fac. bright
ened-
a sweet cirIr- she commented Il
love her dearly. BUT wish IL had been
Mark she sent for last evening"
Why I asked. vexedly.
''Beca use came the simple direct an
swer- he loves her and he tells me
she is growing 70 love him, too"
Did II never occur TO you" 7 said
bitterly. that ] might love her. tOO2'
Your she exclaimed. Are you IN
s.Tori5 I be likely to make her q
theme for jest?' I asked 7 do love
oh" she replied. with eager sym
patny. I'm sorry! So sOrry! Ny poor
bOy2''
you mean that YOU expect ne 20
stand aside and let him win heT2''
Why Is IL ] must always do everything
for Mark and nothing for myself Am I
my brothers keeper
yes. dear" she made answer, softly
You are You are strong He IS
weak 70 can guard yourself from
harm and carve out destiny for your
self. He can't That IS why
And loneliness must be the price Of
strength 7 unused bitterly. oh. the
weak ha7 an easy time Of it. There
IS alwayS some one &c carry them
The sitting room door swung vide
and Mark himself hurried into the
room.
Hugh he cried. scarce noticing my
mothers glad cry OF Welcome Il hoped
I'd find you here They said at the
Office that you'd left for BALTIMORE 7
i couldn't stay in Boston afEer-after
what happened. I couldn't rest TIL I
knew-they-wer really safe So I mar
Tied back 10 the office and I looked
into the paper safe, and they weren't
there. And I came here to find out
why YOU didrt-yOu-you surely didn
lose them. Hugh
why, Mark broke in my mother.
you haven't even spoken 20 NE And
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