The Washington times., 1910-02-28
HIS TRUE NAME

Nowhere was nothing more TO be-
done
And every familiar step. every cor
ner OF the new gTeets. every young
maple along MS path served TO re-
mind him that h5 was no longer what
he had been when he saw those things
last The very street signs seemed now
10 his distorted vision 20 point 20 him
as the son Of a murderer who had slain
his own wife
Unconsciously he hurried away from
them, his steps growing ever faster
as he went until, by the time he reach
ed home. he was almost running he
sped up the short Fyalk to the steps
Of the porch with a wild longing TO
hide himself in he privacy Of his
own room.
Old Hepburn Green was at the door
70 meet him. world Of loving pity
In his face.
Ny poor boy" he cried. seizing the
young man in his arms as though he
would caress g child
Mrs. Green had been watching for
his return, too. but had stepped into
the house for some forgotten erraud.
She ran forward TO snatch him from
her husbands embrace.
For a brief moment their tenderness
soothed him They had ever been the
only parents he has ever known and,
perhaps. more ind Agent toward the
child they had taken than they would
have been TO the. son who had died in
had taken place.
But the brief moment Of consolation
only ended in a fresh sense OF desc
latiou. These were not his parents.
supposed
Kind. tender, loving, indulgent, they
had been-but this gentle ola man was
not his father. this sweet, gray-haired
woman was not his mother.
And, in that OverWhCtm Inning sense OF
rev sorrow, he tore himself away from
them
7 can't stand it-I must go" he
Perhaps they understood. perhaps
rot. Hardly had he reached the gate
when the same fear smOte both Of
them.
Go after him. HeDburn. the old
lady cried, He might kill himself"
But Hepburn Green was already
half way down the concrete path.
Come back, Wally-come back" he
urged: using the pet name by which
the old people had always called him
from infancy.
Wallace paused long enough for his
foster-father 10 catch up with him
But he gently refused 20 return 70 the
house
7 can't-not new" he said. Maybe.
after = while-when this-when I've got
more used 70 it'll come Goodbye
now. Say goodbye 20 mother FOR me. d"
Have YOU got any money!" the old
man asked with a seeming practicalness
hardly compatible with his emotions at
such a time
In reality. ne had instantly made up
his mind that IL was useless 10 URGE
Wallace 10 return. And ne dreaded the
possible consequences Of the young man
| finding himself stranded IN a strange
place in his presep' frame Of mind
''Yes-about fifty dollars" the young
man replied I guess il viii be enough.
! II l need more / can draw a check for
During the last three years both his
adopted father and Stephen Warren had
paid him a liberal salary for the man
! agement Of the estates Besides this he
/ had received com missions for outside
/ deals Of considerable ma Enitude
| He had thorough. believed IN the fu-
! ture Of Greenville. and had invested
l much Of his saVin IS IN land. but he
| could draw his check for four or five
| thousand dollars without fear OF having
| IL protested.
I lieved in mind Wallace had spoken OF
/ ultimately returning. OF drawing checks
| IN case he needed more than fifty dol
! lars. There was evidently no danger OF
| immediate suicide.
. But during the remainder Of the after
/ noon he had doubted the probability OF
I the return Of their foster child He sat
| long and reasoned rs 10 how he himself
| would feel in WallaCe's present posi-
| tiOn. and be could not persuade himself
I
\ place where all men now knew II his
I wretched origin
| Meanwhile. Wallace had boarded a
! train for the city Arrived there he first
| thought Of taking passage in steamer
| or going % some place far away IN the
! West
| 4 short walk in search Of 2 railroad
l2EenCv brought new idea 10 his MIND
There could be no better place IN Wnlcn
TO bury himself from the world he had
/ known than right here in the vast
| thrOngs Of New YORK
| He turned into the entrance OF an old
hotel which still remains an ancient
llendmark in the busy region Of down
town skyscrapers. Here he registered
secured a room. and went 70 II. He had
lpaused, half way through the writing
Of his name. and finally put II down as
I''Wallace Meade"
| He sank into a chair beside an open
v indOw. A sense Of utter physical ex-
ihaustiOn came .pOn him He closed
his ewes, but found that he could not
sleep.
He felt sick e heart. sick IN mind
sick in body
/ He had never used alcoholic stimu-
ilants save mSdicinaily- Now he be
him together. He rang for boy and
lordered whisky.
The burning Iiqrcr seemed to meet q
craving within him. He drank another
larger draught than the first Their
lcame p reckless feeling that he wanted
lrnore, that nothing could make any dit
ference now.
D. But the third drink, vet larger thar
the others. gave him renewed physica
| energy, together with an unreasOninl
desire 10 get out into the streets.