Evening star., 1911-08-20

Clifford Prentice regarded his with eyes of pain.
"Aly boy" he said slowly, "you don't know what You
ask. must have my way-for your sake-for both Our
sakes This man can ruin me-and you. If you cross
me now, we may never have another happy moment
His eyes lghtened with unexpressed affection he
drew himself up. "AIy hat, Wilkins
His hands leaning heavily the darask Of the table,
Dick stared at his father and said chokingly, "Dadl
Can't you trust with it? Perhaps can help you.
You know I'd never believe anything against you.
The old man looked at him pityingly; but shook his
head. "No my son" he said in low voice. II can
trust you but dare not tell you Wait here for me
Il not be long"
close and in the brief interison the whine of the
armed man. Scarcely had the sounds died away when
he turned upon the dumbounded lackey his face dark
with passion his voice unsteady.
"Wilkins, my hat-quick And look here! My
fathers getting in years-hes recovered from
my mothers death. He may be losing, his mind-this
fooshness looks like it. You keep still tongue IN your
head, see, or I'll do for you'll
He gared until Wilkins shrank from him; then he
rushed to the of the room where IN the drawer
of his desk, lay revolver. He seized the weapon.
glanced at the cylinder and thrust it into his pocket
Then snatching his hat, he ran from the room.
A the end of hour, Wilkins still trembling in his
"A pantry heard his master return alone. Absolute
stiffness succeeded the slight sounds of his entry Pres
entity the telephone rang startngy Dick leaped to the
instrument @Hello!' he shouted savagely his nerves
unstrung "Oh!" he whispered, instant later. Yes,
Eleanor?7 His voice shook. 4No-not this evening.
thank you My father is here with me- Why, of course
not, Dear-Im all right. It's the wire buzzng We will
He'll be delighted. Mol haven't told him yet I
you see want surprise him. No-he can't hear me-
Yes? My regards to him. oodnght-Dear. The re-
ceiver banged the hook and Dick gasped with relief
Eleanor! In the last hour he had forgotten her-at
least he had thought of her only unattainable now.
after what he had The engagement must be
broken off; he could not ask her to He'd have to
forget her! To live and remember would be impossible
he must begin at to forget! He wondered DULY
how one forgot Was it possible? He did not believe
so; but took the revolver from his pocket and looked
specuativey at it, though it might suggest way;
then with an OATH he hurled it across the room. The
crash of its impact conceded with ring at the door.
"Wilkns' shouted Dick.
The butler crept down the hall and sprang the latch
with shaking hand half expecting to the threshold
the one-ar1ned visitor of hour before. But it was
only the elder Prentice who urched n breathing heavily
"Well?"
In the monosyllabe was all Dicks mental agony
the doubts and fears the pity, the unreasoning anger
the blanknes He wished either to comfort his father,
SO gray and bowed or strike him dead, he was not
sure which A hair would have swung the balance
either way. He would restrain himself until he had
heard ALL for the of confession had come His
father must speak, he would throttle the secret out OF
him!
Clifford Prentice realized this too; but from how diff