The Washington herald., 1913-09-28
CHAPTER XX-Continued.

lie had returned 10 his home town
brown and hearty, pleased with the
sense of victory. He had discovered
surprising qualities in himself, caus-
tic retort. a merciiess clearness that
pleased the farmers. The papers COM
mented on his "brilliance' Janet had
read and listened. 1t was more than
a winning campaign; it was the max
ing of man.
He saw he. when he passed the
courthouse and came to her, eager
volatile, bubbling with tales of the
progressive cause. Il made 'em listen
Janetw
Then in her calm eyes, back OF her
serene smile, he seemed TO read again
the inexplicable pain which he did not
care to fathom. Ard he went from
her, steadicu by 4 sense OF her faith,
but refusing to dwell upon it. It was
ike mis- cstrangcment from Harlan
at first it haG been a desperate hurt.
Bot through the weeks, rising with mis-
new fighting life, he had hercely told
himself that he would yield othning
he was crying out to life with a Dl-
onysian gladness nc would seize
growth and power and re-create him
self So, when he found letter from
Aurelie on his desk. he cried out as II
a meteor had lighted his dingy shop.
Aurelie, the village baggage, Old Mich
IganS girl: the one-time rabbit hunter
OF the hills, the ridiculous beauty
prize winner; an actress trapesIng over
the land with an ambition to come
back with bull-pup and a press agent
10 startle the old town! Janet was
right; if there was anything needed to
finish" Wiley Curran it was Aurelle
LindStrom. But he would not admit
this. His Celtic sense of romance be
gilded his world still; bit of tinsel
would hold his eye and always would.
Yet he knew better than any one how
desperately he needed the cool and
sober judgment of men and women
that was what could make him; that
was what was making him now in his
new life, the faith, the love of these
prosy farm folk of the Midlands.
But Aurelie had written! And at
once the walls OF his shop fell away
to vistas of enchantment
I'm engaged" said Aurelie, in her
firm. upright, high-school hand. Mr..
Curran started feverishly "In a mu-
sical comedy. and the manager says |
can sing! Oh, what do you think OF
that? Not much. but enough. But Ada
Norman says my face did it. and I'd
never got show if | hadn't made
Cohan's Office boy laugh. But | tell
you, Mr.. Curran, we were right up
against il! Ada and l pawned our
trunks and when she stacked me out
in the best clothes we could get, |
sailed into some of these people. And
! tell YOU. Mr.. Curran, the day | got
my Job we were down to oatmeal
cooked over the gas-jet in Our room.
But there's nothing to the race but the
finish Oatmeal isn't 50 bad"
oh, Aurelie" groaned Mr.. Cur
ran, and that taxi, and the dollar you
gave the bell-boy over at the Metro
polc!'
The letter went on: And what do
YOU think, Mr. Curran, | was only i'll
that chorus six weeks when Cohan &
Schnitz decided to put a road show
out. and they picked me out of the
New York production to understudy
the comedienne. They said l was
funny! / suppose | made faces and
kicked up my heels" oh Rome
Oh, Shakespeare Club murmured
Mr.. Curran. so I'm going out on the
road with the second Girl and the
Burglar company. We aren't so
classy as the lew York bunch, but it
gives me a chance | like New York.
You ought to see the clothes I've got.
When we open in Chicago OIL the 10th
you Just got to come and see me act.
"P S.-Tell all those grannies who
don't like me about The Girl and The
Burglar. But don't say anything about
the oatmeal
p. S.-Pretty soon I'll send you
some stuff to put in the paper.
p 81 saw three little rabbits un-
der bridge yesterday when the train
went by.
With love,
'AURELIE."
The congressional candidate folded
the letter over so that only with
love Aurelic" showed He gazed at
1t. Then he sat down and tried to re-
call Aurclic. What she liked. and how
she laughed or rebelled-whar newt
ability of life had made her as it made
all the rest of us.
He went about the next month. in
and out of the county. speaking wher-
ever the need took him. 1t was not
until his next breathing space that,
back in his office to pick up the odds
and ends of work-for the task of get
ting out the News had fallen to Aunt
Abby and his mongrel printers-he met
Harlan. While Wiley had been on his
whirlwind campaign, Harlan had kept
10 his petty iawyering with Donlcy. He
had no fight TO make. The county
committee took care OF that. His sort
of politics needed no noise nor ap-
Peal-it was not a part of the Cam
bTidge-NirgInia traditions OF his fam
iIy.
Harlan came in on him one chill
night OF October, Wiley had been
hurt. for ii seemed, since his return,
that Harlan had cvaded him. Others
had noticed ii. Arne Vance had true
uIentIy attributed it to politics-Harlan
was going ,ne way OF the old gang,
was he: Well, .Arne had grimly fore
casted It. Associations and traditions
were too strong for Harlan.
Curran and Harlan faced cacn other
now with dumb recognition of the
hurt in each others eyes. The old
glad faith-wherc had it gone?
Curran mad been at brief troubled
analysis Of it all, even with tie tur-
MOL OF his battle. And Janet's serene
alcofncss, vet steadfast ardor for his
success. They think l love her." he
had rnuttcrcd restiessly, time and
again. "I-why, its ridiculous! Twice
her age. and-lordyI getting bald as l
Il Fr,rl