Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-07-01
CONTINUED from Yesterday

A minute later Tommy North was
sitting in the dining-room at Rosa-
lies right-waiting for something.
He found himself in a state or enaDar-
rassment uncommon with him. What
was he that he should talk to de-
cent girl? And would she know that
he was-the branded? But when
moment later she trailed in behind
Constance like q luminous shadow,
when Rosalie introduced them both
by name, and when he recognized
them as the women in the Hanska
affair, one part of his embarrassment
f1oated away.
Indeed, Constance herself did the
simply tactful thing by referring to
the matter at once. The other board
ers had not yet come; they were alone
with Rosalie.
II am so glad" she said, that they
have finally let you off, Mr. North.
Nobody could have any idea that you
were guilty. 1t must have been hor-
rible experience She stopped and
her eyes fixed on something across
the room. Horrible" she repeated.
But eyerybody's going to get off
easily. just as Mr.. North did-you
waltz said Betsy Barbara, touching
her hand with consoling little pat.
Now the others were come. Miss
Harding acknowledged Tommy's pres
ence with a lift of her eyes, which
said: "Well, you're out of your lat
est scrape, aren't your" Miss Jones
was plainly thrilled by the proxim-
ity of this now famous parsonage;
Professor Noll, lost In the merrlcai
mastication of a new wheat-ano-o oats
compound prepared by Resale,
showed plainly his ignorance Of the
fact that Mr.. North had been away
at all.
What they thought had now become
matter of entire Indifference to
Tommy North. The rest of the
boarders put down his rapt silence
to embarrassment over his late ex-
perience; and they left him out of the
conversation. 1t was just as we'll.
When Miss Harding remarked, wasn't
that a terrible accident up in the
Bronx" he would have answered,
had he been required to answer,
"They are just the blue of periwin-
kles" When Professor Noll said in
his heavy and formal way, Yes. in
deed-oh, yes indeed" he would have
said that the question-as matter
of fact 1t referred to the weather.
had run, Hasn't she a wonderful
MOUTH" Twice he laughed uproar-
iously, causing Miss Harding to re-
mark that he was getting back his
spirits, anyhow. This was when
Betsy Barbara ventured mild joke.
Twice again she included him in the
conversation. Once she asked for
the butter, which impelled him to
reach frantically for the salt, and
once she referred to him the ques-
ton whether one could reach City
Hall, Brooklyn, sooner by trolley or
by subway, whereat he got tempo
rary reputation as a joker by an
swering both" He sat dazed
through the soup, ecstatic though the
roast. and rapt through the dessert.
Only when Betsy Barbara and Con-
stance rose together did he remem-
Der that he had finished long ago.
And then something happened which
scattered the mists about him and
brought him full into sunlight Betsy
Barbara had turned at the door
turned back to him.
"Mr. North" she said, would it be
possible for me to speak to you alone
| this evening? You see" she went on
before he got tongue to reply. both
Mrs. Hanska and / are working as
hard as we can on this case. Mrs.
l. a.