The evening world., 1914-04-11
THE E VENING WORLD
By Harold MacCrath


<OCSS0sOS
isn't. 30 I ala what I thought 10 b
a great and glorious thing. I Wa
sober when reached Chicago. saw
my deed from another anglia. Think
or IL! We could have given our Joint
note to mothers bank for the amount
Old Henderson would have discounted
II In q second.
IT was too late. I wsat %. TIE
few hundreds I had gave out. rye
been up against II pretty hard. There
were times whom I envied the pariah.
dog. But fortune came around oha
day. knocked. and I let her In. I re-
turned TO make . restitution. only -
long ago. A trick Of young Elmors's.
! shouldn't have como back II I could
have sent the money"
Arthur raised his head and at Up.
"Ah. why did you not writer why
did you not let me know whore you
were3 God In my witness, II there 10
. corner OF this world unssarohsd for
you. For two years 1 had q man
hunting. He gave UP. believed you
dead"
"Dead7 Well. I was in . sense"
You have suffered. but not ~
have. Always you had before you
your great. Splendid. foolish Aacriiics.
! had nothing to buoy me up; there
was only the drag OF the recollection
Of an evil deed. and q moment Of
pitiful weakness. The temptation was
too great. Paul
How did II happenr'
How does anything like that hap
penn Curiosity drew me first. for
at college 1 never played but a few
games OF bridge. Curiosity. desire.
then tho full blaze Of tho passion.
You will never know what that is.
Paul. II Is stronger than love. or
faith. or honor. God knows / never
thought myself weak: ut school I
was tho least impctuous OF thg two.
Everything went. and they cheated
mo from tho start. Roulette and faro.
Then ! put my hand In the safe. To
this d7y I cannot tell why. I owed
nothing no those despicable thieves.
Craig least OF ALL"
Craig. met him over there. Pun
melled him"
II didn't act like a man. Some
day a comfortable fortune would fall
to tho lot OF each of us. But ! took
eight thousand. lost It. and came
whining to you. You don't belong to
this petty age. Paul. You ought 10
have been a fellow OF tho Round
Table" Arthur smiled wanly. ITO
throw your life away like that for
brother who wasn't ut to lace
your shoes. II you had written you
would have learned that every thins
was smoothed over. The Andes peo-
pie dropped tho matter outircly. You
loved the mother far better than l."
And she must never know"
quietly.
do you moan thatf"
II always mean everything I say,
Arty. Can't you 500 the uselessnssa
OF telling her now7 She has gone
all those years with the belief that
am a thief. A thief. Arty; I. who
never stole anything save . farmers
apples. They would have called yov
n defaulter: that's because you had
access to tho safe. whereas had
pose to disillusion tho mother. I an
strong enough to go away without
seeing her: and God knows my heart
yearns. and my ears and eyes and
arms"
Warrington reached mechanically
for the portrait In the silver frame
but Arthur stayed his hand.
mo. Paul: that In mine.' rr
Warrington dropped his hand. pus-
xled. Il was not going to destroy
It," ironically.
mo: but In . sense you have de-
stroyed me. Compensation. What
trifling thoughts most OF us give that
word The law OF compensation. For
ten years Elsa has been the flower
o. the corn for me. She almost loved
mo. And ono day she sees you: and
In that one day all that had gained
was lost. and all that you had lost
was gained, The law of compensa-
ton. sometimes we escape retribu-
ton, but never the law OF compensa-
ton. Some months ago she wrote
mo n letter Shc was always direct
II was Just letter"
A pause. Arthur sazed steadily al
the portrait. while Warrington
twisted his yellow beard.
"The ways Ut mothers ara N.Y.
tcrious." said the latter finally. lie
wondered IT. Arthur would confess "a
the blacker deed. or have II forced
from him. lie would wait and see
"The father and tho mother weren't
happy. Money. There's the wedge
It's in every life somewhere. A mar
rage OF convenience IL IN unwise
thing. When we were born the mother
turned to us. Up to tho time we were
six or seven there was no distinction
in her love Tor ,R. Hut on the day
the father sct his choice, upon me
shi set hers upon you.
"You'll never know how I suffered
a. boy, when saw tho distance
growing wider and wider with the
years. Perhaps the father under
stood. for he was always kind and
gentle to me. ] expect to return "a
China shortly. The Andes has ta0r
me back Sounds Ike fairy the
Ell? | shall never return here. But
did you know who Elsa Chetwood
was?"
Not until that letter came"
Neither Ot them heard tho faint
gasp which came from behind tho
porticres dividing the study and tho
living room. The gasp had followed
the invisible knife thrusts OF these
condolences. Tho woman behind those
portiercs swnyed and caught bllpdly
at the iamb. with cruel vividncss
she saw In this terrible moment MI
that to which she had never given
more than passing thought No re-
pronchcS; only IA simple declaration
OF what had burned In this boys
heart. And she had almost forgotten
this son. a species Of paralysis laid
hold Of her. leaving her for the timo
incapable of movement.
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