Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-04-07

ployer-the girl you have met here
at Baldpate-had promised to be my
wife. Hayden had also been a sutton,
but when our engagement was an
nounced he came to me like man, and
| thought his words were sincere.
Zone day Hayden told me OF a
chance we might take which would
make us rich 1t was not-altogether
within the law. But it was the sort
of thing that other men were doing
constantly, and Hayden assured me
that as he had arranged matters 1t
was absolutely safe. My great sin is
that | agreed we should take the
chance-a sin for which have paid,
Mr., Magee, over and over"
Again he paused, and gazed steadily
at the fire. Again Magee noted the
gray at his temples, the aftermath or
fevers in his cheeks.
"We-took the chance he went on.
"For time everything went We'll.
Then-one clustering March night
HAYDEN came to me and told me we
were certain to be caught. Some OF
his plans had gone awry. I trusted
him fully ait the time, you understand
lie WAS the IIldu Will w hoil Ais$N ~"
on the window-seat of my room at
college, settling the question OF I'M
mortality, and all the other great
questions young men settle at such
times. I have at this moment no
doubt that he was quite truthful when
he said we were in danger of arrest.
We arranged to meet the next night at
the Argots club and decide on what
we should do.
"We met-in the library of the club.
Hayden came in to me from the caro-
room adjoining, where he had been
watching the admiral doddering over
his eternal game. The old man had
become a fixture at the club. like
Parker down at the door. or the great
chandelier in the hail. No one paid
any attention to him; when he tried
to talk to the younger men about MS
game they fled as from pestilence'
Well. as I say. Hayden came to meet
me, and just at that moment the al
miral finished his game and went OUT
We were alone in the library.
Hayden told me he had thought the
matter over carefully. There was
nothing to do but to clear out OF Reu-
ton forever. But why. he argued,
should we both go? Why wreck two
lives? It would be far better. he told
me, for one to assume the guilt OF both
and 20 away. can see him now-how
funny and white his face looked in that
half-lighted room-how his hands
trembled. was far the calmer of the
two.
81 agreed to his plan. Hayden led
the way into the room where the ad'
miral had been playing. We went up
to the table, over which the green
shaded light still burned. On 1T lay
two decks of cards, face up Hayden
picked up the nearest deck. and shut
fled it nervously. His face-God, 1t
was like the snow out there on the
mountain
Kendrick closed his eyes, and Ma
gee gazed at him in silent pity.
"He held out the deck went on the
exile softly, "he told me to draw. He
said if the card was black. he'd clear
out. But if it's red, David he said
! 'why-you-got to CO. held my
breath, and drew. It was full min
ute before dared look at the card II
my hand. Then l turned it over and II
was-red-a measley little red two
spot. I don't suppose man eve1
realizes all at once what such mo
ment means. I remember that l was
much cooler than Hayden. 1t was
who had to brace him up. II ever
tried to joke with him. But his face
was like death. He hardly spoke a.
all at first, and then suddenly he be
came horribly talkative. I left him
talking wildly-I left Reuton | le1'
the girl to whom was engaged"
To break the silence that followed
Mr.. Magee leaned forward and stirred
the logs.
81 don't want to bore you Ken
drick said, trying to smile. 81 Wen
to a. little town in South America
There was no treaty of extraditior
there-nor anything else civilized ant
decent. smoked cigarettes ant
drank what passed for rum, on the
balcony of an impossible hotel, ant
otherwise CROPPED about for the patti
| that leads to the devil After year
I wrote to Hayden. He answered
urging me to stay away. He init
mated that the thing we had dor
was on my shoulders. was ashar:ed
frightfully unhappy. I didn't dar'
| write to-her. I had disgraced her
IT asked Hayden about her, and HI
wrote back that she was shortly t.
marry him. After that I didn't wan
to come back to Reuton. I wanted
most--to die.
"The years crept by on the balloon!
of that impossible hotel. Six of them
The first in bitter memories, memor
les of a red card that danced fiend
ishly before my eyes when close'
Ithem-the last in a fierce biting de
sire to come back to the world ha'
left. At last. few months ago,
wrote to another college friend o
mine, Drayton, and told him tn
whole story. I did not know that h
had been elected prosecutor in Reu
lton. He answered with kind pityin
iletter--and finally | knew the horri
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