Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-09-29
CHAPTER u
HMrs. Morten.S

II was three in the morning before
Peter Stark, having to the best of his
endurance and Judgment tired Whit
8ker out with talking, took his hat and
his departure from Whitaker's bach
elor rooms. Whitaker shut the hall
door and turned back wearily into his
Iving-room. II was three In the morn
ing; his body ached with fatigue, yet
he made no move toward his bedcham-
ber.
Picking his way across a floor lit
tered with atlases, charts, maps and
gulde-books, he went to the bathroom
and took bottle Of choral from the
medicine closet.
What he took brought him three
hours Of oblivion. He rose at eight.
ordered his breakfast up by telephone,
bathed and dressed. When the tray
came up, his mail came with It. Among
others there was one letter In which
he read;
Dear Hugh; I can, call you that. new.
because you're Peters dearest friend and
therefore mine. and the proof Of that Is
that I'm telling you FIRST Of all Of our
great happiness. Peter and / found out
that we loved one another only yesterday.
50 we're going to be married the first OF
June and -"
Whitaker read no more. He could
guess the rest, and for the moment
he felt too sick man to go through
to the end. Indeed, the words were
blurring and running together beneath
his gaze.
After a long time he put the letter
aside, absent-mindedly swallowed a
cup OF lukewar1n coffee and rose from
an otherwise untasted meal.
''That settles that. of course" he
said quietly. sand it means I've got
to hustle to get ahead of Peter"
Whitaker packed handbag with q
few. essentials, not forgetting the bottle
of choral. He was not yet quite sure
what he meant to do after he had de.
finitely put himself out of Peter Stark's
sphere Of influence, but he hadn't much
doubt that the drug was destined tc
play most Important part In the ulti'
mate solution, and would as readily
have thought Of leaving 1t behind as
Of going without toothbrush OF rail
way fare
Leaving the bag in the parcels-roon
at the Grand Central Station, he wen
downtown to his office. Happily hi,
partner, Drummond, was out of towI
for the day. He worked expeditiously
having no callers until just before he
was ready to leave. Then he wal
obliged to admit one who desired Il
make a settlement. He took Whitaker'i
receipt for the payment In cash, leav
Ing behind him fifteen one-hundred
dollar notes. Whitaker drew his per
sonal check for the right amount ant
left It with a memorandum under tn
paper-weight on Drummonds desk
put match to shredded pile Of per
sonal correspondence in the fireplace
and caught train at the Grand Cen
tral at one-three.
Not until the cars were In motion dil
he experience any sense of securit
from Peter Stark. He had been az
prehensive until that moment of som
Unforeseen move ON the part Of hi
friend; Peter was capable of wide bu
sure casts Of intuition on occasion
especially where his affections wer
touched. But now Whitaker felt fret
free to abandon himself to medltativ
despair. Cold horror crawled in hi
brain like delirium-horror Of hin
self, Of his morbid flesh, of that NOR
bund body unfit to sheathe the clea
fire Of life.
At about four o'clock the trai
stopped to drop the dining-car. Who'll
swayed by blind impulse. Whitaker &C
UP, took his handbag and left the ca
On the station platform he foun
himself pelted by pouring rain. Il
imprisoned himself in the body Of q
aged and decrepit four-wheeler, an
as they rocked and crawled away, tf
blind windows wept increasingly, an
increasingly the rain drummed Ii
long roll on the roof.
In time they stopped before
rambling structure whose weathe
boarded facade, white with fiakin
paint, bore the legend: "Commercii
House." Whitaker carried his hand-bs
up the steps and across the rain-sweI
veranda into a dim, cavernous hal
A cubicle fenced Off in one corn'
formed the Office proper. Whitak'
waited by the desk, gaunt, veal
man, hagridden by fear. There was
his mind q desolate picture Of the roo
upstairs when he-his soul: the IL
perishable essence Of himself-shou
have finished with 1t. =.
At his elbow lay the hotel registG
~-N~O~~~.~S~-~~D~~~~~
Message to Young Men.
Young man, life Is before you. T.