Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-05
HNTS-COOkEK
THE MuCKER
By EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS
Author Of the TARZAN and MARS Stories

read and reread the accounts Of brutal
prizehght - 49,, found
Sailor Byrne the center OF an , aoIn sas sIiIs
throng in Professor Cassidys ln,r v.i,Ins
| gymnasium. with worshiping eyes takli,s I,,. !.
in his new hero from head to foot, the youth
handed Byrne note. ,, ,-
I'll he had perused It.
ANY answer7' he asked. - ,
NO answer. kid" replied Byrne' tnat may.
| can't take myself" and he tossed uo''"'
| 10 the awestruck boy. 49,,
An hour later Billy Byrne was ascending
| the broad. white steps that lead to the en-
trance OF Anthony Hardlngs New AorS
| house The servant who answered MS ring
eyed him suspiciously, for Billy Byrne was
| still dressed like teamster on holiday lie
| had no card. -,
The servant left hfm standing in the hall
| way and started to ascend the great stair
case but halfway up he met Miss Harding
Never mind, Smith," she said. II am
expecting Mr Byrne"; and then, seeing that
the fellow had not seated her visitor, she
added: He is a very dear friend"
Smith faded quickly from the scene.
Billy" cried the girl, rushing toward
him with outstretched hands. "Oh, Billy
we thought that you were dead /! How long
have you been here? Why haven't you oeen
to see me7"
Byrne hesitated.
'i'ye been back for several months" he
said but after-after we found that Mr..
Mallory was alive knew that things would
be different-so I kept away"
Billy How could you?"
You don't mean" he faltered. that
that everything is the same now as 1t was
on the island--Barbara?"
She looked UP at him wistfully.
A great. mad hope had been surging
through his being since he had read Of
the broken engagement and received the
girls note. And now, in her eyes, in her
whole attitude, he could read. as unmls-
takably as though her lips had formed the
words that he had not hoped in vain.
But some strange influence had seemed
suddenly to come to work upon him, Even
In the brief moment of his entrance into
the magnificence Of Anthony Harding's
home. he had felt a strange little structure
OF the throat-a choking, half-sufrocating
sensation.
The attitude Of the servant, the splendor
OF the furnishings, the stateliness Of the
great hall and the apartments opening upon
tall had whispered TO him that he did not
belong"
And now Barbara. clothed in some won.
drous foreign creation, belied by her very
appearance the expression that suffused her
eyes.
No. Billy Byrne. the mucker, did not
belong there. Nor ever could he belong.
any more than Barbara Harding ever could
have belonged" on Grand avenue. And
Billy Byrne knew It now.
Hs heart went cold. The bottom seemed
suddenly TO have dropped out of his life.
Bravely he had battled to forget this
wonderful creature, or, rather his hopeless
love for her-her he could never forget.
But the note from her and the sight OF her
had but served to rekindle the old fire
within his breast
He thought quickly. His own life or
happiness did not count. Nothing counted
now but Barbara. He had seen the love-
light in her eyes. He thanked God that he
had realized what II would have meant
before he let her see that he had seen II.
i've been back several months" he said
presently; in answer to her question; but
I got sense enough to stay where belong.
Gee Wouldn't look great comm up here
buttin' in wit youse bunch Of highlifes?"
CONCLUDED MONDAY