The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1916-11-10
CHAPTER III
"Mrs. Morten."

mrs. Morten.
1t was three in the morning before
Peter Stark, having to the best of his
endurance and judgment tired Whit
aker out with talking, took his hat and
his departure from Whitakers bach
elor rooms. Whitaker shut the hall
door and turned back wearily into his
living-room. 1t was three in the morn
ing; his body ached with fatigue, yet
he made no move toward his bedcham-
her.
Picking his way across a floor lit
tered with aliases, charts, maps and
guide-boOks, he went to the bathroom
and took a bottle of chloral from the
medicine closet.
What he took brought I'M three
hours of oblivion. He rost : 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: can call you that, now,
because you're Peters dearest friend and
that I'm telling you first Of all of our
great happiness. Peter and I found out
that we loved one another only yesterday.
so 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 a man to go through
to the end. Indeed, the words were
blurring and running together beneath
his gaze.
After long time he put the letter
aside, absent-mindedly swallowed
cup of lukewarm coffee and rose from
an otherwise untasted meal.
/ THAT settles that, of course" he
| said quietly. "And it means I've got
| to hustle to get ahead of Peter"
Whitaker packed a handbag with
few essentials, not forgetting the bottle
of chloral. He was not yet quite sure
! what he meant to do after he had de-
J finitely put himself out of Peter Stark's
sphere of influence but he hadn't much
doubt that the drug was destined to
play q most important part in the ulti-
mate solution, and would as readily
have thought of leaving it behind as
of going without toothbrush or rail-
way fare.
Leaving the bag in the parcels-room
at the Grand Central Station, he went
downtown to his office. Happily his
partner, Drummond, was out of town
for the day. He worked expeditiously,
having no callers until just before he
: was ready to leave. Then he was
obliged to admit one who desired to
make q settlement. He took Whitaker's S
receipt for the payment in cash. 1eav-
ing behind him fifteen one-hundred-
dollar notes. Whitaker drew his per-
sonal check for the right amount and
left 1t with q memorandum under the
pdper-weight on Drummond's desk !;
put q match to a shredded pile of per-
sonal correspondence in the fireplace i;
and caught train at the Grand Cen
trail at one-three.
Not until the cars were in motion did
he experience any sense Of security
from Peter Stark. He had been ap-
prehensive until that moment of some
unforeseen move on the part of his
friend; Peter was capable of wide but
sure casts of intuition on occasion,
especially where his affections were
touched. But now Whitaker felt free,
free to abandon himself to meditative
despair. Cold horror .crawled in his
bl ain like q delirium-horrOr of him
- af
band body unfit to sheathe the clean
fire of life.
At about four o'clock the train
stopped to drop the dining-car. Wholly
swayed by blind impulse, Whitaker got
I'D, took his handbag and left the car.
On the station platform he found
himself pelted by Il pouring rain. He
imprisoned himself in the body of an
aged and decrepit four-wheeler, and
as they rocked and crawled away, the
blind windows wept increasingly, and
INCREASINGLY the rain drummed the
long roll on the roof.
In time they stopped before a
rambling structure whose weather.
boarded facade, white with talking
paint, bore the legend: Commercial
House" Whitaker carried his handbag
uD the steps and across the rain-swept
yerlnda into a dim, cayernOus hall.
A cuhicIe fenced off in one corner
formed the office proper. Whitaker
waited by the desk, gaunt, weary
man, hagridden by fear. There was in
his mind a desolatc picture of the room
uD-stairs when he-hiS soul: the inn
nerishabie essence of himself-Should
have finished with it.
At his elbow lay the hotel register,
open at Il page neatly headed with a
date in red ink. Whitaker registered ;
but two-thirds of his name was all he
entered: when it came to 'Whitaker, y
his pen paused and passed on to write
sPhiladelphia" in the residence col
ulnn.
The thought came to him that he
must be careful to obliterate all laun-
dry marks on his clothing.
In his own good time the clerk ap-
peared. His welcome was an inditfer-
ent nod and glance at the register
which seemed unaccGuntably TO mod
srute lis apathy.
MI l0rLag--uh?' hS la2airsaI