The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-09-06

| up the girl he loved, and had planned
| to marry. The first thing he meant TO
| do was to write to her and explain and
release her from her promise. The
next thing.
He refused to let the idea of the next
| step form in his mind. But he knew
very well what it would be. In the
| backwards of his understanding it
lurked-a gray, grisly. shameful
| shadow.
The elevator kept him waiting
moment or two, just round the corner
| from the grillroom door, whence came
| a sound of voices talking and laughing
| Whitaker heard what was being said
| without, at first, cOmprehending-
| heard and afterwards remembered in
| vivid detail.
Seems to be the open season for
| runaWays," Hamilton was saying. ITS
only a few days since Thurlow Lads
| las daughter-what'S her name?-
Mary-toOk the bit between her teeth
and bOlted with the old mans chauf-
| feur''
| Somebody asked: "How far did
| they get before old Ladislas caught
up?'
He didn't give chase. He's not that
| kind. If he was put to it, old Thur
| low could play the unforgiving parent
| in melodrama without any makeup
| whatever"
He's just like that" said Hamil-
9th do
Grace, clipping with young Petit a few
years ago? Old Ladislas had a down
on Pettit-who's n decent enough kid,
| notwithstanding-so Grace was
promptly disowned, and they've no
| hope of ever touching penny of the
| LadislaS coin"
| But what became of them-Mary
and the stoker-persOn?"
Nobody knows, except possibly
| themselves"
whats she like, this Mary-ouite-
contrary? inquired George Brentons
voice
''Oh, nothing but kid" said little
| Fiske.
| mot over eighteen"
| The elevator was waiting by this
time, but Whitaker paused an instant
| before taking it, chiefly because the
| sound of his own name, uttered by
Hamilton, had reused him out of the
abstraction in which he had overheard
/ the preceding conversation.
| Anyhow, I'm sorry for Hugh Whit
aker He's going to take this hard,
! mighty hard"
George Brenton asked, as if sur
prised: What? l didn't know he
was interested in that quarter"
"You must be blind. Alice Carstairs
has had him going for year Every
body thought she was only waiting for
him to make some big money-he as
much as anybody, l fancy"
| BrentOn added the last straw.
That's tough" he said soberly. whit
] aker'S a white man, and Alice Car
| stairs didn't deserve him. But
wouldn't blame any man for feeling
cut-up to be thrown over for an out
and-out rotter like Percy Grim
| shaw. :"
| Whitaker heard no more. At the
| first mention of the name of Alice Car
stairs he had Snatched her letter from
his pocket and was reading. Nobody
will ever know just what Alice Car
stairs saw fit to write TO Hugh Whit
aker. The blood ebbed from his face
| and left it CHASTITY. and when he had
torn the paper to shredS and let them
| tlutter about his feet, he Swayed per-
/ ceptibly-so much SO that one of the
pages took alarm and jumped to his
side
beg pardon, Mr. Whitaker-did you
| call me?"
Whitaker steadied himself and
stared until he recognized the boy
No. he said thickly, but l want you.
Give me bar order"
The boy produced the printed form
and Whitaker hastily scrubbed his or
der on it. Bring that up to the Ii
brary," he said. land be quick about
it."
He stumbled into the elevator. and
presently found himself in the library
| There was no one else about and
| Whitaker was as glad of that as it was
in him to be glad of anything just
then. He dropped heavily into big
i armchair and waited, his brain whirl-
| ing and seething, his nerves on edge
and screeching. In this state Peter
| Stark found him.
Peter sauntered into the room with
manner deliberately careless. Be
meath that mask he was anything but
Indifferent, just as his appearance was
anything but fortuitous. Moreover.
Peter had already heard about Alice
Carstairs and Percy GrimShaw.
Hello" he said. contriving by mere
accident to catch sight of Whitaker.
who was almost invisible in the big
chair with its back to the body Of the
room. What you doing up here. Hugh ?
| What's up?"
Its all up" said Whitaker, trying