Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1917-04-26


on the otner side of the globe or youIl
wish you had never been born. know
what you are up TO and advise you
not to undertake it. / mean it.
warn you that | will stop at nothing
to prevent you from wrecking both of
those homes"
A spark of manhood tickered yet in
Freneau's soul, and he attempted to
explain in some part his own helpless
ness, but Royce cut him short The
facts as he had seen them permitted
no explanation.
"Of course you won't listen: you
want Gloria yourself You are only too
But don't let your jealousy drive you
absolutely insane"
Royce stopped the car and got out.
i've warned you," was his parting
shot.
All the rest of the day Royce pom
dered over where his own duty in
the matter lay. He could not tell
Gloria what he had seen. The shock
might have thrown her back into a
fever. He could never bring himself
to smirch her love and young faith
in his rivals honor. He could not put
the responsibility and the horror OF
full knowledge on his friend David
nor cast the burden on David's old ia
Their. 1t was not Royce's nature to
shift responsibility on other shoulders
He tried to clear his brain by for
getting. He took up medical book
for study, but between his eyes and
the page came vision of Freneau as
leering satan. 1t laughed and
Knocked at him, seeming to say:
81 will destroy Gloria and Lois and
David, and. you cannot stop me-"
Royce jumped up and closed his
his grim face. 1t was nearly midnight
when he took from the drawer of his
desk table a revolver and slipped 1t
into his pocket.
When Royce had met David, David
had not told him that he was leaving
town for week David was not sure
what would happen, and Lois was the
only one he wanted to deceive. She
was SO badly duping him that she had
no thought of his returning the com
pliment. 1t was difficult for him to
play the part he had assumed, and II
she had been more on the alert she
would have seen the constraint in his
manner.
She played her own role with the
ease of long practice. There was moth
ing sincere about her except her JOY
In David's departure. She thought
that nothing in the world could have
been more opportune. But she wanted
to make sure that no accident befell
him. She did not want him to miss
that train.
She went to the Pennsylvania sta
ton with him, acting the heartbroken
deserted wife with all her art. She
babe him good-by at the gate and when
he went down the stairs to the train
underground she still would not leave
till she saw the roofs of the cars move
off into the tunnel and the porter who
carried David's baggage come back
Then she felt 1t safe and she departed
from the station with sigh of deer
relief.
II she had been little less impa
tient she would have seen David re
turn through the gate after the train
had pulled out David, making sure
that she had not caught sight of him.
took his miserable doubts with him tc
one of his clubs.
Judge Freeman found him there
and, noting his expression, asked him
what had kept him from taking his
train. When David saw his father-in
law the smoldering of his trouble burst
into fame He snatched the anony
nous letter from his pocket and was
On the verge of showing it. But he
withheld it, though he could not check
the bitter words: 'If this letter IL
true may have to kill man."
An icy hand seemed to grip at the
Judges heart. He knew without see
Ing it what that letter said. He put
his hand on David's arm and was
about to speak, when a man slapped
him on the back. He turned to face
LHG CluD mOSt uUlOTlOuS UOTCt HlCh-
named the white Mans Burden
The fellow was fat and even more i'm
pervious to snubs than usual, as he
had been drinking heavily. Judge
Freeman tried to escape him, but as
the Burden had him clasped by the
lapel of his coat it was impossible tc
get away at once without knocking
him down. So the Judge stood the
repetition of an ancient story as well
as he could, waiting only for the loos-
ening of the grip on his coat, which
came with the roar of laughter the
Burden emitted at the end of his yarn
The Judge turned to rejoin David
but found him gone. He started at
once in terrified pursuit.
David meanwhile had fed to his OVID
house, where he watched on the out
side, eavesdropping on his own prop
erty. Presently he saw Lois silhouet
ted against the light In her own room.
Iho was taking off hor hat and coat