The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1917-03-13

you We got TO give up Gloria and get
on the other side Of the globe or you'll
wish you had never been born. know!
what you are up to and I advise you
not to undertake it. 1 mean it. L
warn you that I will stop at nothing
to prevent you from wrecking both of
those homes
A spark Of manhood flickered vet in
Freneau's soul, and he attemnted to
explain in some part his own HELPLESS
ness, but Royce cut him short. The
facts as he had seen them permitted
no explanation
or course you won't listen; you
want Gloria yourself You are only too
anxious to get me out of the way.
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. It was not Royce's nature to
shift responsibility on other shoulders.
He tried to clear his brain by for
getting. He took up a medical book
for study, but between his eyes and
the page came a vision of Freneau as
leering satan. It 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
book, a look of set purpose coming to
his grim face. It was nearly midnight
when he took from the drawer Of his
desk table revolver and slipped it
into his pocket.
When Royce had met David, David
had not told him that he was leaving
town for a 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. It was difficult for him to
play the part he had assumed, and if
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 befel1
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 Dav1d's baggage come back.
Then she felt it safe and she departed
from the station with a sigh of deep
F., relief.
If she had been little less impa-
, 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 hin
what had kept him from taking his
train When David saw his father-in
law the smoldering Of his trouble burs
into flame He snatched the anony
nous letter from his pocket and was
withheld it, though he could not checl
the bitter words: eff this letter il
true may have to kill man."
An icy hand seemed to grip at tn
Judges heart. He knew without see
ing it what that letter said. He pu
his hand on David's arm and wa
about to speak, when a man slappe'
him on the back. He turned to fac
the clubs most notorious bore, nick
named the white Mans Burden.
The fellow was fat and even more i'm
pervious to snubs than usual, as h
had been drinking heavily. Judg
freeman tT1eu TO escape Hill, Uut d
the Burden had him clasped by tn
lapel of his coat it was impossible t
get away at once without knockin
him down. So the judge stood tn
repetition Of an ancient story as wei
as he could, waiting only for the loos
ening Of the grip on his coat, whfc
came with the roar Of laughter tn
Burden emitted at the end Of his yar1
The Judge turned to rejoin Davi(
but found him gone. He started q
once in terrified pursuit.
David meanwhile had fled to his ow
: house, where he watched on the on