Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-11-02
THE HEART HUNTERS.
by Mary Douglass.
Author of"Hunting IA Husband. "liundlln
"a Husband
THE LETTER.
Chapter xCN

1UapttT ~h1Nl
Aunt I,ctitia skirted the row Of CAP
| hinges and came To me- where ] was
kneclng over the potato plants. ! put
down the spray, and lifted a flush face.
II would take something Of import
ancc to bring aunt Lctitia over the rough
country roads to the Smith farm.
~ just thought Id see how You were,
Prudence" Aunt Jennie began
There was something about her manner
| a little nervousness. as If she were search
ing for words
''Is anything The matter
ooh, no, no, that is -
Don't try to break it To me, Aunt
Lcttia. Just tell me outright
"iou know your art teacher
mir Deland. F." | interposcd hurried
ly
"yes. he's quite i'll, Aunt Letitia
finished in a jerk Il brought YOU this
letter from him
She almost threw it into my hands
where ] knelt by the potato hills. Then
she hurried off down the garden ! look Ell
at the letter c,riously; II was written
in his hand. saw | turned the envelope
over II was sealed by an orninous-look-
ing black seal With the letter In my
hand, | sought the shade of some trees
| opened II with . strange fornodiuR
Dear little Girl the letter began
= never intended that TINS letter
should be written but pow when |
find am growing Weaker, the temp
tation Is irresistible
1T is because | want vou tn forgive
me, # YOU can 'Fo try to nndcrst aud
some Of the misery, the restless spirit
which has dcvourcd nv wears
after you had left Soutltoyn, |
went to your aunts aud asked them
il they did not know me II first they
refused Ia believe me then gradually
t'tev admitted TINT there might bc Some
thing in nv claim They asked me not
10 make known the 'disgracc. as tn
q 'llot it. So until now | have said
nothing
You. | believe. are somewhat like
me. vou can understand the wild rest
lcssness Of a nature that could not he
kept In the bounds Of the commonplace
The commonplace, | called. then,
marriage and is tics
80 | went nway | Travelled. some
times on foot, sometimes without money
enough Ia buy meal hive been every
where, seen much and yet have never
reached the land nv spirit ctavcd
| perhaps that hes onH within The he r.
| 'f'lN tiitt III fiiti ttHti@ ftbiifi ttff
! talent which has brought me fame of 3
/ kind here Sometimes drew on A pave
ment in fhalk for thr cost of meal
| Sometimes ! painted On silk, on fans
On paper al 10 loi me % farther II
search II what | have never found
| W hen ! returned | found that the
| wife ha left here. was cad That my
child WAS cared for. Can you under
stand hat | did not want to sec her
i face. for knew II would remind me q
he MISERY had brought another 0nl,
/ chance did that for me. and another
! Whlm. Then | found this child So sweet
50 losahlc. that ! longed to make know
| who | was
That Is the story. little daughter
which | have kept back these months
| t j; Is whv noW | ask You t. come here
| 70 see me.
Your father,
Frank Deland-
When | had finished the letter | looked
| over the long sweep of rolling land.
Somehow the news was not strange to
me. felt almost in some uncxplaIn-
able way that must have know. II
or 4 long while.
Monday The Meeting