The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1918-12-13

passion that he had ever felt, and yeti
strangely for a mar of his years, 1t had
In 1t much more Of the paternal ele-
ment than of the lover. All his life
he had been almost kinless, his only
sister was dead, he wanted Eleanor's
presence, Eleanor with him, to see
her every day. whether as wife or
daughter. Yet he was brave enough
to acknowledge that this love, ~selfiess
In q measure, threatened to become a
consuming passion il he did not hold
himself rigidly in check.
He, the m~iddle-aged captain, and
Eleanor. with her station, her pros
poets and her beauty-it was an inn
possible dream, or n that would ruin
the girls life II. In some wild moment.
she made 1t truth.
He had his reward in Eleanor's in
creasing restraint, her quite visible In
dignatiOn. They had fallen apart again,
after that single meeting. 1t was a
poor reward, but the sort that Mark
had received all his life from fortune.
But there were lonely nights when
life seemed unbearable, and he had to
exert all his will power to keep HIM
self In check. Mark had rented a lit
tie furnished apartment in the North
west section. OF Pennsylvania avenue,
and he had found the desert more COM
panionable.
One night he felt 1T the end of his
powers. That was after a grilling day
In the war Office. a Of those days
that sometimes come In Washington
toward the middle Of September, when
everything 10 as sticky as the asphalt
sidewalks.
1t had been Z day OF evil portent be-
sides. Colonel Howard. who had
seemed Of late to reflect Eleanor's
GOODNESS In some measure. had greeted
! him with a wry face when he came In.
"The devils to pay. Mark" he said.
"Draw up your chair. There's q leak
age In the department"
"What?" cried Mark.
"Things are getting known-for In
stance. U dealings With the shipping
people. They've found the exact num-
Der Of ships we've requisitioned. You
know whom ! mean BY they"
Mark nodded. The cosmopolitan in
fluences In Washington. whose ramin-
cations extended to the ends Of the
earth. or. at least, across the Atlantic.
were busy In every drawing room ex-
tracing news. the tiniest and least re
liable Of which was not despised. sihce
many such single items make up q CO
herent story.
The Brigadier's wild about It, con-
tinued the Colonel, pulling at his mus
tache. "And It seems impossible to
detect how the leakage occurred. It
must have been through the shipping
companies, Of course !: YET they couldn't
have pieced the thing together without
concerted action. which Is out Of the
question. Let's 90 through the pa
pers."
They opened the safe and went
through them one by one, but nothing
was missing.
"Damn It !" growled Colonel Howard.
tive been through this before, Mark
you know that. In that case there
was a traitor at work. We found him.
In this case there can be none, at least,
In the war department. And I've told
the Brisadier I'll answer with my place
for discovering where the leak lies"
He closed the safe and strobe on In
to Kellerman's room, to return with
Kellerman, looking angrier than be.
fore.
"What are W going to do. Keller
man1' 10 asked.
Kellerman pursed out his lips. "Well.
Colonel. you know - much about It -
any Of rs" he answered. There's IL
ways been two Of N present night and
morning when the papers were trans
ferrsd. I'll vouch for you. Wallace
win. ! presume. vouch for me, and you,
/ presume, viii vouch for Wallace"
The sinister look On his face affect
"a Marx more d~isagreeably than ever.
Mark felt nettled. though the words
had been fair.
II there's been : leak" be said ut
seems to me it, ap to the Br1gadier
to discover Il. It's outside; It isn't
our. business to locate It. We're doing
opr part-What more can va dol"
AComs along and tell the Brigadier
that" sueeested Howard. i
Marx nothtne loath, accoml anied
II va 49, Cnpnra n0nM mt ~