Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-28

Il am not your dearest" she famed
angrtly. Il did not give my love-to you"
Maggie :" he implored.
But she drew back still farther,
NO! | gave II to John Smith-gentleman,
] supposed. A man-poor. yes, | believed him
poor but a man who at least had a right 10
his name! ! didn't give 1t to MIR. Stanley q.
Fulton, spy, trickster. who makes life itself a
masquerade for sport! | do not know Mr..
Stanley @. Fulton. and do not wish to-
The words ended in n sound very like a sob
but Miss Maggie, with her head still high,
turned her back and walked to the window.
The man, apparently stunned for a moment,
stood watching her. his eyes grieved. dis
mayed. hopeless. Then, white-faced, he
turned and walked toward the door. with
his hand almost on the knob he slowly wheel.
ed about and faced the woman again. He
hesitated visibly, then in a dull, lifeless voice
he began to speak.
Miss Maggie, before John Sraith steps
entirely out of your life. he would like to say
Just this. please, not in justification, but in
explanation of-of Stanley G. Fulton. Full
ton did not intend to be a spy. or a trickster,
or to make life a masquerade for-sport. He
was a lonely old man-he felt old. He had
no wife or child. True. he had no one to
care for, but-he had no one to care for him,
either. Remember that. please. He did have
a great deal of noney-more than he knew
what to do with. Oh. he tried-various ways
of spending it. Never mind what they were.
They are not worth Speaking Of here. They
resulted chiefly in showing him that he wasn't
as wise as he might be in that line. per
haps."
The man paused and wet his lips. At the
window Miss Maggie still stood. with her
back turned as before.
THE time came finally" resumed the man.
when Fulton began to wonder what would
become of his millions when he was done
with them. He had n feeling that he would
like to will a good share of them 70 some or
his own kin but he had no nearer relatives
than some cousins back East, in-Hilicrton."
Miss Maggie at the window drew her breath
and held 1t suspended. letting it out slowly.
He didn't know anything ABOUT these
cousins went on the man duly. YEARLY.
and he got to wondering what they would
do with the money. I think he felt. as YOU
said today that you feel. that one must know
how to spend IS II one would get the best out
of five thousand.
so Fulton felt that before he gave a man
fifteen or twenty millions he would like to
know-what he would probably do with them.
He had seen so many cases where sudden
great wealth had brGrlght-great sorrow.
And so then he fixed up n little scheme.
He would give each one of these three cousins
of his a hundred thousand dollars apiece, and
then, unknown TO them. he would get
acquainted with them and see which of them
would be likely to make the best use OF those
twenty millions. 1t was a silly scheme. OF
course-a silly. absurd foolishness from be-
ginning to end. It.
He did not finish his sentence. There was
a rush of swift feet. a swish OF skirts. thea
full upon him there fell a whirlwind Of sobs.
clinging arms and incoherent CALCULATIONS.
at wasn't silly-it wasn't silly. 1t was
perfectly splendid | see 1t all now. see
it all! / understand. oh. | think it was
wonderful. and I'm so ashamed
Later-very much later. when something
like lucid conference had become an attribute
of their conversation. as they sat together
upon the old sofa, the man drew a long
breath and said
Then I'm quite forgiven
There is nothing TO forgive"
CONTINUED TOMORROW