Gilpin observer., 1919-02-27

passion that he had ever felt, and yet,
strangely for man of his years, it had
In it 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, selfless
in a measure, threatened to become a
consuming passion If he did not hold
himself rigidly in check.
He, the middle-aged captain, and
Eleanor, with her station, her pros
poets and her beauty-it was an i'm
possible dream, or one that would ruin
the girls life if, 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
exert all his will power to keep him
self in check. Mark had rented a lit
tie furnished apartment In the North
west section, off Pennsylvania avenue,
and he had found the desert more COM
paniOnable.
One night he felt at the end of his
powers. That was after a grilling day
in the war office. one of those days
| that sometimes come in Washington
toward the middle of September, when
everything is as sticky as the asphalt
sidewalks.
1t had been day of evil portent be-
sides. Colonel Howard, who had
seemed of late to reflect Eleanor's
cooiness in some measure, had greeted
! him with wry face when he came in.
'The devils to pay, Mark" he said.
Draw up your chair. There's leak.
age in the department"
"What?" cried Mark.
"Things are getting known-for in
stance. our dealings with the shipping
people. They've found the exact num-
ber of ships we've requisitioned. You
know whom l mean by they"
Mark nodded. The cosmopolitan in
fluences in Washington, whose ramiti.
cations extended TO the ends of the
earth, or, ut least, across the Atlantic
were busy in every drawing room ex.
tracing news, the tiniest and least re
liable of which was not despised, since
many such single items make up a CO
herent story.
"The Brigadier's wild about it." con
tinued the Colonel, pulling at his mus
tache. And 1t seems impossible tC
detect how the leakage occurred. II
must have been through the shipping
companies, of course yet they couldnt
have pieced the thing together without
concerted action, which Is out of tn,
question. Let's go through the pa
pers."
They opened the safe and wen
through them one by one, but nothln,
was missing.
! Damn 1t !" growled Colonel Howard
"Ive been through this before, Mari
you know that. In that case ther
was Il traitor at work. We found him
In this case there can be none, at least
In the war department. And I've toll
the Brigadier I'll answer with my plac
for discovering where the leak lies"
He closed the safe and strobe off In
to Kellerman's room, to return wit
Kellerman. looking angrier than b,
fore.
what are we going to do, Keller
man?" he asked.
Kellerman pursed out his lips. "Wel
Colonel, you know as much about 1t a
any of u.s." he answered. "There's a
ways been two of us present night an
morning when the papers were tran
ferred. I'll vouch for you, WallaC
will, presume. vouch for me. and yD,
presume. will vouch for Wallace"
The sinister look on his face afrec
ed Mark more disagreeably than eve
Mark felt nettled. Though the wore
had been fair.
IF there's been leak" he said q
) seems to me it's up to the Brigade
: to discover 1t. It's outside; 1t ism
, our business to locate 1t. We're doiI
I our part--what more can we do3"
"Colne along and tell the Brigade
: that" suggested Howard.
Mark, nothing loath. accompanit
t him to tho Generals room. But u