Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-10-29

to be placed in What cruel test oi
| loyalty to love and devotion to duty.
As | stood by the window watching
the waters | tried to review the series
/ of events which had brought me in my
present position. / thought of my
studies in coins and precious stones
! and of how | had worked rs an eX
amncr in the Office of the appraiser
Of customs and how eagerly ! had
| looked forward to my appointment n
special agent Of the Treasury De
partment.
Well. | had won the appointment
and here l was with my first case star
! ing me in the face. Yet | was un
| happy. Need say why? The thought
of Dora Wharton's scoru filled me with
a sort of fear. | would Willingly have
faced death in the performance OF my
duty. but how could ] stand the with
cring glance of her honest eyes!
tried to see myself from every posi- l.
bic point of view in the hope of find
ing some cXtcnuating circumstances III
my present plight,
What did look like in the eyes OF
my friendsF They regarded me as 4
bright. clever. industrious servant oi
the government They felt sure that
I would do my duty under any anu
y
stautly dwclt upon my fine sense oi
honor and upon the depths of my loyalty
to my supcriurs. This was the strain
in which Bromley Barnes talked about
mo. aud | know that he had filled Col
lcrtor Frcad with the same notions.
How would look in the eyes OF
Colonel Wharton and Dora and Aunt
Sarah: With the best feeling in the
world they could not think of me cX %
ropt with feeling of dctcstation. They
would consider me in the light OF n
spy and an migrate. The words made
me Shuddcr, but there was no escape
from thcm-at least not in the minds
of these rontiding people. They would
feel that | had come to them under
false prctcnsus. that ! had won Their
regard only to abuse it.
How did ] look in my own eyes If
| went to the mirror ! would see q
clean shavcn. comcly looking Young
follow of twenty seven. full of life
and energy and ready for any adven
turc. That was pleasing enough so TAR
as the exterior man went. But how
did | feel in my heart An, that was
n different question. ] knew my III
lcntions were good. | knew the work
| was doing was in the interest of law
and order and for the integrity of the
government. Under ordinary cirCum
stances | would have felt proud of the
rn~t was playing. but with Dora
Wharton in the ctsc the circumstance,
were anything but ordinary.
rousc& myself from these rcvcrieS
with a start and looking ut my watcl
discovered that it was nearly ] o,c'oci
in the morning. ! scoldcd myself fol
not going to bed. might sit up unit
morning without being able to chang,
white to black and vice versa. J
nights sleep might solve the whole
problem to my own satisfaction-if no
to that of others. Before retiring
left my apartment and walked to tn
bathroom at the end Of the corridor
ON returning | noticed IA dim light il
the great living room ON the lowe
floor ! paid no attention to that, bu
as | was about to rc-cnter my be-
chamber heard rusting sound below
l Some one was in the living room.
Thoroughly aroused. ! tiptocd to th
side of the banistcr. The faint ligh
came from n lamp on one of the tables
The great room looked ghost like il
that semi darkness. The wood in tn
open fireplace Was still smoldcring an
the chairs in front of it were arrangc'
in semicircle just as they had bee