The Ordway new era., 1919-02-14

L
strangely for man of his years, it 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 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
life seemed unbearable. and he had to
exert all his will power to keep him
i
tie furnished apartment in the North
west section, off Pennsylvania avenue.
and he had found the desert more COM
pani0nable.
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 a day of evil portent be-
sidea Colonel Howard, who had
seemed of late to reflect Eleanor's
coolness 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-
know whom I mean by they"
Mark nodded. The cosmopolitan In
fluences In Washington, whose ramifi-
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, since
many such single items make up a CO.
herent story.
"The Brigadler's wild about It," con-
tinued the Colonel. pulling ut his mus
tache. "And it seems impossible to
detect how tho leakage occurred 1t
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 go through the pa
pers."
They opened the safe and went
through them one by one, but nothing
was missing.
Damn 1t ~ growled Colonel Howard
'Tve been through this before, Mark
you know that. In that case there
was traitor at work. We found him
In this case there can be none, at least
in the war department. And I've told
the Brigadier I'll answer with my place
for discovering where the leak lies"
: He closed the safe and strobe off in
to Kellerman's room. to return with
Kellerman, looking angrier than be
; fore
"What are we going to do. Keller
man2" he asked.
Kellerman pursed out his lips. "Well
, Colonel, you know as much about it as
, any of u.s." he answered. "There's al
! ways been two of us present night ant
, morning when the papers were trans
i ferred. I'll vouch for you, Wallace
will. presume. vouch for me, and you
presume. will vouch for Wallace"
The sinister look on his face affcct
ed Mark more dlsagreeably than ever
Mark felt nettled. though the word,
q had been fair.
1 "If there's been leak" he said 81
s seems to me it's up to the Brigadiel
: to discover 1t. It's outside; 1t ism
, our business to locate 1t. We're doin,
t our part-what more can we do?"
Come along and tell the Brigadie
: that" suggested Howard.
e Mark. nothing loath. accompanIe,
t him to the Generals room. But tn,