The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1920-05-14

| ed, and vet his heart was pumping in
uneven beats; for the moment, his
throat was dusty dry.
AS he gained the level Of the YER
| anda, there was a stir Of activity off
| to the right, and an erect, middle
aged man clambered out Of ham,
mock, and came briskly forward.
Back in the shadows billiard could
detect the soft outlines Of white
| dress.
"Yes?" The middle-aged man was
politely brusque.
rs this. Mr.. Cullen? Mr..
James Cullen?"
"Yes sir!" The middle-aged man
was very convincing about 1t. "Yes,
sir. What can l do for your
| Hillinrd bowed stiffly from the hips
"a touch of foreign courtesy which
had its effect.
IF you're at leisure, Mr.. Cullen, I
should like very much to have word
| with you. OIL think I may call 1t
so--urgeht private matters. My name
is billiard. In brief, I've come up
from New York today to bring you
letter from a young man named Rich
ard Morgan"
sharply, "Dick Morgan" Back in the
shadows there was sudden rustic.
where's hep" n
Hes Dead" said billiard. "He died
in France" Mr.. Cullen stood perfect
| ly still, and Hilliard. watching him
at the knowledge that two years ago
this man had held billiards fate in
his thick fingers.
"Nol" said Mr.. Cullen. "Of all
things! Well, what d'you know about
that! Dick Morgan deadr' There
was surprise. but little poignancy in
his tone. isn't that terrible! And
over in France! Angela, did
you hear that?"
More rustling from the shadows, and
a slim figure stepping out of them into
the foreground; it was Angela Cullen,
just over the brink of seventeen, ex-
quisitely small and blonde, and pro-
|
lard bowed mechanically; he had re-
membered her as vivid little hoyden.
Queer, that his heart should skip a
beat or two at beholding her now.
But she had brought the first remem-
brance of untroubled days back to
him, and the contrast hurt-aboml-
nably.
"Oh, cad!" she said with a quick
intake OF her breath. "Oh .
dad" And chung to him for refuge,
staring the while with wide and fear
full eyes at the tall stranger who had
delivered the laconic message.
Cullen held her close, and cleared
his throat. He was In the common
enough situation Of man who feels
that he ought to be deeply moved, and
isn't. and wonders why; and his trans
parent effort to be funereal was slight
ly overdone.
Its great shock to us-of course"
he said, speaking slowly. "A great
shock. Oil Mr.. Hillard-my
daughter. Well, must say 1. +.
Suppose we sit down and talk this
over"
billiard bowed again; Mr.. Cullen,
his arm encircling Angela. led the way
to the hammock anc its reinforcement
of wicker chairs. The trio was
seated: billiard coughed delicately,
and after that, there was a brief
silence. Gradually, the air was
charged with constraint. Here he
was, and there was Angela and
Mr.. Cullen-all Of them a little
older, all of them great deal more
repressed. but even so, here they were,
these three, just os they had sat In
the same place, OH the same sort of
summer evenings, when Dicky Morgan
wasn't yet anathema, and when
"This -. this thing happened
some time ago, did itf You were
abroad yourselfT"
Eyes, was"
III want to hear about Dick" said
Angela in a dry little voice. "Please
And 49,. and who are you, Mr..
Hilliard?"
"Angelal" said her father, reproach-
fully, /but billiard, coughing with
great vehemence, felt Q, sudden In
rush of triumph which gave him con-
fidence. 1t was the triumph Of dra-
matte success; the consciousness that
whatever might come next, he had ac-
tually appeared before people who
knew him best, and that they saw a
stranger. He smiled. as church
man smiles.
"All pretend to be is a friend Of
Dicks. T."
"Ohl A .friendi" Cullep's Intona.
ton was curiously warped.
Perhaps you'll understand better II
n 20 back to the beginning. Shall Ir
II 'Do.~ Cullen motioned him carte
blanche, and billiard took . long