Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1920-03-18
By HOLWORTHY HALL

moment! Who was Armstrong?
Whence and WHITTIER Armstrong? A
newcomer to Syracuse Chat is, within
two years. and already proprietary
billiard frowned, and rubbed his eyes,
and wondered anew. He was a trifle
amused and a trifle ashamed Of him
self; was it credible that he could be
| jealous of man who had merely ap-
| propriated what Hilliard had no fur
Their interest in? How inconsistent
and yet how superbly characteristic of
human nature! Hilliard chuckled to
himself in recognition of it and dis
missed the proposition as unworthy of
further attention. Dismissed it, YES
-. as child dismisses a rubber ball
with an elastic cord attached to it.
From below stairs Japanese gong
chimed softly and Hilliard, without de-
laying another instant leaped to the
floor. Half an hour later, bathed.
shaved and dressed, he descended
cOmplacently; the second day of his
remarkable, performance was begun.
The Cullens, father and daughter
were waiting for him. They greeted
him cheerfully; and he was glad that
grief hadn't chung to their eyelids: he
would have felt depressed, even al
though he would have sensed the hid
den compliment. Quick to grasp the
nearest handle of diplomacy, he saw
that cheerfulness on his own part
would help the situation for now that
his duty as courier was over, there
was no need for long protracted mel
ancholy.
1t was cheerful trio, then, that sat
down to breakfast; there was no OK
hilaration about it, but at least there
was no Somber cloud of mourning
Angela, behind the coffee urn, had oc-
casional moments of pensiveness, but
that was to be expected, and con-
doned; indeed, Hilliard held himself to
be greatly favored by even this.
She was imaginative, and billiards
pose was calculated to appeal to live
ly Imagination. He treated her not as
a young girl, but with the respectful
Difference which belongs to a mature
woman, a mistress of a household, and
a hostess in her own right. She was
charmed and captivated, and so was
her father-mOst assuredly he was
So charmed, in fact, that instead of
leaving for his office at half-past eight
he fingered until half-past nine; so
captivated, that as his limousine slid
quietly down the long, steep hill Of
James street, he found himself aScrib-
ing new degree of credit to Dicky
Morgan for the simple reason that
Dicky Morgan had gained the full es-
TEEN of such a friend as. billiard.
A mighty nice young man, thought
Cullen. A man of sOundest judgment,
through and through. A man of brill
liant intellect and razor-edged analy-
sis. Had he not said, and furnished il
Illustrations from his broad experience,
exactly what Cullen himself had said,
transportation, and production, these
half a dozen years? Cullen sat back
and smiled triumphantly. 1t does a
man good to hear his pet convictions
approved, expanded and laid down as
aXioms by another wise man.
Back on the wide veranda Angela
had curled up comfortably in the ham
mock and, beside her, Hilliard was en-
joying a cigarette. He was enjoying,
too, this rare interlude of respite; he
| ut nd mi nfl
his stars for the invitation which had
made this quiet hour possible.
She lifted her eyes, caught billiard
smiling at her and blushed furiously,
not for any shame aCcruing to her, but
because she had arrived at the age of
easy bushes.
II suppose you're going over
to Carols pretty soon" she said, con-
strained to say something and grasp
ing at the first available idea.
$50 anxious to get rid of me?" he
asked, amused.
ooh, nor Horror was in her tone
and modification. "Only =. wanted
to talk to you before you saw Carol
Because Carol doesn't I dont
think she'll exactly feel as I do about
this / know she won't. Maybe
it's because Dick and l were Chums
and she and Dick were . oh, you
know. It's different. You ought to
take that into consideration-when
you talk to her, ! mean. l don't mean
L don't care, because l do-terribly-
but l can see what it meant to
Dick . and l know how he'd have
loved it, and picked this out of every
possible way, to 4. end things, but
Carol she's different"
"How?" billiards. voice was even
but very low.
Older" she said looking away
"And and they were going to
marry each other some time"
"But wasn't that broken OFF,"
"Yes, but she was waiting"
"Waiting?"
"Why, of course"
billiards breath quickened.
81 should have guessed that this Mr.
Armstrong" ...
ooh, but that wasn't until she