Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1920-02-19

ed, and yet his heart was pumping in
uneven beats; for the moment, his
throat was dusty dry. t..'
AS he gained the level of the YER
anda, there was stir Of activity off
to the right, and an, erect, middle
aged man clambered out of a ham
mock, and came briskly forward.
Back in the shadows Hilliard could
detect the soft outlines of white
dress. '~ =,
"Yes?" The middle-aged man was
politely brusque: " .. ~
as this :. Mr. Cullen? Mr..
James Cullen"
"Yes sir" The middleaged man
was very convincing about it. "Yes,
sir What can l do for yOu?"
billiard bowed stifly from the hips
"a touch of foreign courtesy which
had it's effect.
"If you're at leisure, Mr. Cullen, l
should like very much to have a word
with you. On-I think l may call it
so-urgent private matters. My name
is Hilliard. In brief, I've come up
from New York today to bring you
letter from young man named Rich
ard Morgan"
"Morgan" said the older man
sharply, "Dick Morgan!" Back in the
shadows there was a sudden rustic.
where's hep"
He's dead" said billiard. "He died
in France" Mr. Cullen stood perfect
ly still, and Hilliard watching him
intently, was overcome by resentment
at the knowledge that two years ago
this man had held billiards fate in
his thick fingers.
mol" said Mr.. Cullen. "Of all
things Well, what d'you know about
that! Dick Morgan deadv' 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-
foundry agitated by the news. Hill
lard bowed mechanically he had re-
membered her as vivid little hoyden.
| Queer that his heart should skip
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-abomi-
nably.
"Oh, dad" she said with a quick
intake Of her breath. ooh i.
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 a 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.
'It's great shock to us-of course"
he said speaking slowly. "a great
shock e. OH Mr.. Hilliard-my
daughter. Well, I must say 1. .
Suppose we sit down and talk this
over"
Hilliard bowed again; Mr.. Cullen,
his arm encircling Angela, led the way
to the hammock and it's reinforcement
of wicker chairs. The trio was
seated: Hilliard coughed delicately,
| Of {hot hut q
silence. Gradually, the air was
charged with constraint. Here he
was, and there was Angela and
Mr.. CulenTall Of them little
older, all of them a great deal more
repressed, but even so, here they were,
these three, just as they had sat in
the same place, on the same sort of
summer evenings, when Dicky Morgan
wasn't yet anathema, and when
'This this thing happened
some time ago, did it2' You were
abroad yourself?"
eyes, I was"
II want to hear about Dick" said
Angela in a dry little voice. please
And and who are you, Mr..
Hllliardw
angela !" said her father, reproach-
fully, but Hilliard coughing with
great vehemence, felt a 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 a church
man smiles.
"All pretend to be Is a friend of
Dicks. /"
"Ohl A friendY" Cullen's intona.
ton was curiously warped
perhaps you'll understand better II
I go back to the beginning. Shall I?'
DO" Cullen motioned him carte
blanche, and Hilliard took a long