Polk County news. [volume] (Benton, Tenn.) 191?-1983, 1920-03-25

y I -
a thrill which nearly found its outlet
: in paroxysm OF wild laughter. And
the newspaper with DutOut's most
. genuine citation in IL And the old
. passport photograph which he had
: hiddea for fear that his real name.
, indOrsed on it. might be cabled home.
together with proof to the world that
he hadn't been a herO-that he had
failed i'm this, as I'm every other I'M
dertaking of his life And all the
dates in accuracy! And If anyone
cared TO trace back the story, where
was the flaw? Where was there
lOophOle? And who would recognize
Dick Morgan in his cloak and mask of
utter miracle2
Who had?
Lightninglike his brain included ali
the salient items of the picture in a
single flash. There was Dicky Nor
gan, sailing away TO France--yVhich
could be proved. There was a num-
Der, and a name attached to il, Gnl-
since billiards. sturdy defense Of
Dicky Morgan had had a grain of
truth in 1t, and one OF the steps of
his many-sided progress carefully
omitted-a name had really been as
sumed and had endured from the date
of enlistment to the date of discharge.
1t was the individuals recorded name
in the army and at Neuilly-and it
wasn't Morgan and it wasn't billiard
and it wasn't DutOut. No one here
knew ii, or ever would know it; even
Harmon didn't know it; it was the |
first sobriquet of a shell-torn individ- |
| ual who had been taken to Neuilly, |
and had been made whole again. No |
| one at Neuilly had ever set eyes on |
! Dicky MOrgan'S real face But a GER
| tain man named DutOut had been dec
| grated and died, and that could be
J proyed-was proved! Hilliard had
borrowed Dutout's name in perfect
safety; and the trail was cold. And
here was a fourth man, Hilliard-to
take his word for it-and the world is
larger than the curiosity Of sincere
people to encompass.
No-if a Neuilly surgeon ever told
as one of the mysterious chapters of
the war what had happened to a GER
tain gloomy individual that summer,
the name would suggest nothing And
as far as checking up the visits of
amythIcal Hilliard to very real Du-
tout was concerned, who would pro-
fess to remember? The testimony of
any single witness would be inmate
rial.
The voice of Carol Durant was echo
Ing in billiards. ears, and billiard,
yielding to tidal wave of reckless
ness, and of swelling anger at imagi-
nary wrongs looked squarely into
Carols eyes, and spoke with winning
urgency.
Yes" he said 81 have news Of
Morgan In fact, I'm here in Syracuse
solely because 1 have it. I've just
pee telling Mr.. Cullen-and Miss Gull
ri that l was with him when he
4 sd GAa e.
So aAss sp asas,s. !, aru 4l
Cite, and her lips quivered. Pres q
eatly she swayed little, and reached q
out with her hand toward the back v
Of convenient chair. Armstrong q
toward her, and Angela Gull 5
len slipped an arm around her waist. $
Hes dead?" she repeated, "
and her tone was not yet free from p
certain incredulty, as though the fact q
were of itself impossible, and the Il
statement of it subject to discussion. a!
Yes, Miss Durant." p'
She mOiStened her lips; her eyes III
we're very bright, unnaturally bright III
20 that billiard was fascinated, and
appalled,. II, u,
You You know that?' she III
lsked, again with that queer inflexion "
# amazed doubt. a.
Eyes, / know it,"
The others were standing as stat 80
les; Mr.. Cullen, snatching at the first -, -.
dea of consolation to present itself. M
umbled for his daughters other hand. "
which still retained the trophy bet u,
er man had won. ,lfI
'"Here's what they gave him, Carol! ~.
.ook The Croix de Guerre! Don't 49,
cts thiGK Of anything but what he
E. let's be proud of him. /"
"Oh, yes" she said inertly, and took -,
ne cross in her palm. She dropped ~
er eyes for Il moment, then raised -,
hem to the level of billiards.. Didn't
e send some word to me?" l.''
"No." billiards. nod was very min o ~.
terial. mo, I'm sorry, but" oa'
Her eyebrows lifted, and her nos y,
ills dilatcd the merest trifle. Her a.
cath was coming more rapidly now; s.,,
lie was nearing the breaking point &c
her resistance, and all of them go,
lew it. The moment was agonizedly r ~,
Hilliard gazing without ~ ~,
laver ut the girl he had thought he s4n
we'd beyond all else in this world or a.
e next, was sngularly relaxed as -
! observed her symptoms. She had
ally cared, then . 50 much
e greater pity that she hadn't kept ,'ei
IN caring as she might ii',i