Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-07-02
CHAPTER xIl-continued.

%eHtly, ana auueQ, WIN more BeneFOS-
ity than Waring had anticipated.
"Rufus and / both asked him to. Let
Rufus-and Jack-handle 1t together.
Between them, they'll make rather an
exhaustive study, don't you think? And
they might turn up something that all
of us would want to know"
:"Fhat's right! It's thought Well
-" Cullen looked at his watch. Il
can't waste any more time on this tom
fool business. | ought to have been
In the office an hour ago. Anybody go
ing DOWNTOWN"
II am--but I'll walk" said Waring
Sullenly
"Can stay?" asked billiard of An
geIa, In sn undertone.
Il want you TO-" she said. 4-er eyes
followed Waring to the doorway.
After they had been alone for full
minute, and neither of them had ut
tered a syllable, it came to Hilliard
that the chief difficulty in being evil
is to make an end of it, but chat the
chief difficulty in being virtuous is to
begin. His brain was active and his
emotions were placid; but o his mild
perplexity he had no compelling de-
sire TO make start. There was no
restraining impeachment working
against him. as on the occasion of his
interview with Carol; his impulses
were merely lazy Indeed, he was
rather highly gratified at the course
s41f ho 1nH
that Warnings zeal and Armstrong;
itinerary had relieved him from any
necessity of an Out-and-out avtwal of
his innocent fraud; it was much more
satisfactory, since all the issues were
so confused, to turn his affairs over
to Cullen, and to await the inevitable
verdict on an impersOnal basis. In the
meantime, he was deeply touched by
CuIlen's confidence in him; Cullen and
Carol Durant alike had refused to be-
iieve the obvious truth; he wondered
.stolidly what it would have meant to
him to have had such a reputation
from his youth onward; the gratifca-
ton now would have been superIative
provided only that he had been en-
titled to his pride.
He's jealous of you,' said Angela
abruptly. That's all-hes jealous.
Simply wild with it. You know that
don't you?"
billiard started; for it wasn't an
emboIdening beginning. Not the least
so; it implied exactly the sort of rival
ny which he had feared, and which he
had come to relinquish.
'Who is? Oh! Rufus Waring?"
TERRIBLY jealous. Perfectly crazy
with it. That's what all this whole
mess is about" She tossed her head
wlIfulIy. Il don't care do your
The unreserved bluntness of it near
ly took him off his feet renewing the
devastating suspicion that Angela had
grown to care too much for him-too
much for her own good.
"Why, Angela ~ he said lamely. "Of
course | do. 1t hurts me-"
She hammered a gold-embroidered
sofa cushion with one tiny fist.
"Oh, he's jealous of everything and
everybody. That doesn't count any
more. Only it made me perfectly
furious. wanted to scratch him
the very idea of his daring to say
anything like that about you'll Even
if you do like me lott" She sighed
heavily. "And yet If you stop to think
about it, it was sort of brave, too
standing up to all Of us when 1t YVES
three to one, and he was wrong-poor
deari"
billiard looked down at her with
deep affection and troubled relief.
"As long as I've defender like you
I wouldn't worry" he said, ''but I'm
afraid it won't be for so very long,
Angela, that you'll feel like defending
me-"
"Why not2" she asked.
"Just a notion of NINE 1t strikes
me that you're fonder of Rufus than
YOU let yourself think And he needs
"a champion worse than do; I'm more
used to taking care of myself
The corners of her mouth were pc
%eullarly sensitive.
"Such queer notion" she said.
"'Where'd you ever get it?"
ooh. it came Of it's own accord.
:. :"
Its been such funny day." she
said, musing "Rufus was funny. and
Dad was funny, and you're so funny,
and Carol was funny this morning.
and I'm funny now, and"
"Carolr' he echoed invoIuntarily.
She laughed at him, enjoying his dis
ecomfiture with the sweet insolence of
a naughty juvenile; and it was note
worthy that her arraignment of War
ing stopped short at this point.
81 know something about you'll" she
taunted wickedly.
"What do you know, bright child2"
DE demanded, red to the temples.
81 knowr" Her tone was singing.
$50 do you! Look at the man blush!
Why, you guilty thing Why. you red
geranium !"
He sat down beside her, staring at
her vivid, fiower-like face.
"Angela. you little demon, stop
laughing at me"
1t was fresh incentive; she only bub-
s,led the more.
81 told you I'd laugh at you some
time," she reminded him triumphantly,
sand this is the time"
'"Think so?"
81 know SOL" All at once. she be-