The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1920-04-01

| ed, ana yet 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 stir of activity off
to the right. and an erect. middle
aged man clambered out of ham
mock, and came briskIy forward.
Back in the shadows billiard could
detect the soft outlines of a white
dress.
"Yes?" The mlddle-aged man was
politely brusque.
as this Mr.. Cullen? Mr..
James Cullen?"
"Yes sir!" The middle-aged man
was very convincing about it. "Yes,
sir What can / do for you?"
billiard bowed stifIly from the hips
"a touch of foreign courtesy which
had it's effect.
IF you're at leisure, Mr.. Cullen,
should like very much to have word
with you. On--I think l may call ii
so-urgent private matters. My name
is billiard In brief, I've come up
from New York today to bring you a
letter from a young man named Rich
ard Morgan"
Morgan! :" said the older man
sharply, "Dick Morgan!" Back in the
shadows there was sudden rustic.
"Where's hep
Hes dead" said billiard. "He died
in France" Mr.. Cullen stood perfect
ly still, and IIilliagd, 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 dead!" There
was surprise, but little poignancy in
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-
foundly agitated by the news. Hill
lard bowed mechanically; he had re-
membered her as a 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-abomi-
nably.
ooh, dad" she said with a quick
intake of her breath. sob =.
dadw 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 Oh Mr.. Hilliard-my
daughter. Well, | must say |. .
Suppose we sit down and talk this
over"
billiard bowed again; Mr.. Cullen,
his arm encircling Angela, led the way
to the hammock and its reinforcement
OF wicker chairs. The trio was
seated: billiard coughed dellcately.
and after that, there was brief
silence. Gradually, the air was
charged with constraint. Here he
was, and there was Angela and
Mr. Culen-all 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 Dieky Morgan
wasn't yet anathema, and when
"This this thing happened
some time ago. did it? You were
abroad yoursef?"
"Yes. I was"
II want TO hear about Dick" said
Angela in a dry little voice. please
And and who are you, Mr..
Hilliard?"
angela !" said her father, reproach-
fully, but billiard, 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 consciou IS 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.
A "All / pretend to be is friend Of
Dicks. L"
"Ohl A friendl" Cullen's intona-
ton was curiously warped.
perhaps you'll understand better II
go back to the beginning. Shall IT.
3D." Cullen motioned him carte
blanche, and billiard took a long
breath, and began