The weekly Iberian., 1920-05-22
CHAPTER IlI.-Continued.


cipher the uneven penmanship. Ill,
began to read aloud:
Dear Mr. Cullen:
Il am asking Mr.. Henry Hilliar(
to bring you this letter personally.
want him to tell you what I'm not
writing, too. And you can tell Other
people, if you care to.
Il want you to know that since I've
had time to think, I've changed my
mind about good many things. I've
come to the conclusion that you were
right and | was wrong. Maybe you
won't remember the last talk we had
together, but l do. You told me then
that l didn't have it In me to make
good unless 1 learned that l was about
the most worthless young man in town.
and the one with the hardest row to
hoe in order to make something out
of myself, and set out from there.
Well, I've learned it. l had to. OF
course, l couldn't agree with you at
the time. That wouldn't have been
expected. But over here I've had one
lesson after another. Some of them
were pretty bitter, but they've all
helped. And since May, when / was
them over.
Il never deserved your kindness and
now / can't ever repay It. But it may
please you to know that this war
~ fa, hat fv-in {n
couldn't-that / was as close to zero
value at home as a man could be. It's
only through this war that I've got
any pride in myself, and I'm sort of
like Kiplings gentleman ranker-Pm
proud of myself because I've done
away with all the other kinds of pride
l used to have. And / believe I've
made good-not as great general,
but as private soldier. That was
the trouble at home-I was only fit
to be private, and thought / could
be a general off hand. You said I'd
do well if / learned that, and / have.
They gave me the CroiX de Guerre,
and in a way, that proves it, doesn't
it? Notice that they didn't even make
me corporal, though! That's an
right haven't had enough training
yet to be corporal! It's curious
that I'll admit that, isn't it?
II want you to know that I've
thought of you a great deal / don't
blame you for letting me GO. | did
once, but / don't now. Please think
of me, though, as a man who came
through at the finish, even if he'd been
pretty hopeless before.
'Hilliard, the best man in the world,
has promised to bring you this letter.
/ hope you'll be glad to see him, and
to hear his side of the story. This Is
my apology and my blessing, if that's
worth anything to YOU. l send kiss
to Angela.
"R. NJ"
Mr.. Cullen ended with a falling in
fection, and let the hand which held
the letter drop to his knee.
1.-The Letter, as you might guess from
the looks of it," said Hilliard, "was
written at several different times-ac-
cording to his strength. l want you
TO realize too, Mr.. Cullen, that it was
no small effort for him to write 1t.
And then l was in Switzerland when
he died, and his possessions had all
gone to ono of those tape-bOund bu-
reaus, so that I had fearful time to
myself and get what he had
meant me to have, and after that, l
had to make sudden trip to Russia,
and back to England again. There
we're delays-delays. l was i'll for
several months myself: l had typhoid
n London. / should have mailed |
hese things to you long ago. but he |
lad begged me to come in 'person, and |
had promised. And every day ex-
rected that in another week or two |
should start for home. l feel that |
owe you this explanation and a
rreat plea for forgiveness for what
must seem to you like gross indiffer-
nee on my part. But | landed hard
V two weeks ago, and l came up to
-ou at the earliest possible moment
In some ways, he was a most re-
narkable young man." said Mr.. Cul-
en-. irrelevantly. Nobody ever un-
|erstood why he turned out such a
lack sheep. Came from fine old
amily. l suppose his father was one
f the most loved men in Onondaga
ounty. Dick lived for years on his
ather's reputation, after people
topped noticing him on his own ac-
cunt. Just took advantage of the
act that nobody could quite bear to
e harsh to his fathers son. But he
ras always a wild young chap, moth
ng very bad, except that just too
luch of anything-including liquor
-as just enough for him! Had too
uick temper to be diplomatic
nough to hold job, and didn't care
luch about working hard. and finally
he tide turned, and he began to get
peated just as If his father hadn't