Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1920-05-06
CHAPTER XII-Continued.

Rufus and ] both asked him to. Let
Rufus-and Jack-handle it 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"
That's right! It's thought. Well
-" Cullen looked at his watch. 81
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"
Il am-but I'll walk" said Warning
sullenly.
"Can l stay?" asked billiard of An
CELIA, in an undertone,
- want you to-" she said. Her eyes
followed Warning to Ire doorway.
After they had been alone for full
rninute, and neither of them had ut
tired syllable, it came to billiard
taat the chief difficulty in being evil
"a to make an end of it, but that the
chief difficulty in being virtuous is to
begin. His brain was active and his
emotions were placid; but 10 his mild
perpleXity he had no compelling de-
sire to make a start. There was no
restraining impeachment working
against him, as on the occasion of his
interview with ca. Oh; his impulses
were merely lazy. Indeed, he was
rather highly gratitied at the course
Of things this morning; he argued
that Warnings zeal and Armstrong;
itinerary had relieved him from any
necessity of an Out-and-Out avoWal 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
Cullens confidence in him; Cullen and
Carol Durant alike had refused to be-
Heve the obvious truth; he wondered
EtOlidly what it would have meant to
him to have had such a reputation
from his youth onward; the gratific8-
ton now would have been superlatiye
provided only that he had been en-
titled to his pride.
Hes jealous of you" said Angela
abruptly. "That's aIl-he's Jealous.
simply wild with it. You know that
don't YOU"
Hilliard started; for it wasn't an
"mboldenng beginning. Not the least
30; it implied exactly the sort of rival
Ky 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
Eess is about" She tossed her head
willfully. Il don't care; do you?"
The unreserved Guinness 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 l do. 1t hurts me-"
She hammered a gOd-embrOidered
SOfa-cushOn with one tiny fist.
"Oh, he's jealous of everything and
everybody. That doesn't count any
more. Only it made me perfectly
furious. E. / wanted to scratch him
So. the very idea of his daring to say
anything like that about you! Even
is you do like me a lot" 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 was
three to onetand he was wrong-poor
DEAR
billiard looked down at her with
deep affection and troubled relief.
"As long as I've defender like you
/ 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 not" she asked.
Gust a notion of mine. It strikes
ne that you're fOnder of Rufus than
you let yourself think. And he needs
champion worse than do; I'm more
used to taking are of myself"
The corners Of her mouth were pc
cnliarly sens i've.
Such a Q.'cer notion!" she said
"Where'd you ever get it?"
"Oh, If calde of its own accord.
E.
ITS been such funny day." she
snd, mnsing. Rufus was funny, and
Dad was funny, ano you're so funny,
and Carol was funny this morning,
and I'm funny now, and"
Carol" he echoed involuntarily.
She laughed at him, enjoying his dis
cOmfture with the sweet insOlence of
naughty juvenile; and it was note
worthy that her arraignment of War
Ing stopped short at this point.
81 know something about you !" she
tainted wickedly.
"What do you know, bright child?'
he demanded, red to the temples.
II know!" Her tone was singing.
80 do you Look at the man blush !
Why, you guilty thing! Why, you red
geranium ~
He sat down beside her, staring at
her vivid, flower-llke face.
angela, you little demon, stop
loupbipo,