The Irish standard., 1920-05-15

z9 zS@g
hs Was So Close to Her That Their
Sleeves Touched.
you spoke Of Dicky Morgan as q very
dear friend Of yours Miss Durant,
want to do everything In the world 1
can for you, and he was my dear
friend as we'll as yours. I'm not dis
loyal to him, or to you. or to myself
but should like more than can ever
tell you to feel that I had done my ut
most to take his place. No one can do
that literally-I am not so vain-but l
feel. and I have felt from the time we
met each other. Dicky would have
wanted us to be friends"
"That's-that's wonderfully thought
ful Of you." said Carol, softly. "And
=. and think he would have wanted
that If he'd known. :" Her
eyes were suspiciously dim and Hill
liard's loneliness dissolved into a
great spasm Of longing which held
him and shook him and left him weak
with impotence
''Then I'll stay in Syracuse" he said
abruptly. "Provided-provided you
won't be offended IL I do have to want
to know you for yourself-just little
selflshly. Tn afraid that isn't very
clear-it's difficult to separate it-but
you see"
Don't try to explain" she said, sub
dued. II know how hard all this must
be for you-and think perhaps you
need my friendship as much ~ need
yours"
Before he could reply, there was a
dutter of indescribable gracefulness
before them. Angela was courtesying
in mock obeisance to the floor. Behind
her, Waring was watching her pos
sessively.
IF your majesties will wake up half
q second" she said, "everybody's going
to walk up around the Sedgwick farm
tract to get some fresh air. Coming?"
As they stood together. drenched
with regret for the condolences that
might forever remain unsaid, q maid
appeared in the doorway.
"Piease, ma'am," she said breath
lessly, "it's the Western Union-for
Mr.. Hilllard."'
"Right in my study,"| the doc
tor, hurrying. "Just across the hall.
There you are!" and ushered him into
the sanctum and considerably closed
the door.
Despite the urgent summons which
the average person feels under such
circumstances Hilliard was astonish-
lngly tardy in sitting down to the re-
ceiver. For one thing he was still
vibrating from his recent stress of
passion; for another he knew pretty
certainly what the message was going
to be, and for third, he was some
what emotionally under the spell of
the Doctors room. Hilliard had spent
q hundred hours in it-pleasant hours,
so that involuntarily yielding to it's
kindly atmosphere, and all that the at
mosphere implied, he took time to sur
vey all four walls before he took up
the receiver. And after he had lis
tened to the telegram, and ordered
copy mailed to him in care Of Mr.. Cul-
len, he took time to survey those walls
again, more closely; and this was
partly for their intrinsic significance.
and partly because his feelings were
so fresh and tender that he dreaded to
return at once to the gathering which.
as a whole, couldn't be expected to de-
fer to them. His eyes fell upon the
Doctors desk, wandered and suddenly
focused hard and piercingly. He
went over to the desk and slowly put
out his hand and lifted up small pho
tograph in a metal frame.
swell, I'll be darned" said Hilliard.
just above whisper. The turning of
the doorknob reused him he wheeled
with the photograph still in his hand.
Hello" said Doctor Durant, cheer
fully. "Get your message all right7
What's that you've found7 oh, yes
Dicks picture"
Hilliard swallowed hard, and found
that his voice was queerly out Of con.
troll.
'It;s-it's the same one"
"Yes-it's the same as the one you
brought back. I've had it there ever
bince he gave 1t to me-"
He took it gently from Hilliard's
hand; replaced it on the desk. 'How
that boy would have made good Il b
lad uvsdI" said the doetDe, n . -,