Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-09-29
A SWEETHEART AT THIRTY
The Stuy ofa Woman's Transfer nation.
BY MARION RUBINCAM.
HIS EVIDENCE.
CHAPTER NCIll.

When Bud. with his hand on the
Bible, took the solemn sounding oath
a. tell the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing hut the truth, MIR Mills walked
forward and hegsn arranging his papers
on n long table below the platform and
desks
Now. George Pcarsoll," he began
auletly Tell me the whole story of
what happened from the time you left
the office 81 Meade 4 Judson
HIS voice was re-assuring. and 1t
evidently gave Bud little needed com
fortlng For the poor lad was obvious
" frightened and worried. | never knew
before that the human voice could be so
important II ! had disliked Mr. Mills
because of his stonecold ewes, | liked
hum now for the way he could talk. Good
doctors have this quality, and clergymen.
Every morning about ii o'clock L
leave the Office and start out on q rou
tine of errsnds, Bud began. / had heard
thrs part OF the story before-the various
duties, morning and afternoon, which iell
on Bud u accomplish.
That day, he went on, after deScrib-
inc his usual work, 81 was going up Wall
street Just as always. do, and not think
ing anything would happen"
Did YOU stop to talk TO any friends?"
MIR Mills cut IN.
"No, SIR Bud replied
That startled me. ! knew he had met
Pete, and had stopped To talk with him.
| supposed he denied it now, either be
cause he forgot, or because he did not
like u involve Pete any more deeply that
he was already, or because he thought &C
knowicdging this talk with Pete would
look bad for hIm.
But IL worried me because, after al,
he had sworn 20 tell the truth-and
this WAS q denial of a fact. Then | was
even more worried, for at once the lawyer
on the opposing side began to take rapid
notes
What, ! wondered, did that mean? I
looked at Francis, but his face was per-
fs-ctly impaSsive and could make nothing
frtsn 1T expression.
The case went on, Mr.. Mills asking
questions occasionally, and helping Bud
on with the story. II was one we knew
already by heart and its recital did not
take long At the end, Mr.. Mills sat
down, and the other man, also a lawyer,
began what ! believed was the cross
Questioning.
s'You were walking near the curb of
tine pavement" he asked.
"Do your normally walk near the curb
OF the pavement?
Why, ] don't know. Perhaps ! do
/ never noticed" Now, what a sillv
question this was, | thought? What diff
ference could IL make whether a man walk
I'd ON the edge of the pavement OF along
the middle OF IL.
But the lawyer persisted with the
questions and seemed TO attach a great
deal Of Importance TO IT,
The lawyer mentioned Pete's name
next.
do you know him?" he asked.
Yes, SIR Bud answered as before.
lou went on great many parties
with hmn?'
Yes, SIR
Some Of the parties were in COMPANY
with Young ladies'"
Bud nodded
"And YOU spent great deal Of money
or, the young ladies'"
III don't know what you mean by"
How much, on an average, did the
parties cost your
The men shared the expenses. so il
was never SO very expensive for any
one. Pete had more money and spent
more than most Of the other men, more
-R
How much did an evening cost your"
1hr lawyer snapped il out
''fen dollars, fifteen, sometimes twenty
Bud answered .sullenly.
And your salary at the office was-?"
"Eightoon dollars a week" Bud was
nervous and uncomfortable, that was
why he was growing sullen. / hated to
see this come out in him.
SO you often spent more in ono eve
ning than you made in a week. How
did you manage that?'
HE man never ra4sed his VOICE at