Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1920-02-19
CHAPTER II1.-continued.

He knew, from meticulous study and
practice, the full effect of his manner,
which was distinguished, patrician. He
knew the almost irresistible magnet
ism which had befallen him by acct
dent. He had been prepared-in his
own imaginatiOn-for the battery of
interest which was promptly trained
upon him. And yet, as he pursued his
luggage toward the desk, he faltered in
his pride, he. felt as though the sor-
rowful eyes of all Syracuse were riv-
eted upon him; the well-recalled sur
roundings unnamed him, and he was
impelled to halt, lift up his hands in
token of surrender, and to cry out:
the man l might have been-if you
and l had understood each other"
SO great was his anguish that in that
moment he honestly believed that it
was the equal fault of the city, and of
himself, that he had gone forth dis
credited
Behind the desk stood q clerk and
billiards. heart tripped--the manager
who had rendered him the ultimatum.
billiards pen split blot of ink on
the register; his ears were tuned for
the speech of recognition which would
blast his dreams of triumph, and send
him off again in multiplied disgrace.
eyes, sir" said the clerk with ex-
IRENE Difference, land about what
price, sir?'
The manager, who had been scrutin-
izing Hilliard intently, whispered
something to the clerk; the clerk bit
his lip and looked up sharply; the
prodigal WINGED and stiffened. "Par-
Tor C-ten dollars?" asked the clerk.
Every comfortable room, sir {.
Front J"
The manager as billiard retreated,
said impatiently to the clerk: "What's
the matter with you, Jimmy, anyway?
Don't you know how to size up a man
yet? Don't ask a man like that what
he'll have-tel 'em what we've got!"
Upstairs, billiard went limp from
the reaction. He had doubted what he
knew-ard this was proof Of his lack
Of innocence. But the manager--who
two years ago had called him by his
first name-the manager had looked
him full in the face, and made not the
faintest sign of recognition
It was in improved confidence. then,
that he went down to dinner; and de-
tp11y oh IN hn
most popular of the three available
rooms. He was actively eager to he
observed; now that he had passed his
first examination. he craved test after
test; no inquisitiOn could be too
urgent for him. And at the nearest
table sat a business man he. knew, and
a girl he knew; from their matter-of-
fact effectiveness, he judged that they
had been married during his absence !;
they gazed Unfortunately at him, but
only in admiration. He mentally
checked off his lst-that made n trio
of old acquaintances who failed to
know him. Facing him, a dozen feet
away, sat a man who had been Hill
1iard's employer for an ep0chal six
weeks-this man, too, was obviously
interested, but unenlightened. Four
A dinner party, comprising six girls
and six young men, filed gayly past
him. every one Of the twelve he had
known well, some of them intimately !;
they looked down at him in passing,
and, without exception, went on in
ignorance. A tiny roseleaf of a girl
was rather nOtiCeably attracted to
him; she spoke to her partner, who
turned, and stared, and nodded in the
bored fashion of any escort to whom
"a handsome stranger is pointed out
and- Hilliard could have laughed aloud
at the irony Of the incident They
had known each other for dozen
years, that girl and Hlliard; in the
dozen and first, her mother had for
hidden him her house.
He dined with considerable leisure,
and smoked cigar almost to the end
before he left the table. When he
quilted the room, it was with practi-
cal assurance that his gravest fears
were grOundless, but for an addition
al precaution he read an evening pa
per in the lobby and endured in safe
ty the inspection of score Of men
who had known him well enough to
refuse to loan him money.
At half-past eight, vastly heartened
and refreshed, he equipped himself
with certain documents from his suit.
case and called for a taxSab. The
address he gave the driver was high
on the eastern hills; during the last
half mile, Hllllard was peering out al
the shaded lights Of houses where he
had played in his earlier youth. The
car stopped; billiard went up stone
tagged walk, up broad stone steps
and stood on huge veranda. lie was
calm and yet his knees were discon
certingly unsteady; he was determin