Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1920-05-21

him with those grave. sweet eyes Of
hers. and calling him by his adopted
namel His mask Of protection had
J never seemed so slight. so insufficient;
the fragrance Of her. and the illusion
caused by this, threatened his bal
ance and set his nerves on edge; for
tunately. the routine OF the conyen-
tons interviewed to save him from his
inarticulateness. For one thing. there
was the rite Of Introduction to Arm
strong, and after that there was
dash OF promiscuous conversation,
I with not little weather philosophy IN
! IL Then came the memorable hush
/ caused by the presence OF q stranger
! whose fads and fancies are still a mat
ter OF conjecture. and out Of that huzh.
| q question. and Hnliard was suddenly
! visited by a species of self-hypnosiR.
II hr had been moved at all by ths
| sighI Of Angela. whom he had loved
rs q younger sister, he was. By COM
parison. shaken as By whirlwind By
the sight Of Carol Dursnl whom be
| had loved as a woman. Not on the
train, not at the hotel. not even when
he Witnessed Angels's severe grief,
had he remotely conceived that this
instant would be so difficult TO sur
mount What In New York had seem
ed a regeneration, and earlier on this
same evening had appeared z very
dubious deception, was rapidly taking
upon Itself the color Of irremediable
t.
beyond belief; and as he stared in
dumb suspense at Carol, recalling a
thousand episodes and thousand /
privileges Of the long ago. he was .
preyed upon by a slOw-stealing grim I
ness Of despair which left him sick
with misery.
She was waiting for an answer
and the others were waiting. too, and
watching him. he felt that guilt was
stamped on his every feature
he felt that every thought Of his must
be as crystal to the four who waited
FOR him TO speak.
lie was himself and he was not him
self: he was ostensibly Henry billiard,
q man in whom it couldn't be suspect
ed that the heart and soul Of Dicky
Morgan were odied; he was tran
scendentaIist 9 spectator at his own
funeral s. i the Croix de Guerre
Of poor Pierre Dutout, who in be-
quearh'ng that impressive bit Of
bronze TO him. hadn't dreamed that
he was leaving a heritage Of chicanery
along with IT, engendered in HiIliard
q Ill tab .-r~
in paroxysm of wild laughter. And
the newspaper, with Dutout's most
genuine citation in it, And the old
passport photograph which he had
hidden for fear that his real name,
Endorsed on it, might be cabled home,
together with proof to the world that
he hadn't been a herO-that he had
failed in this, as in every other IN
dertaking OF his life. And all the
dates in accuracy And if anyone
cared 10 trace back the story. where
was the flaw? Where was there 2
ioonhoie2 And who would recognize
Dick Morgan in his cloak and mask Of
utter unracie2
Who had?
Li9htninglike. his brain Included all
The Sa'ient items Of the picture in
single flash There was Dicky Nor
gan. sailing away 10 Franre-whfrh
,nuId he proved There was q mum
ier. and name attached 10 il and Z
since billiards. sturdy defense OF
)cky Morgan had had grain OF {
ruth in IL. and one of the steps OF .
Ms many-s5ded progress car fully :
,miffpd "A name had really heen rs I
'umed and had endured from rhe dare
4 enlistment 10 the date Of DISCHARGE .
{ was the individuals recorded maine
II the army and at Neulliy il
.aSnt Morgan and il wasn't billiard :
nj il wasn't DUtOut. No one hoe A.,
new IT, or ever would know IL. even >
harmon didn't know it: il was rhe =
rSt sobriduet of a sheil-torH indvid- 8,
al vino had been taken 20 Neu.lly r
nd had been made Whole again. No p
ne al Neuilly had ever ser eyes or =
,lcky Narsan's real face Bur Ger =
ain man named Durout had been dec :
rated anf died and that could De n
roved-was proved billiard had n
orrowed DutOut's name in perfect u
lteJy ami the trail was cold. And 3.
ere vas a fourth man. Hiiiard-to
Ike his word for it-and the world is \
rSer thau the curiosity Of sincere =,
eopie TO encompass. .
No--if Neuilly surgeon ever tolr o,
: one ut rhe mysterious chapters oI n
De- So. ula Hsi happened 10 q c ? IN
in glonu4 nd dual that summer ri
e uan.e would suggest nothing. And
far as checking up the visits OF n,
mythical billiard TO very real Du- n,
ut was concerned who would pro y
$ To resenher? The testimony of w
" single witness would be inmate an
H. On
The voice of Carol Durant was echo wi
: in billiards. ears. ami billiard. de