The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1920-04-15
CHAPTER iv.-csntinued.

And and L want to thank you
new" she said in q tsne which would
have fallen ~ . blessing upon the ears
Of any other man alive, "for speaking
as though you loved him. And for
all you did for him. Perhaps you
knew already perhaps you can't
know but I'm trying TO tell you,
because he Was he was one OF
my very dearest friends"
His brain snapped; he bent down
to her.
controllably.
yes" she said. "Once-I loved him,
toor
Alone In the appointed guest room
OF the Cullen home-for Mr.. Cullen
had been as good as his word, and
sent a car to fetch his visitors be-
billiard lighted cigarette
Gan acquired taste, but advisable as
minor deception, since he had been
notorious for his taste i'm cigars) and
Erinned expansively. Leisurely he be-
gan to undress, but before his shoes
were quite unlaced, he sat back com
fortably In his chair and medltated.
IAN serene so far" he said. But
when Carol came In 4. ;" He shook
his head vigorously. "Well, it's over
-. anyway. The doctor :" Hill
1iard's face darkened. There's the
man want to get at! Pious old hypo-
critel And he didn't think deserved
to be In the family! Sort of hate to
let him make money out OF this deal.
but It's all In the game. Goals of fire
But ten thousands lot from the doc
tor wen say ten thousand"
He closed his eyes dreamily; and
his thoughts reverted from Doctor
Durant to the Doctors daughter.
"Carol-Carol |" he murmured. zone
minute there, thought I'd crack. And
was one Of her dearest friends l
was. was 1? And she loved me-once
Oncel Pity II wasn't twice. Pity she
and the doctor didn't say so the night
they kicked me out so neatly. Well,
business is business After
they've made their money out of Ii,
and found out this man billiards
some little gold-plated whirlwind all
by himself d.. Cad can't / see their
faces when they get the truth Of it,"
With the cigarette dropping from his
lips. he stood up and swept clear
space In the table. From his suitcase
he exhumed a tablet OF thin transpar-
'ent writing paper of kind not sold In
America; II was the paper on which
the letter TO Cullen from Richard Nor
g&a had been written, and IL was sheer
luck that billiard had brought the re-
mainder of the tablet from New York
with him. He tossed blob OF ink
from his fountain pen and inspected II
critically.
TOO black" ne decided, and went to
tho reservoir of the pen aud refilled It
with water.
That ought to be just about right
=. sort Of pale and mysterious and
warstrength."
He seated himself at the table, took
the pen In his left hand and inscribed
circles on the paper; scrubbed a
h<fahihkhcso scutcuCt hnu ldubncu
gently.
Funny how some people can be
ambidextrous and take so long to
realize 1t. II hadn't caught a bullet |
in my arm, and tried 10 write left |
handed in the hospital, I'd give myself |
away up here In no time. Writings
too blamed distinctive. But, as IL is,
Left Hand. very large and plain, Is
Henry Hilliard-" Here he shifted
the pen to the other hand-"And
Highland. small and curllcue. is
poor. dead Dicky Morgan--'one of her
dearest friends I'm glad / killed that
chap off-he never amounted 10 hill
of beans anyway. But this billiard
person-a live wire. boy, live wlrer
And with a grin of sardonic humor,
he wrote on the nimsy paper. slowly
and a little irregularly. as though In
physical discomfort:
"NeuIlly, 7-19-15.
mo matter what you ever think, no
matter what you have ever thought, /
have loved you"
He grimaced. pondered diligently,
and made correction.
81 have always loved you more than
nv own life. You said my ideals had
faIien-do You think so now3 l don't,
dearest: I think they're almost what