The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1920-05-15


"a touch Of foreign courtesy which
had it's effect.
III you're at leisure, Mr.. Cullen,
should like very much to have a word
with you. OH think l may call it
so-urgent private matters. My name
is billiard. In brief, I've come up
from New York today to bling you
letter from young man named Rich
ard Morgan"
Morgan y said the older man
, sharply. Dick Morgan' Back in the
shadows there was sudden rustic
where's he?"
Mes dead" said Hilliard HE died
in France" Mr.. Cullen stood perfect
ly still, and Hilliard, watching him
lntently, was overcome by resentment
at the knowledge that two years ago
this man had held billiards. fate in
his thick fingers.
mo-" said Mr.. Cullen. "Of all
things! Well what dyou know about
that! Dick Morgan deadw There
was surprise, but little poignancy in
his tone. isn't that terrible! And
over in France! Angela, did
you hear that?"
More rustling from the shadows, and
a slim figure stepping out of them into
the foreground; it was Angela Cullen,
just over the brink Of seventeen, ex-
quisitely small and blonde, and pro-
foundry agitated by the news. Hill
lard bowed mechanically; he had re-
membered her as vivid little hoyden.
Queer. that his heart should skip a
beat or two at beholding her now.
But she had brought the first remem-
brance of untroubled days back to
him, and the contrast hurt-abomi-
nably.
"Oh, dad!" she said with a quick
intake of her breath. "Oh q. {.
dad" And chung to him for refuge,
staring the while with wide and fear
full eyes at the tall stranger who had
delivered the laconic message.
Cullen held her close, and cleared
his throat. He was In the common
enough situation of man who feels
that he ought to be deeply moved and
isn't. and wonders why; and his trans
parent effort to be funereal was slight
~ overdone 4
Its great shock to us-of course"
he said. speaking slowly. "a great
shock. -. Oh! Mr.. Hilliard-my
daughter Well, | must say /. !.
Suppose we sit down and talk this
over"
his arm encircling Angela, led the way
to the hammock md its reinforcement
of wicker chairs. The trio was
seated: billiard coughed delicately,
and after that, there was brief
silence. Gradually, the air was
charged with constraint. Here he
was, and there was Angela and
Mr.. Cullen-all of them a little
older, all Of them a great deal more
repressed, but even so. here they were,
these three, just as they had sat in
the same place, on the same sort Of
summer evenings, when Dicky Morgan
wasn't yet anathema, and when :. :.
"This this thing happened
some time ago, did it? You were
abroad yourself?"
Eyes. i was"
81 want to hear about Dick" said
Angela in dry little voice. "Please!
And and who are you, Mr..
Hilliard?"
angela 7" said her father, reproach-
fully. but billiard, coughing with
great vehemence, felt sudden in
rush of triumph which gave him con-
fidence. 1t was the triumph of dra-
matte success; the consciousness that
whatever might come next, he had &C
tually appeared before people who
knew him best and that they saw a
stranger. He smiled. as church
man smiles
"All / pretend to be is friend Of
Dicks. L"
"Oh! A friend!" Cullen's intona-
ton was curiously warped.
perhaps you'll understand better if
/ go back to the beginning. Shall II"
.Do." Cullen motioned him carte
blanche. and Hilliard took a long
breath and began.
Back in May. 1915" he said. Il
went to England and then to France
TO arrange some government contracts
for copper products In France, l vas
stunned-as everyone-by the back
lash of the war. And like everyone
else. l did what / could on the spot
bought tobacco for the SOL
diers, and all that sort OF thing. 1t
isn't question Of charity, once you
see the circum stances-yo simply
look. and realize that the most you
can do is so trivial in comparison with
what there is to be done that you
well, you do all you can ana
wish TO heaven it were ten thousand
times more. And then yon try to find
out where your mite will do the most
good, and 1t staggers you because
there are so many places where they
need everything you have and every
thing everybody else has. It so hap
pened that a friend of mine was In
one of the American surgical units at
NeuiIly. l couldn't spread my own lit
tie contributions over all the insti-
tutions that neeG,d it-there wouldn't
have been enough to notice. so nat
ne my limo md