The Ordway new era., 1920-07-02


back HIiiIard to his senses.
Yes" said Hilliard, "he had plenty
to be sorry for. and he was. OF his
troubles here. I'm not capable Of sit
ting as judge. Instead. l sat as con-
fessor. So that you'll be more inter-
ested in that part of his life which
you evidently haven't known about.
and l have. He left here. ] think. In
December. He hadn't any fixed pur-
pose; all he wanted was to find
place where he could begin over again
on fresh basis, and make man of
himself. For that much, at
least. you can give him credit"
"And I do" said Cullen. approvingly.
Hilliard. swept again by the near
ness of deliverance from his deceits,
leaned forward. A strong Endorsement
OF MOrgan's ambition at this juncture
might yet have brought about a re-
cantation.
''I'm glad you do. Mr.. Cullen.
1 think myself 1t was the only course
he could have taken" He hung peril
ously upon the response; it would ell
ther Justify or condemn his present
attitude.
That's probably why he took it."
said Mr.. Cullen. "Oh. I'm fair enough
to him. Mr.. HiIliard. but as for judg-
ment-" He shook his head firmly.
what made him go to France?"
HIlliard sat back. The gates of
truth changed shut.
"That came TO him as the logical
COURSE" he said shortly. "He'd met
with some brother adventurers in New
York. and they put the idea into his
head. He had no money. so that he
worked his passage across on the
Mouette. French tramp, In January.
1915. On the other side. he met a
lieutenant of artillery who took
fancy to him. AS you undoubtedly
know, he spoke French like native.
and that made 1t easy for him. France
Is land Of papers, and Of records;
and papers and records can be Great
ed. shuffied-when there's a reason.
The reason was that republic need
ed men-Rnd the lieutenant was will
Ing to be a forger IL that were con-
ditiOn to his being a patriot. His con-
ception of patriotism was to enlist ev-
cry able-bodied man IN the service OF
France. But at that time. the war
was still rather exclusive as far as
Americans were concerned. So that
Dicky Morgan disappeared from earth
and there was a new soldier of the
sixty-ninth Territorials by the name
of Pierre Dutout Peter No
body"
What" said Mr. Cullen.
Hllliard shrugged his shoulders.
81 said he told me much about him
self. He sailed under his own name.
and 1 dare say you can verify that
in New York. But when he landed.
he took an alias. He had wanted to
start over again, unhampered. Moth
ing could have been more oppOrtune
than this chance. See what 1t gave
himl He simply dropped out Of the
world. =. 1t was the possibility
Of losing himself utterly that first ap-
pealed to him. And there must have.
been good cause"
YES" said Mr.. Cullen absently.
There was. But always the
atrlcal. Dick was. That was so like
him-to do Just that sort of thing, and
to do 1t just that way"
"As nearly as could gather" said
Hilliard. 'he had been practically
er ostracized here. Is
that correct?" He noted that Angela
fiinched at the suggestion. and that
her head was dropping very low.
"Y-e-e-s. but there was good rea-
son for It,"
"Ohi dad! |" said Angela. pleadingiy.
below her breath. "Please don't say
things Like that-I can't stand any
more"
what his offense may have been.
l don't know" said HilIiard. plung-
ing doggedly into his narrative. but
he left town, so he told me, in a
tremendous revulsion of feeling. His
one ambition was to make something
of himself, to wash out the past-tO
justify his existence. And he went
overseas with the idea of genuine
service and sacrifice. And very soon.
terribly soon during a night
attack they got him." Hill
lard paused effectively There
wasn't chance in u hundred for him
to recover. and he knew it. And then
1t came to him, blindingly and desper-
ately, that the world-that is, the
world which had known him In his
failures-would never hear what he
had done. He had made his sacri-
fee, and 1t was useless. In hospital,
he was Pierre Dutout, you see
and between that character. and his
own. was the barrier Of the subter-
fuge he had grasped so Ieagerly-his
alias, and his false record. No one
would have any reason to doubt that
he wasn't what he purported to be.
He craved to tell someone; to send
back message to his old friends;
and l happened to be there-and he