Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-12-08

street he hears ,oonidn sobbtn0 and
asks her the reason aud trhether the
bundle she carries Is q baby. She re-
phes that there Is no reason for her
Returntno TO his apartment he finds
hts friend, Ashton, tuho at HE
mothers request Is fleeing from his
ss,oeefheart. Facts reveal Esther
Ashton asks Micky to deNver a letter
TO Esther, but instead Mioky Writes
Esther q letter very different from the
hedrtless ono Ashton had left for her.
But Micky signed A8hton's name to II
aud posted u, hts first loUe letter.
AND HERE 1T CONTINUES
CHAPTER III
IN SPITE Of events OF the night Mlclty
Mollowes slept soundly. II was half
past nine when he woke, to find. his
man, Driver. moving noiselessly about
the room.
The morning seemed TO drag; twice
people rang him on the phone and asked
the mood for lunch; he felt sup
pressed sort Of excitement, as IL some
thing of wrent Import were about TO
happen.
or twice his faco was as expression.
less as his voice, but his dull eyes
saw everything, and behind them his
keen brain wondered what had nap
pSIleu 10 ndhB NllChy ~
At 8 o'clock he changed his clothes
for an immaculate morning coat ana
gray trousers: then, remembering what
Esther had said about the very hor-
ria boarding; house, he changed d,,,t them IN
his possession, and n pair of brown
boots that had geen their best days
and long since been condemned by
Driver.
Micky glanced at the clock. 1t was
already a quarter past three. Ho took
Up his hat hurriedly and went out into
tho street.
day anyway. He could dismiss It at
last few yards. A moment later he
was beng wh!r'ed through the streets.
He sat leaning back in a corner with
mis- feet up on the seat opposite. fee
ing decidedly nervous.
Surprising he did not see Esther
Supposing she were not there? sup
posing she had purposely given nm
tn The srns,nS %rSns address, snppSGsn sna
thingsl Mlcky was full OF apprehen:
sion when at last the tax'cab stopped
ut the corner of the Brixton road and
the driver came to the door to ask
Micky scrambled out
"Oh. I'll walk the rest cf the way"
He paid the man literally. and set
out along the crowded pathway, Their"
thought 1t must be n market day or
something. word with a policeman
elected the information that no wa,
at quite the wrong end Of the street
needed time in which tc collect HE
thoughts. and yet when at last he
reached his destination re felt as
clined TO 60 back; But he went on
and UP the bare strip Of garden which
led to the front door of the house. It
wasn't such q bad-looking house, he
thought, Not nearly 80 bad as he had
In fact. once upon a time it must
have been rather a palatial residence,
but all the windows now were boxed
up with cheap. starchy looking cur
tains and there was sort Of third
rate atmosphere about the basemen,
and tho cheap knocker on tho front
DOOR
Micky looked for q bell, but there
wasn't one. 80 he knocked.
II seemed n long time before anybody
came. When at last they did he heard
them coming for n long time before the
door was opened. heard slipshcd steps
on shiny linoleum. and husky sort
The owner of the cough was youns
and scared looking. IN shoes severa
sizes too large fer. her. ana SKIRT
several inches too short. When MicKy
without answering for moment. then
she turned and stopped back the way
she had come, leaving the door on the
chain.
Micky chuckied to himself: she evil
IDENTIFY did not like the lcok Of him. he
thought.
He waited patiently; then he heard
another step along the shiny 'inoleum
floor OF the hall-a very different step
this time-and. turning eagerly. he saw
Esther herself in the doorway.
Il didn't really think you would come, u
she said breathleEs'y
his tongue. II he had thought this girl
pretty last night with the tears in her
eyes. he thought her a thousand times
prettier now. She looked as II some
magician hand had wiped the distress
from her face and Convinced her that the
sun still shone.
She wore tho same clothes she had
worn last night. but even they seemed
4 bunch OF violets pinned In her Jacket.
Micky wondered II It We're the VIC cts
that were responsible for the a!tera-
ton:
w When I make an appointment al
He had almost added with any one
like you." but thouTht better of II.
And are you going TO let me take
you out to tear" he asked.
She hesitated; she glanced back into
"I am leaving here today" she said
MY bcx has gone already. II you
will walt a moment | would ask
you in. but you'd hate It So"
"Irl wait outside" said M'cky.
But finally they found confection-
M.cky looked round d critically, ,,,..,
''rs this all r'ght?" he asked. i've
never been here before"
"I have often" she said. She was
drawing or her gloves.
Micky glanced hurriedly at her handS
she was wearing a ring Hardly know
"Is that m engagement ring?' he
asked. His voice sounded G. little
She looked up at him. drawing her
why do you ask me?"
He drew back he shrugged his shoul-
'T beg your pardon; suppose have
no right to ask"
He ordered tea. He talked rather
forced platttudes for the rest of the time,
Ne was Just gSins to cal for ths bil:
"Mr. Mollowes, I should like to tell
you something"
YES" MIcKy did not look at her.
Somehow he could not trust himself.
1T don't III the least know why I
want to tell you" she said again nerv-
ously "But-you've been SO kind to
me . ="
"Yes" said MIcky gently, as she
paused Yes. what Is it?"
she was twisting her teaspoon, and
kept her ey"s lowered.
Last night, when I met you'll was
very unhappy. There didn /
seem anything TO live for in the world.
don't know II you've ever
felt like that. or II you have ever
cared for one-really cared | mean
hut IL you have ." She stopped
again.