The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1920-03-19

disconsolately I'm the nelghborhood II
had a maximum capacity, of two. Fur
thermore, IL was removed by several
feet from the nearest listening post.
lie was so close TO her that their
sleeves touched; he looked into the
beautiful eyes which were SO clear, so
unsuspecting; and his will swayed
perilously. Had he prepared so long
and savagely for his requital, only to
lose his impetus at almost the first
glance Of those brown eyes? He re-
Elected that there was nothing to pre-
vent him from being a good salesman,
and from renewing his prediction for
Carol at the same time. The idea of
counting her again, in his false char
acter, was highly dramatic.
II know you won't misunderstood
me-" he said, his heart shaking, "and
hope that you won't consider 1t ms
too presumptuous-but- other day
you spoke of DiclSy Morgan as a very
dear friend of yours. Miss Durant, !
want to do everything in the world
can for you, and he was my dear
friend as well as yours. I'm not dis
loyal to him, Or to you, or to myself
but should like more than l can ever
tell you to feel that l had done my ut
most to take his place. No one can do
that literally-I am not so vain-but
feel, and have felt from the time we
Aanh nthnr Ilinl-N Mn11l1 have
wanted us to be friends"
"That's--that's wonderfully thought
full of you" said Carol, softly. "And
:. and / think he would have wanted
that if he'd known. :" Her
eyes were suspiciously dim and Hill
liards loneliness dissolved into a
great spasm of longing which held
him and shook him and left him weak
with impotence
"Then I'll stay in Syracuse" he said
abruptly. "Provided-provided you
won't be offended if l do have to want
to know you for yourself-just little
selfishly. I'm afraid that isn't very
clear-it's difficult to separate it-but
you see"
Don't try to explain" she said, sub
dued. 81 know how hard all this must
be for yOu-and l think perhaps you
need my friendship as much as l need
yours"
Before he could reply, there was a
futter of indescribable gracefulness
before them. Angela was courtesying
in mock obeisance to the floor Behind
her, Warning was watching her pos
sesSively.
Eff your majesties will wake up half
a second" she said, "everybodys going
to walk up around the Sedgwick farm
tract to get some fresh air. Coming"
AS they stood together, drenched
with regret for the condolences that
might forever remain unsaid, maid
appeared in the doorway.
"Please, ma'am," she said breath
lessly, cts the Western Union-for
Mr.. Hilliard"
Fright in my study" called the doc
tor, hurrying. "Just across the hall
1HGES NOu dIC anu lIill tiih'
the sanctum and considerably closed
the door.
Despite the urgent summons which
the average person feels under such
circumstances Hilliard was astonish-
ingly tardy in sitting down to the re-
ceiver. For one thing he was still
vibrating from his recent stress of
passion; for another he knew pretty
certainly what the message was going
to be, and for third, he was some
what emotionally under the spell OF
the doctors room. Hilliard had spent
a hundred hours in it-pleasant hours,
so that involuntarily yielding to its
kindly atmosphere, and all that the at
mosphere implied, he took time to sur
vey all four walls before he took up
the receiver. And after he had lis
tened to the telegram, and ordered a
copy mailed to him in care of Mr.. Gull
len, he took time to survey those walls
again, more closely; and this was
partly for their intrinsic significance,
and partly because his feelings were
so fresh and tender that he dreaded to
return at once to the gathering which,
as a whole couldn't be expected to de-
fer to them. His eyes fell upon the
doctors desk, wandered and suddenly
focused hard and piercingly. He
went over to the desk and slowly put
out his hand and lifted up small pho
tograph in a metal frame.
"Well, I'll be darnedw said billiard,
lust above a whisper. The turning OF
the doorknob reused him; he wheeled
with the photograph still in his hand.
"Hello" said Doctor Durant, cheer
fully. "Get your message all right:
What's that you've found? Oh, yes
Dicks picture"
billiard swallowed hard, and found
that his voice was queerly out of con
troll.
"Its-it's the same one"
"Yes-it's the same as the one you
brought back. I've had it there ever
since he gave it to me-"
He took 1t gently from billiards.
hand; replaced it on the desk. "How
that boy would have made good If he
had lived !" said the doctor, in an I'M
dartone "WeIl-they're waiting for