The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1920-07-16
CHAPTER x-contlnued.

something elsev'
"A good deal else" said billiard, alb
straeted. but that's no reason for
me to bother you with it. / didn't know
II was so apparent"
Silence.
It's not my habit" said the doctor
presently, ito offer any advice unless
I'm asked for it. Gratuitous advice
never did anybody any good. And mo-
bofy takes it unless it costs some
thifg-and not often then. And I'm
neither your regular physician nor
yOrr confessor. But if l had made a
dia !nosis at this present minute I'd
say that you need preacher a great
de&I more than you do a doctor"
q -. +. do" said billiard, look
ing ZIP sharply. "Only it's out
of 'he question. Just personal things,
doftor-nothing l can very well talk
about"
"1our trouble" said Doctor Durant,
isn't physical as much as it is splr-
ituat It's nothing but taut nerves. It's
nothing but your struggle against the
restraints you put upon yourself. How
10 l know? You've told me so
sveY4 time I've seen you. It's in your
5'tlcS. my boy. It's in your eyes. Con
ataatly. And it looks as though the
GNaference is about over be-
c;.use if that isn't Carol coming up the
steps, my ears aren't half as good as
they used to be-"
Hoth men were on their feet as she
fAme in, swirling.
"Oh! she cried to billiard. II
didn't know you were coming up to-
Might Suppose I'd missed your
He merely smiled, and made no an
swer; nor did he speak to her until
after the doctor, protesting a sudden
desire for solitude, had waved them
Hospitality out of the study into the
diving room. Carol was in the old IA
sniliar corner Of the sofa; billiard was
standing by the fireplace, peering
down into the empty CRATE. He coughed
harshly, and an expression of utter
hopelessness crept into his eyes. He
turned abruptly.
"Well," he said, ''just how much
would you have cared if you had?"
=
There was a stately old lamp stand
Ing at height behind the sofa; its
shadows We're gracious and its light,
ne it crept through shade of painted
selum, touched Carol softly, in a
delicacy of radiance which was infin-
stely caressing. Her hands we're lying
lille in her lap; she bent her head, and
viewed them studiously.
"Why, I should have cared a great
deal" she said. I'm always disap-
POINTED when miss seeing a friend Of
mine. What makes you so pessimistic,
all of a sudden"
billiard reddened, and his eyes grew
brighter.
Friendship he said tardily.
''What an accordionlike sort of thing
that isl"
"Why, Mr.. Hilliard - Her tone was
Mt the same time interrogatery and re-
proachful.
"Oh, I'm not speaking of you," he
said. "Only Of the thing itself. :.
It's big or little, close or distant
and it hasn't anything to say about it
You'll have to excuse mel
was thinking out loud -. -
please do" she said. you were
on the way to be interesting. Think
gu: loud some more"
billiard glanced sharply at her.
Don't laugh at me p he said, almost
roughly. ''For heavens sake, don't
you know that the one time you
shouldn't laugh at u man is when he
deserves it?"
Carols attitude was vaguely less
suggestive of ease
81 wasn't laughing at you" she said,
"truly. But what you said was so
so queer"
"Oh, yes" billiards. accent was
very fiat. 81 suppose it was. 1t must
have been. l always seem to be
more or less up in the air when come
90 see you, don't I? The last time we
talked about friendship"
"But that was at least month ago."
she said hastily, 'and in the mean
sime, you'vn been just as nice and
cheerful as anybody. / thought you
Hrere all over yo4r troubles"
"Cheerfulness wasn't what you
asked for" billiard swallowed hard.
Il l came up here, Miss Du-
yant, to have really serious talk with
sou really serious. It's been
delayed too long already. 1t took me
two solid days to get my courage up
TO it. And F.. and now I'm here,
[ don't even know how to begin"
He scowled heavily into the vacant
fireplace. and held out his palms with
a mechanic gesture as though to warm
them at an imaginary blaze. "You
know" he said absently, your father
;. d very extraordinary man-very."
The compliment to the doctor had
its invariable effect upon her; she
glowed under it.
"Tve always known that I'm
clad you realize it, too"
He stood erect, and faced her. q
do it came to me, when was
talking to him, what a great privilege