The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1920-06-10
CHAPTER xii-Continued.


on his way West" said billiard. diff
IDENTIFY, and added. with more generos.
ity than waring had anticipated
Rufus and bota asked him to. Let
Rufus--and Jack-kandle 1t together.
Between them, they'll make rather an
exhaustive study. don't you think? And
they might turn up something that all
OF us would want to know"
That's right! It's a thought. Well
-" Cullen looked at his watch. 81
can't waste any more time on this tom
fool business. l ought to have been
In the office an hour ago. Anybody go
ing DOWNTOWN"
II am-but I'll walk" said Waring
sullenly.
"Can stayr asked billiard OF An
CELIA, in an undertone.
II want YOU to-" she said. Her eyes
followed Warning to the doorway.
After they had been alone for a full
minute, and neither OF them had ut
tered a syllable, II came To Hiliiard
that the chief difficulty in being evil
is TO make an end of 1t, but that the
chief difficulty in being vrtuous Is to
begin. His brain was active and his
emotions were placid; hut 10 his mild
perplexity he had no compelling de
sire To make start. There was 40
restraining impeachment working
against him. as on the occasion Of his
Interview with Carol; his impulses
~ lnU In. T..
rather highly gratified at the "ourse
OF things this morning; he argued
that Warnings zeal and Armstrong;
itinerary had relieved him from any
necessity of an out-and-out avOwal OF
his innocent fraud: II was much more
satisfactory. since all the issues were
so confused, to turn his affairs over
to Cullen, and TO await the inevitable
verdict on an impersOnal basis. In the
meantime, he was deeply touched by
Cnllen's confidence in him; Cullen and
Carol Durant alike had refused to be-
lieve the obvious truth: he wondered
stolidly what IL would have meant to
him to have had such reputation
from his youth onward the gratifica-
ton now would have been superlatlve
provided only that he had been en-
titled to his pride.
He's jealous of you" said Angela
abruptly. THAT'S alI--he's Jealous.
Simply wild with 1t. You know that
don't you?'
billiard started; for 1t wasn't an
emboldenlng beginning. Not the least
so; ii implied exactly the sort OF rival
ry which he had feared, and which he
had come to relinqush.
"Who is? Oh Rufus Waring?"
TERRIBLY Jealous. Perfectly crazy
with II. That's what all this whole
mess Is about" She tossed her head
willfully. II don't care do yOu?"
The unreserve,l bluntness Of IT near
ly took him off his feet; renewing the
devastating suspicion that Angela had
grown t. care too much for him-too
much for her own good.
"Why. Angela :" he said lamely. "Of
course | do. 1t hurts me-"
She hammered gold-embroidered
sofa-cushiOn with one tiny fist.
"Oh, he's jealous of everything and
everybody. That doesn't count any
more. only II made me perfectly
furious. l wanted to scratch him
.. the very idea OF his daring to say
anything like that about you! Even
II you do like me a lot - She sighed
heavily. "And yet II you stop to think
about It, IL was sort of brave, too
standing up to all of us when 1t was
three to one, and he was wrong-pOor
deari"
billiard looked down at her with
deep affection and troubled relief.
'As long rs I've defender like you
l wouldn't worry" he said, but I'm
afral id II won't be for so very long.
Angela, that you'll feel like defending
me-"
"Why not?" she asked.
lust a notion of mine. II strikes
me that you're fonder of Rufus than
you let yourself think. And he needs
a champion worse than do; I'm more
used to taking care OF myself"
The corners of her mouth were pc
cullarly sensitive.
"snch a queer notionl" she said.
"Where'd you ever get it?'
"Oh, II came Of Its own accord.
ITS been such funny day" she
said, musing. Rufus was funny, and
Dad was funny. and you're SO funny,
and Carol was funny this morning.
and TIN funny now, and"
Carroll" he echoed involuntarily.
shs laughed at him, enjoying his dis
comhture with the sweet insolence of
o naughty juvenile; and 1t was note
worthy that her srralgnment of War
lag stopped short at this point.
Il know something about your she
tainted wickedly.
"What do you know, bright chlld?"
he demanded. red to the temples.
81 know" Her tone was singing.