Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1920-04-16

back billiard 70 his senses.
YES" said HnHard. she had plenty
10 be sorry for. and he was. or his
troubles here. I'm not capable Of sit
ting as judge Instead. | 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 lie left here. / think. in
December. de hadn't any fixed pur-
pose; all ne wanted was to ind a
place where he could begin over again
on a fresh basis. and make man OF
himself For that much. at
least, you can give him credit
And 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 vet have brought about a re-
cantation
4 I'm glad you do. Mr.. Cullen. {.
I think myself it was the only course
he could have taken" He hung peril
ously upon the response: it would Ell
Their justify or condemn his present
attitude.
That's probably why he took it"
said Mr.. Cullen. "Oh. I'm fair enough
to him, Mr.. billiard. bat as for juig-
ment-" He shook his head firmly.
What made him go to Franceg'
billiard 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 adventures in New
York, and they put the idea into his
head. re had no money. so that he
worked his passage across on the
Mouette a French tramp. in January,
1915 On the other side. he met
lieutenant Of artillery who took a
fancy TO him. AS you undoubtedly
know, he spoke French like native,
and that made it easy for him. France
is a land OF papers, and of records;
and papers and records can be Great
ed, shuffied-when there's reason.
The reason was that republic need
ed men-and the lieutenant was will
ing TO be a forger II that were a con-
dition to his being patriot. His con-
eeption of patriotism was TO enlist ev-
cry abie-bodied man IN khe service of
France. But at that time, the war
was still rather exclusive as far as
Americans We're concerned. So that
Dicky Morgan disappeared from earth
and there was a new soldier of the
sixty-ninth Territorials by the name
OK Pierre Dutout Peter No
body"
What" said Mr. Cullen.
Hiliiard shrugged his shoulders.
II said he told me much about him
SELF He sailed under his own name,
and l dare say you can verify that
in New York But when he landed,
ne took an alias. He had waited to
start over again. unhampered. Moth
ing could have been more opportune
than this chance. See what it gave
him lie simply dropped out Of the
world ft.was the possibility
Of losing himself utterly that first ap-
pealed to him. And there must have
been a good cause
"Yes.' said Mr.. Cullen absently.
-There was. But always the
atrical. Dick was. That was SO like
him--to do just that sort of thing. and
to do 1t just that way
GAS nearly as could gather" said
billiard she had been practically
er ostracized here. Is
that corFect?" He noted that Angela
flinehed at the suggestion. and that
her head was dropping very low.
'Y-e-e-s, but there was good rea-
son for IT,
"Ohl dad !" said Angela, pleadingIy,
below her breath. please don't say
things Hike that--I can't stand any
more"
what his offense may have been,
don't know" said Hilliard, plung-
ing doggediy into his narrative. "But
ne left towu. 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 night
attack they got him" Hill
Hard paused effectively "There
wasn't a chance In hundred for him
to recover. and he knew it. And then
it came to him. blindingly and desper-
ateIy. 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 gFssped so eagerly--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 a message TO his old friends;
and / happened to be there-and he
{.. I