The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1920-05-15
CHAPTER IlI.-continued.

p a,cn was distinguished, patrician' he
WIN no almost irresistible magnet
tne" .,blch had befallen him by acct
s ue had been prepared-in his
as an imaginatlon-for the battery OF
WV which was promptly trained
in ~ him And yet. as he pursued his
an toward the desk, he faltered in
= rrtde he felt as though the sor-
~, owes of all Syracuse were nv
~. IVA mon him; the well-recalled sur
e sadIncs unnamed him, and he was
cancelled to halt, lift up his hands in
. 'I of surrender, and to cry out:
a ,v is not /, This is not / 1t is
4. man I might have been-if you
J snd | had understood each other!
:. rreat was his anguish that in that
s.aont no honestly believed that it
AS the equal fault of the city, and OF
,,,,ssf that he had gone forth dis
credited.
pobind the desk stood clerk and
ulliards heart tripped-the manager
IN had rendered him the ultimatum.
ulliards pen split a blot of ink on
no register: his ears were tuned for
no sneech of recognition which would
Mast his dreams of triumph. and send
MIN off again in multiplied disgrace.
eyes sir" said the clerk with ex-
,,ome Difference, land about what
price, sir?"
The manager, who had been scrutin-
hing billiard intently, whispered
something TO the clerk; the clerk bit
Ms np and looked up sharply; the
rrodiral WINGED. and stiffened. Spar
or C-ten dol'ars?" asked the clerk.
ayery comfor able room. sir :.
'FRONT.'
The MANAGER. as billiard retreated,
said impatientlv to the clerk: whats
he matter with you. Jimmy anyway?
Don't you know how to size up man
vet. Don't ask a man like that what
hpTl have-teli 'em what we've got"
Upstairs, billiard went limp from
the reaction. He had doubted what he
snew--ard this was proof of his lack
II innocence. But the manager-who
two years ago had called him by his
first name-+he manager had looked
him full in tie face, and made not the
fantest sign # recognition
Ii was In Improved confidence, then,
that he wens down to dinner; and de-
lberately chose central seat in the
most popular of the three available
rooms. He was actively eager to be
observed: now that he had passed his
first examination he craved test after
test; no inuuisition could be too
urgent for him. And at the nearest
table sat buhiness man he knew, and
a girl he knee: from their matter-of-
fact attentivel ess, he judged that they
had been married. during his absence;
they gazed terminably at him. but
only in admiration. He mentally
checked off his list-that made a trio
Of old acquaintances who failed to
know him. Facing him. a dozen feet
away sat man who had been Hill
llaras employer for an epochal six
weeks-ths man, too. was obviously
Interested, but unenlightened. Four!
dinner party, comprising six girls
and six young men, filed gayly past
aim; every one of the twelve he had
known well, some of them intimately;
they looked down at him in passing,
ana. without exception. went on in
ignorance. A tiny roseleaf of q girl
was rather noticeably attracted to
him /; she spoke to her partner. who
turned. and stared, and nodded in the
bored fashion of any escort to whom
handsome stranger Is pointed out;
and billiard could have laughed aloud
q the irony of the incident. They
mad known each other for a dozen
years. that girl and Hillard; i'm the
dozen and first, her mother had for
oloden him her house.
He dined with considerable leisure
ana smoked cigar almost to the end
oelore he left the table. When he
qull'ed the room, it was with practf-
"a assurance that his gravest fears
we're groundless. but for an addition
y precaution he read an evening pa
pef IN the lobby and endured in safe
the inspection of score of men
VINO mad known him well enough to
ae'use to loan him money.
AZ half-past eight, vastly heartened
mo refreshed, he equipped himself
~'A certain documents from his suit
u.ses and called for a taxicab. The
auuress ne gave the driver was high
y tne eastern hills; during the last
s'' nile. billiard was peering out at
~ shaded lights Of houses where he
"su Played In his earlier youth. The
stopped; billiard went up stone
aasseu walk, up broad stone steps,
~ stood on a huge veranda. He was
1ln' and yet his knees were discon-
.ungly unsteady; he was determin-
= and yet his heart vas pumping In
: s. zen beats; for the moment. his
u5oat was dusty dry.
AZ be gained the level of the YER
mere was stir Of activity off
W right, and an erect, middle
man clamhered out of a ham,
and came briskiy forward.
Y the shadows Hilliard could
me soft outlines Of a white
The middle-aged man was
brusque.