The Washington herald., 1921-08-11
THE
FORTUNE
HUNTER
ANeu, Gripping
Romance Serial
BY RUBY AYRES :
CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY.


seemed to realize that the matter
was serious and that the boy was
in danger of drowning.
He ran along the road till he was
almost abreast of the drifting punt.
then he kicked on his shoes, flung
his Jacket aside and plunged into
the river.
The girl saw him. and stretched
SgOnized hands to him. "Oh, save
Eim-save him, He can't swim
he's a cripple"
The Fortune Hunter was a pow
erfuI swimmer and the distance was
nothing to him, but when he
reached the boy-a lad Of about II
1t was not such an easy matter to
bring him TO shore
But he manage6 1t at last. and
clambered out with the weed In his
hair and water dripping from him.
Tho girl had regained her self
control and brought the punt to the
hank, but she was very pale and
her voice shook as she knelt down
beside the exhausted boy.
"Oh. Tommy Oh. are you all
tight? oh. Tommy was SO ter
rined :. :" .
She tried to put her arms around
the boys drenched figure but he re-
PEELED her almost rough.
Shut up" he choked. Leave me
alone. 1t was your fault; you
ought to have balanced the beastly
boat better"
He looked a miserable enough
object as he sat there in the long
grass, shivering and shaking, and
the Fortune Hunter felt a wave of
contempt as he picked up the coat
ne .had flung aside and calmly pro-
ceeded to put it on over his wet
shirt
The girl gave a little cry of hor-
ror.
you're not goingi You can't go
like that! You'll take your death
Of cold. Oh. please! We live quite
cIose-you must come in and get
dry"
The Fortune Hunter laughed.
Il don't take cold easily" his
careless gaze wandered over the
girls concerned face. and. realizing
ciously: You're very kind-at any
rate, will help you home with
-. your brother?"
Yes. I am sure we can never
Il ank you. You saved his life.
oh. Tommy, what should We have
done IL nobody had come along"
The boy laughed harshly.
II should have drowned, that's
all" He began to hoist himself up
from the grass with difficulty. and
tie Fortune Hunter put a strong
arm around him and lifted him to
his feet
Lean on me-" he said. Il can
carry you IL you like, but :"
Thank you. 1 can walk" was the
Engracious response. But he was
glad of a helping hand before they
had gone very far, and presently,
without a word. the Fortune Hunter
picked him up bodily and carried
him the remainder of the way, the
water running from both OF them
in uncomfortable little rivulets,
leaving a trail along the dusty
road.
The girl followed silently. From
time to time she kept looking at
the Fortune Hunter with queer,
half-scared glances, and when they
reached the house she ran ahead
and opened the gate, standing aside
to let him pass. 1t was an old-fash-
ioned house, with ivy-covered walls
and a. garden sloping down to the
river. Tubs filled with ivy gera-
NUNS bordered the terrace, and
striped sun blinds were drawn over
the windows of the house
The Fortune Hunter cast a swift
glance around him and wondered IL
this was the turn in his luck for
which he had been waiting.
He followed the girl into the
hall. 1t was cool and dark and
rose scented, and he put his burden
Down gently.
You'd better have a hot bath at
once," he said casually. "A duck
ing doesn't hurt me, I'm used to-
roughing il. but you
The boy limped away toward the
stairs without answering; he was
an ungracious sort of youth, and
his thin, delicate face was fretful
and i'll tempered.
The girl looked up at the Fortune
Hunter as he moved to the door. -.
'T cannot let you go like this"
she said decidedly. You must
change, too, and my uncle will like
to see you and thank you
"Tommy-my brother-is very
delicate, you know"-she paused
but, of course. you don't know"
she added slowly.
The Fortune Hunter did not an
swer. He was a little puzzled by
the girls manner; and when pres
entity he was shown into q bathroom
and given a suit of dry clothes
which, even IL they were slightly
on the small side, were a welcome
change from his own damp gar
ments, he found himself wondering
whether by any chance in his wan
derings he could have met this girl
before.
There was something in her eyes
-1hen she looked at him He knit
fis brows. After all, he had known
30 many women. He dismissed the
thought casually.
1t was when he was trying to
wiring out his own soaked garments
and pull them into some semblance
of shape again that he came across
the pocketbook he had taken from
the dead man in the woods.
For the moment he had forgot
ten that gruesome discovery, and
it returned now to his memory un-
pleasantly.
cherry Lodge. somerton-on-
Thames"
n must be somewhere near here,
At all events; perhaps the girl
downstairs could tell him where 1t
was.
He opened the door and went to
the hall.
The house was beautifully fur
nished, and the Fortune Hunter
looked around him with envious
eyes: IL was many months since he
had been in such surroundings.
He was standing at the bottom