The Washington herald., 1921-09-03
THE
FORTUNE
HUNTER
New,Gripping
Romance Serial
By RUBY AYRES
(csatiaasd Prom Ysstsrday)


The Fortune Hunter followed;
the knowledge that he had made her
cry cut him to the soul; he would
have given his life for her at that
moment.
He caught her In his arms, hold
ing her fast MY dariing-forgivs
mel oh. my dear. forgive mel / was
half-mad with jealousy to think
that that feilow-that fellow {.
Amer
She broke away from him pas
sionately; when she tried to speak
her voice was broken with sobbing.
you pretend to love me. you
pretend TO be jealous of Geoffry
Foster, and all the time you've de-
celved me. You said there had been
no other woman in your life"
Its the truth-if ] never speak
again. 1 swear that there has been
no other woman I've ever cared
hang about. except you. I'm not a
woman's man, they don't care for
me- t.
She broke in hoarsely. Except
Irenie-I suppose.
.Irenie!" He echoed the name
vaguely. II don't know what you're
talking about; don't know a
woman named Irenie. II someone
had been trying to make mischief
between us"
With q swift movement she took
the photograph from her frock and
held IL to him
her! she said, each word broken
with . sobbing breath.
There was q tragic silence. The
Fortune Hunter looked at the smil-
ing face In the photograph and the
writing beneath, and, half-mad with
his own unhappiness, he cried out
savagely. forgetting everything but
the moment
sIts not mine; rvs never seen II
before, I swear it's not mine!
AZ soon as the words were spoken
he realized their futility, realized
that once again he had drawn the
chains tighter about his feet, but 1t
was too late to recall what he had
said, too late to try and make any
explanation
Anne stood for q moment look
ing at I'm with frozen eyes, the
tears wet on her cheeks; then she
said broken-heartedly:
"oh, II only you hadn't made 1t
worse by telling me lie"
"Anne-"
But she had gone, and to the For
tune Hunter standing alone In the
Garden Il seemed as II already he
could hear. the gates of his Fools
Paradise Changing against him.
There was no sleep for the For
tune Hunter that night; he paced
his room restlessly. torn with de-
spair and misery. till the moonlight
was merged into daylight and the
birds were twittering to one another
IN the garden outside. :.
He opened his window wide and
looked out over the dewy lawn and
the river beyond with haggard eyes
He had never believed In love; ne
had sworn that II should never
touch his life. and yet here be was,
imprisoned by II, chained by II
hand and foot. unable to escape.
whatever happened he could
,.y.r b. the same happy-go-lucky
.oul again. That day, when he sat
on the stiIe and counted the eight
and twenty shillings in his pocket,
had marked a division in his life.
Until then poverty had been
ching at which to joke and vaga-
bondage q 10y; but now he would
rladly have given his right hand
Sor a decent record and an honor
able livelihood.
He loved Anne Harding with
every beat Of his heart. and ne nao
nothing to offer her in return Tor
all she had given to him; not even
his name, not even his unstained
honor. i
The Fortune Hunter dressed and
want out into the garden long be-
fore the household was astir, tiptoe-
ing down the stairs for fear Of rous-
ing anyone, and. as he unlatched
the door and stepped out into the
fresh air, the thought came to him
that Il would be better for hfmselr
and for Anne, too-if he took the
road again without q backward
rfanee, and walked out Of her life
A suddenly and strangely as he
had entered II.
she would forget him, and her
pride would help her; in time she
would look back upon these Few
says as a bad dream that had
slipped into the past.
He stood back on the lawn ana
looked up at the house. AT his
own window, wide open. and with
IN. oid-fashioned yellow rose nod
dinr against the wall, at Anne's
room. on the other side OF the
hou.s. with the blind half-drawn
and an edge Of lace curtain stir
ring in the morning breeze. and
n rsvulsfon Of passionate feeling
rvept through his heart
she loved him; he knew II more
surely than anything else in the
world vagabond and worthless as
he was, she loved him. and IL she
I.st her now IL was throwing her
into the arms Of another man. HE
shall not have her-he shall not,
he said, as he turned out into the
road, walking fast as II to escape
some unYelcome presence that fol-
lowed, 4f6oking neither to the right
nor the left
Through all the years his luck
had.held; Il had never deserted him
when most he needed It. He could
not believe that It was to desert
him now.
Something would turn up; some
miracle would happen to straighten
out the hopeless tangle- Not that
he deserved Il. not that he de-
served anything Of life, but simply
because he could not imagine an
existence in which he must be sepa-
rated from the woman he loved.
She had waited for him ten
years. she had trusted him when
nobody else had trusted him: her