The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1921-12-02
PART ilI-continued.


up to his room and changed his shoes
and tie"
II thought So" Aunt Fanny whis-
pered, hurriedly, but solemnly.
"Crazy."
"And then" Mr.. Atwater continued,
"he left the house, and she supposed
he'd gone down to the office; but she
was uneasy, and telephoned his ia
ther. Noble hadn't come. He didn't
come, all afternoon, and he didn't go
back to the house; and they tele-
phoned around to every place he could
go, that they know of-and they
couldn't find him or hear anything
about him." Mr.. Atwater coughed, and
paused.
But what" Aunt Harriet cried,
"what do they thinks become of himY'
"Old man Dill said they were all
pretty anxious" said Mr.. Atwater.
They're afraid Noble has-disap-
peared."
Aunt Fanny screamed.
Then, in perfect accord, they all
turned to look at Herbert, who rose
and would have retired upstairs had
he been able.
AS that perturbing evening wore on,
word gradually reached the most out
lying members of the Atwater family
connection that Noble Dill was miss
ing. Ordinarily, this bit of news
would have caused them no severe
anxiety. Mobiles person and. intellect
were so commonplace-"ins Insignificant"
was the term usually preferred in his
own circle-that he was considered to
be as nearly negligible as it is charita-
BILE to consider fellow being. True,
there was one thing that set him
apart; he was found worthy of a SUI
perlative when he fell in love with
Julia Atwater. Of all the large and
ardent group in like condition, he OBJ
tanned conspicuousness as "The
\ Worst" Of course, this distinction
caused him to become better known
and more talked about than in his
earlier youth.
However, the eccentricities of per-
son in such an extremity of love are
seldom valued except as comedy; and
even then with no warmth of heart
for the comedian, but rather with an
incredulous disdain; so it is safe to say
that under other circumstances Noble
might have been missing, indeed, and
few of the Atwaters would have
missed him. But as matters were, they
worried a great deal about him, fear
ing that rash act on his part might
reflect notoriety on themselves through
their beautiful relative-and through
the North End Daily Oriole. And
when nine o'clock came and Mrs. Dill
reported to Herbert's father, over the
telephone, that nothing had yet been
heard from her son, the pressure of
those who were blaming the Oriole
more than Julia became so wearing
that Herbert decided he would rather
spend the remaining days of his life
running away from Wallie Torbin than
put in any more Of such dogs eve
ming as he was putting in-thus he
4 defined it. s.
He made a confession; that is to
say, 1t was a proclamation. He pro-
claimed his innocence. He began the
history of it with a description of
events distinctly subsequent to the lit
tie game with Patty Fairchild, and
explained how he and Henry had felt
that their parents would not always be
with them, and as their parents wished
them to be polite, they had resolved
to be polite to Florence. Proceeding,
he related in detail her journalistic
exploit.
OF the matter in hand he told the
perfect and absolute truth-and was
Immediately refuted, confuted and
demonstrated to be false witness by
Aunt Fanny, Aunt Carrie, and Cousin
Virginia, who had all heard him ve-
hemently declare, no longer ago than
the preceding Sunday, that he and his
partner had taken secure measures to
prevent Florence from ever again set
ting foot within the newspaper build
ing. In addition, he was quite show
cred with definitions; and these, though
SO variant, all sought to phrase but the
one subject; his conduct in seeking to
she was absent and could not defend
herself. Poor Florence would answer
later in. the evening, he was told, Sc
verely; and though her cause was thus
championed against the SANDER it is
true that some of them felt STRINGS of
curiosity In regard to Florence. In
fact. there was getting to be something
iale cloud upon her reputation. There
NE several important things for her
to explain; among them, her taking
IL upon herself to see that Noble re-
calved copy Of the Oriole, and also
her sudden departure from home and
rather odd protraction Of absence
therefrom. 1t was not thought she
was in good company. Uncle Joseph
had telephoned from a suburb that
they were dining at a farmhouse and
would thence descend to the general
region of the movies.
That word Of any sort had come
from Uncle Joseph was in measure