The Washington herald., 1921-08-13
THE
FORTUNE
HUNTER
AMew, Gripping
Romance Serial
BY RUBY AYRES
cosrnurp rnox YESTERDAY.

AS a matter Of fact. only came
down for the day" he said at last
You see, II wasn't sure what
might happen. Everything was. 80
strange"
quite so, quite so. Well. we
must send for your goods and chat
ties. because you'll stay with US. OF
course-eh. AIMEE"
He did not wait for q reply; he
merely laughed and went out of the
room.
There was an awkward silence.
The girl stood by the table, her
eyes downcast. the sunset glow
from the wide-open window all
about her. her fingers nervously
twisting the loose sash at her waist.
The Fortune Hunter looked at her
helplessly: he had never felt at such
a loss in his life. Twice he cleared
his throat before, with a desperate
effort, he said rather hoarsely:
I'VE shall have a great deal to
say to one another-you and L"
Yes" She looked UP swiftly, her
eyes radiant through the tears that
misted them. Then suddenly she
took a little run towards him, lay
ing both her hands on his shoulders,
her pretty face strained in sudden
anxiety.
"Oh, are you really-really glad
to be here With me?"
The Fortune Hunter looked past
her. and swiftly round the room;
glad to be in such comfort and lux
ury, even IL only for a snort while,
after the months of discomfort and
hardship.
His eyes wandered to the open
window: to the sloping garden be-
yond and the sifvery river, and he
drew a deep breath
Glad! That's a poor word" he
said fervently.
He looked down at her flushing
face, read the thought in her eyes,
and for a moment he hesitated.
Then with little half-shamed
laugh, he bent and kissed her lips
She returned the kiss with soft
eagerness, whispering brokenly as
they drew apart again: And no
man has ever kissed me since you
went away"
The Fortune Hunter flushed scar
let: an intolerable sense Of shame
seemed to choke him. He walked
away from her and stood looking
out over the river with hot eyes.
He had done many questionable
things in his life, and felt little
conjunction. Many times in his
ws2derings he had walked boldly
into a restaurant. eaten a hearty
meal, and got out of the place with
out paying a cent for it. More than
once he had thrown the bag con-
tanning all his worldly belongings
out of his lodging window. and fol-
lowed it down a water-pipe into the
street in order to avoid the impossi-
biIity of meeting his bill, and it had
all seemed more or less sport
But this-somehow this thing,
which gave promise to be the great
est adventure Of all, went sorely
against the grain.
ut will have to end" he told him
self grimly. as he stood and stared
at the river.
He had taken many a kiss in his
life. and thought nothing of it, but
this girl was different. She loved
him: or at least she loved the man
whom she believed him to be.
And a little breath of GOODNESS
swept through the heart Of the
Fortune Hunter as he thought Of
the man lying dead in the woods
with the bracken bending above
him.
The whole thing was madness.
Discovery was bound to come.
For an hour or two perhaps he
might carry the situation with
high hand-long enough to get a
good mean and fresh courage with
which to face his wanderings-but
there it would have to end.
He had meant no harm; he had
been carried Off his feet. and the
girl herself was responsible for the
mistakes in the first place. She
ought to have had more sense;
women were so sentimental!
Even supposing there was a faint
resemblance between himself and
the dead man, After all. theirs was
an ordinary type. But he was con-
scious of keen curiosity to know
what story lay behind II all, and
from what ten years of exile the
dead man had been on his way
home.
The girl touched his arm gently.
John. is it-all this-anything like
you pictured IL? tried to describe
it to you. but it wasn't easy. Is 1t
at all like you thought it wasr" she
asked.
The Fortune Hunter pulled him
self together with an effort.