The Washington herald., 1922-10-29

ny.sssy stsry was pusasAsd Tussday. stars
Henry ssrrsnsn, % years eia, ~. ,u,,
bssn released fren prison. 70 which hs vas
sentsnesd for the mnrdsr Of Charles Eddis.
| Thssd, the solicitor, who bungisd his ds.
fsnss ct his trial twenty ysars before, mssts
him ct The prison door.
He tails Jarreman he has become q rioh
man during his imprisenmsnt. yansman
surprisss Thesd b. his lack ef interest a
daughter. who was . ysan old whsn hs
vas sent 70 prissn. He refuses 70 allow TIE
lawyer to speak 70 him u his wife.
INSTALLMENT III,
| A Friend Betrayed Him.
There. my dear Jarroman," !"
Theed was saying some half an
hour later. shat completes the
formalities. You are now master
of your own estate. have given
you your checkboox, and II there
Is anything ! can do for you in a
personal way to help you settle
down. be sure that you could do
me no greater favor than to proffer
the request"
| Thanks" said Jarroman curtiy.
DO / owe you anything over and
above your charges-
For the fraction OF q second only
Theed hesitated. The diffident re-
quest for 5000 or SO in recogni-
ton Of his special services woud
probably have been granted. But
In the last hour of his company the
idea had sprung into the solicitors
brain that the confidence Of Henry
Jarroman might turn out to be
worth a great deal more than $4,000.
He leant back in his swivel chair
and looked across the polished sur
face of his desk at the gaunt, i'm
passive face opposite.
| mo. I thank you," he said
unctuously. Il beg you not to
allude to the matter or you viii
hurt my feelings. Try to believe
me. Jarroman. that in bargaining
for your interests I was not wholly
animated by the lnougnt of MY
Legitimate commission"
In twenty years of isolation a
man loses his shrewdness In judg
ing human nature. Jarroman took
the words at their face value. and
became vaguely conscious that he
himself was in danger of hebaving
churlishly towards the other. He
bent stiffly forward in the great
leather chair into which Theer had
fused him.
81 don't want to hurt your feel
ings. Theed." he said. III l have
already done SO. l apologize. You
must allow me a certain license
remember that I have forgotten
how to talk to civiIized men. i
am grateful to you for what You
have done-in SO far as l can be
grateful to you for giving me a
thing for which I have so little
need"
But, my dear fellow. that will
change" said Theed, anxious to
lure Jarromman INTO seIf-reveia-
tion. That attitude of yours Is a
mere symptom of the natural ex.
citement caused by your release
after so long,
Jarroman smiled tolerantly. The
smile was a contortion of the
muscles only. There was no CLEAN
of humor in the eyes.
You may think So" he said.
"Eut you are wrong. You are think
ing that / am the same as othe,
men-but I am not. The difference
is that I have been in prison for
twenty years for crime l did not
commit
Theed nodded as II with grave
sympathy.
You may think 1t a marvel tina,
l. who was never a physically strong
man. have managed 10 endure. the
hardships." went on Jarroman. I'll
Is not a marvel at all. was
sustained during those twenty
years. Theed, by something outside
myself-something stronger thar
myself. That something strength.
ened my body and nourished my
mind. 1t reduced my suffering, fol-
1t forbade me to despair; and In
the same way. now that 1 have re-
turned to freedom 1t Is protecting
me against the aIIurements of
wealth."
Very strange-very strange, in.
deed murmured Theed.
Not so very strange" corrected
Jarroman. 1T has happened before
There are two forces in human ma.
ture that can nerve weak man t,
face death with a smile on his lip.
or hardships and indignities withou,
end--eyen twenty years of hard
ships and indignities. One of then
10 ioNS. lie OlHcT--
The other?' whispered Theed.
Jarroman turned slowly in his
chair. For the first time his ewes
opened widely; they no longer brood
ed-they glared out, caverns o
malignant light.
Hate"
The solicitor blancned from the
intensity OF the emotion with which
the world had been uttered.
But. my poor friend" he pro
tested, you have no Just cause fol
hatred. The judge who sentence,
you--''
Bah. I have forgotten his name,
interrupted Jarroinan. He was him.
self again, iron gray and cold a.
ice. My hate has nothing to dc
with paltry maliciousness like
that. Listen"
1t was what Theed wanted. Th.
more information he could accumu.
late. the better for his half-formed
plan.
IF you feel that It would relieve
your mind to confide in me, tell m,
everything" he said soothingly.
Again there was silence. Jarro.
mans brain moved slowly and re-
!entlessly. His words were all care.
tully chosen. He was composing his
thoughts.
Carry your mind back to my cir
cumstances at the time. You prob
ably know everything that is es-
sential except the fact that was
intensely. foolishly. madIy fond of
my wife. That love helped to de-
1eat itself; for. in order to give
her everything she wanted, I made
my working hours too long, so that