The Washington times., 1922-12-07

> cared hang about, except you.
I'm not a woman's man. they
don't care for me. /"
She broke in hoarsely. "Excep
Irenie-I suppose"
"Irenie" He echoed the name
vaguely. II don't know what
you're talking about; I don't know
a woman named Irsnie. II some
one had been trying to make mis-
chief between us"
With a swift movement she took
the photograph from her frock
and held 1t to him.
And you say-you don't know
her!" she said, each word broken
with a sobbing breath.
There was a tragic silence. The
Fortune Hunter looked at the
smiling face In the photograph
and the writing beneath, and.
half-mad with his own unhappi-
ness. he cried out savagely,. for
getting everything but the mo-
ment.
Its not mine: I've never seen
1t before. swear it's not mine"
As 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 a moment look
ing at him with frozen eyes, the
tears wet on her cheeks; then she
said broken-heartedly:
"Oh, II only you hadn't made
it worse by telling me a lie!'
Anne"
But she had gone. and to the
Fortune Hunter standing alone in
the garden 1t seemed as IL 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
despair and misery. till the moon
light was marged into daylight
and the birds were twittering to
one another in the garden out
side.
He opened his window wide and
looked out over tho dewy lawn
and the river beyond with hag-
gard eyes. He had never believed
in love; he had sworn that IL
should never touch his life. and
yet here he was. imprisoned by
1t. chained by 1t hand and foot.
unable TO escape.
Whatever happened he could
never be the same happy-go-
lucky soul again. That day. when
he sat on the stile and counted
the eight and-twenty shillings in
his pocket, had marked a division
in his life. ~
Until then poverty had been n
thing at which to joke and vaga-
bondage a Joy; but now he would
gladly have given his right hand
for a decent record and an hon.
,orable livelihood. p.
He loved Anne Harding with
every beat Of his heart, and he
had nothing to offer her in re.
turn for all she had given to him;
not even his name, not even his
unstained honor.
SHOULD HE GO?
The Fortune Hunter dressed
and went out into the garden
long before the household was
astir, tiptoeins down the stairs
for fear Of rousing anyone, and,
as he unlatched the door and
stepped out into the fresh air,
the thought came to him that II
wosld be better for himself-and
for Anne. too-if he took the road
again without a backward glance,
and walked out Of her life as sud.
denly and strangely as he had
entered 1t.
She would forget him, and her
pride would help her; in time she
would look back upon these few
days as a bad dream that had
slipped into the past.
He stood back on the lawn and
looked up at the house. At his
own window, wide open. and with
the old-fashioned yellow rose
nodding against the wall, at
Anne's room, on the other side of
tAn hA,,ca uifh the hlt-a A~Yr