Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-10
WILL NEVER DIE
By JOHN HUNTER

But there Is no reason. why you
should not acknowledge thht you knew
him" persisted Audrey.
Constance evaded the issue. ~ prom
Use you, Audrey, that I will explain.
But It must be at home. cannot do
10 here. You will realise that3"
Audrey nodded. She felt that no ex.
plantations could rebuild the shattered
ediHce Of her most cherished illusions.
Constance took her listlessness for
hcquiescencc.
"And now I want you to 20 to bed"
she continued. There Is no reason for
you TO stay ap any longer"
am not going answered Audrey
quietly: There seems to be nothing
more for. me to learn. 10 no harm
CON result in my staying. Anyhow.
how could ! sleep knowing that you
are oil down here? 1t would be tor
ture. / shall stay"
Constance seized hcr arm. "Ypu will
90! You must 60! Listen! You see
that little door Over there. It leads
to a small card room where where
play Is sometimes intliscreet. Men are
In there now. have tried to keen
some Of those men out Of the club, but
f0lied. - ---.,
There was note Of despair In Con.
stances voice as she said this, and
Audrey realized that there might be
some matters in connection with the
control.
One Of the men Is Major Stodvatos.
whom Harkness referred to Just now.
lie Is n dangerous man. Stadvatos and
Hardness hate each other. | am afrai,l
there will be trouble when they meet
Tonight i want to make them clearly
understand that the Eros is closed to
them. cannot have such men here.
so, now, will you 90 upstairs? Say
you will, Audrey, please?'
Inc frantic entreaty in her mother's :
tone brought home to Audrey the fact
that she must 60. ..
All right" she said quietly and
alphabetically. II will 70 upstairs, but
only on the understanding that I have
full explanation Of all this tomorrow =.
That, Is agreed, isn't it?''
II have already promised replied
Constance quietly.
the inner room opened violently, and a
youth lurched through, slammed It after
him and walked straight across the
roOmt He seemed blind, for he bumped
into two of the tables in his passage.
As though by magic every game ceased.
Constance attempted to stop him, but
ne brushed past her and vanished into
the corridor.
From inside the little room cam,
the crash Of chair and a cry. Ono,
more the door opened. 1t released ,
babbac OF comment and expostulatio lions
Everybody in the big card room stoot
up.
Four men came from the small room
led by a giant. with fair. close -cut
curly hair. His face was red wit
passion. and from under his yellow eye
brows two small blue eyes glinted dun
ger0rsly. %
A little fair. clipped mustache of mill
tary pattern adorned his upper lin.
| This Is too much :" he cried, ai
dressing himself generally to the pcopl
in the big room. Il am sorry that ther
should be disturbance Of this descrip
ton, but a serious accusation has beef
made against me. and 1 feel bound {,
defend myself" He stared into the fnc
of one Of the men who had followe,
him from the room. "Now then
Westrup. let us hear what you have t.
say" - .. .s.1 49,. -
Constance left Audrey and hurrie,
across the room. but Stadvatos--.
Audrey had already guessed the idcntit,
OF the tall, fair giant-waved her back
'One moment. madam" His tone
were cuttingly hard. IF you please
Speak up, Westrup!"
Westrup was an under. sized man O
middle age, and obviously desperatel!
i'll at ease. He spoke at last.
"You saw young Charters 20 through
| iugt nOyy Ho hoI 1nSt N yory In cc.
sum. There was some doubt about
the play"
Westrup faltered. His nerve was evi
IDENTIFY gone. Stadvatos broke in.
''In other words" he said, his voice
trembling with passion. am accused
Of cheating, and Westrup upheld the
accusation. Isn't that so. Westrup?'
Westrup nodded.
A complete and deathly silence came
down OH the room, in which the breath.
ing Of some of the men could be dis.
tinctly heard.
And then. even as Westrup seemed
to quail before the domineering stare
of the major. u cold. hard voice brok,
the silence. ringing with suave irony
II should imagine that Westrup wal
perfectly correct
All eyes turned on Hardness.
There was little smile on Hark
ness lips, AMI in his eyes lurked an in
solent aggression with something colt
and hard behind 1t which could not b,
defined.
Nobody spoke. Even Major Stad
vatos was, for the moment, silenced
Westrup, his face very white, wa
staring at Hardness with m expression
of ludicrOus astGnishment.
Lat ~
Harkness had deliberately plunged int
this sordid matter Of cheating at cards
but failed. All she could gather from
his look as he faced Major Stadvato
was that he was terribly dangerous
when the mood took him.
At last Stadvat0s said: "Will 20,
repeat that, Harkness?"
Hardness looked round the room
swiftly, and his eyes rested for sec
ond on Constance and Audrey.
"Shall we 60 back into the room
you have just left?" he asked.
! Stadyatos Tas choking with rage
"I have nothing to hide !" he cried. III
you shirk publicity keep your mouth
shut"
"Always the little gentleman - mur-
INJURED Hardness. ut had merely oc-
Cured to me that you might have real
lied the presence Of the ladies"
1.-THE ladies know what to do II the!
don't wish to hear this matter thrashet
out 7" snarled Stadvatos. He wa
furious. lie had brought Westrup OH
into the limelight, knowing that h
could bully the man into an admission
of error before the crowd; but he ha.
not bargained for this encounter witt
Hardness. In his rage all the venee