Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-30

,,s. an the morning. Oh, l
sAsIl die If you leave me IKE TINS.
sns" moment he made no answer; I;
=" yere dark with pain and his
ny .t torn with misery. Then he raised
aeat, "a "a and holding her face between
y, y, hands. stopped and kissed her lips
~ .s tiss Of farewell. II only she had
s.ogn .y &C. Of passionate despair and un'
E.T S lhve you--I love you," be said.
,,ms clung about him, her wet
ah.,t was pressed to his.
cn. Gs ID vou won't go--you won't leave
ny IA nre oh. my dear, how can 1 an
". con? How can stay? I've been
N,..., n go-and rightly. 1 must
craer'ut tb;s house tonight-.-.you know
lss,e I shall love you oil my life
HAM never be another woman In the
heIss for n,e. Thcre'll never be mo-
s wor,p when M I IN, not thinking OF you
nept nnsntins M you. But 1 can't stay; you
rrbw that. L" 40,
AnVw owilj III YOU stay if ask you foI
Az voice behind him, and the For
Ala Iirrnter turned, with Anne's arms
,une ahnnt him, and looked into Mr..
Mard;ne's perturbed face.
eIhere was tragic silence ~, ~f-
;, ',W;,, Won stay Il / ask you tor Mr:
u..d,ns said again. "Oh, it's not that
MIA changed my mind about you ne
,rote out, with great bitterness, put
M Iove nv niece; I'd give everything
swn 10 see her happy. and ! know now
tbat sbsll break her heart II you go;
lie came forward a sten ihtc 'ho ho
room. stay; Just ior .omls"s, nsrbo q ne ne
tSN tSinss viii seem more possible to-
morrow ,.ho-
steadily for long moment, then the
Eortune Hunter flung. up MS heau'
.Very weIl-if you wish it.
II was a way out for the moment,
~ be fclt that he could bear no more.
,ronoorrow? Mr.. Harding had said that
,omorrow things might seem more pos
Shle. but the Fortune Hunter knew
veil enough that before tomorrow came
ss would be out on the road. with al
Ills mart Of his life left behind him
forever. s,. "a a.,
long delayed dinner, and q poor pre-
tense of eating was made, but IL was
relief to every one when 1t was oyer.
y IL was agony to the fortune i1uhtcl
10 see the tragedy OF Anne,s race;
N,,ndred times he wished that after al
ls had gone away without seeing her
bs was unutterably glad when she rost
"a saw good. night. 1t was only II
c'cloci then, but the evening hat
.ann,ed M eternity,
He followed her from the room ant
said good might to her at the foot o
inc stairs. He dared not offer TO kis
ber. and she did not seem 10 wish o.
cynect IL. He stood and watched he
eo' 'Tup the staircase, but when Sh
reached the bend, and in another sccont
Would have been hidden from him
something seemed to snap In his heart
He went up the stairs two at tim'
and overlook her on the landing.
"Anne!" She half-turned, the tear
s4hnning down her face, and he caugh
Pier to his heart.
'My dear-my dear-my dear!" Sh'
/ lung to him desperately. and they kisse'
Il as only lovers kiss for whom the mo
ment Of eternal far ewell has come.
They hardly spoke, save in broker
words of endearment. until Anne sai(
with the quietness of despair:
'If you had let me / would hav'
followed you to the ends Of the world.
And then, rs he made no answer. sh'
broke out passionately: promise mt
that you will stay-promlse met
But he only answered her with bro
ken words and caresses. and at last
thinking she was soothed and comforted
be kissed her once and left her.
He went straight to his own room
and shut and locked the door; then
ne sat down in the darkness, his face
hidden In his hands, and cried like q
child for the hapless ruin he had made
x bis life.
For hours the Fortune Hunter sat
IN the darkness of his room, looking
b,spelessly into past and into future
b1 which he knew there Gould be but
one solution. He must go. he must
make tho only possible reparation that
still lay IN his power by walking cut
OF Anne Harding's life forever.
II he. stayed he believed there could
% no happiness for either of them.
After what had happened she could
never ly trust him again.
She had said that she loved him, but
me no tune Hunter knew we'll enough
mat there is such thing as Il pity
which Is not really near kin to love.
put only very poor distant relation.
re went back. step by step, over
every moment of the days he had spent
WITH Anne since fate had brought him
to SOmerton, and he realized With an
lgony OF remorse that he had done
gt little TO repay her goodness and
Y 'eyotion.
lt seemed to him. too. in tho height
or MS misery, that, given the time
Ner again. 1t would have been so easy
teli her the whole truth from the
egInhing and trust to her love for
Urslveness. He felt that he had been
mailman not 10 take Garry Can
nun advice even at the eleventh hour
anu play the man. But it was all so
many weary days too late.
Nothlng could bring back the mast
WIN us many wasted opportunities,
and after all, she had been mar
teu 10 the man whom he had found
piat pyaa IN the woods that afternoon.
a.erest Jealousy added to his pain OF
mlorSe as he wondered why he had
"'Ser before guessed the truth.
,bsSp 80 many, times sho had said things
a' snouid have told him. Even as
m pacK as that first morning they
All. losether on the island she had
M And If uncle asks You about our
HIM" what ehali you tell
thought him NV '' '"uS' ha'o
anu again, only two days ago. she
IN. sad bitterly: ~ still have one
darsd OK yours, which l have never
now wen e that had not told him. and
i'm, the game was at an end. The
''bhbs We're 0ut nnJ ,,.n,..tI- 4,