Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1922-01-19
PART III-Continued.

"byy Ills LllOllICI StlAu just "Niih
up to his room and changed his shoes
and tie"
81 thought So" Aunt Fanny whis-
pered, hurriedly, but solemnly.
Crazy"
And then" Mr.. Atwater continued,
"he left the house, and she supposed
he'd gone down to the Office; but she
was uneasy, and telephOned his IA
ther. Noble hadn't come. He didn't
come, all afternoon, and he didn't go
back to the house; and they tele-
phoned around to every place he could
go, that they know of-and they
couldn't find him or hear anything
about him." Mr.. Atwater cOughed, and
paused.
But what" Aunt Harriet cried,
"what do they thinks become Of him?"
"Old man Dill said they we're all
pretty anxious" said Mr.. Atwater.
They're afraid Noble has-disap-
peared."
Aunt Fanny screamed.
Then, in perfect accord, they all
W lOOh dl LlClDClly WIN lOSO
and would have retired upstairs had
he been able.
AS that perturbing evening wore on,
word gradually reached the most out
lying members of the Atwater family
connection that Noble Dill was miss
ing. Ordinarily, this bit of news
would have caused them no severe
anxiety. Mobiles person and intellect
were so commonplace-"ins
was the term usually preferred in his
own circle-that he was considered to
be as nearly negligible as it is charita-
bic to consider a fellow being. True,
there was one thing that set him
apart; he was found worthy of SUI
perlative when he fell in love with
Julia Atwater. OF all the large and
ardent group in like condition, he OBJ
tained conspicuOusness as 1.-The
Worst" OF course, this distinction
caused him to become better known
and more talked about than in his
earlier youth.
However, the eccentricities of per-
sun III SuOll an CAll VI lONC IC
seldom valued except as comedy; and
even then with no warmth of heart
for the comedian, but rather with an
incredulous disdain; so it is safe to say
that under other circumstances Noble
might have been missing, indeed, and
| few of the Atwaters would have
missed him. But as matters were, they
| worried a great deal about him, fear
ing that a rash act on his part might
reflect notOriety on themselves through
their beautiful relative-and through
the North End Daily Oriole. And
when nine O'Clock came and Mrs. Dill
reported to Herbert's father, over the
telephone, that nothing had yet been
heard from her son, the pressure of
those who were blaming the Oriole
more than Julia became so wearing
that Herbert decided he would rather
spend the remaining days of his life
running away from Wallie Torbin than
put in any more of such a dogs eve
ming as he was putting in-thus he
defined it.
He made a confession; that is tC
say, 1t was a proclamation. He pro
claimed his innocence. He began the
history of it with a description ol
events distinctly subsequent to the lit
tie game with Patty Fairchild, and
explained how he and Henry had fell
that their parents would not always be
with them, and as their parents wished
them to be polite, they had resolved
to be polite to Florence Proceeding
he related in detail her journalistic
exploit.
OF the matter in hand he told the
perfect and absolute truth-and was
Immediately refuted, confuted anC
demonstrated to be false witness by
Aunt Fanny, Aunt Carrie, and Cousir
Virginia, who had all heard him We
hemently declare, no longer ago thai
the preceding Sunday, that he and hi!
partner had taken secure measures Il
prevent Florence from ever again set
ting foot within the newspaper build
ing. In addition, he was quite show
cred with definitions and these, though
so variant, all sought to phrase but tn,
one subject; his conduct in seeking t.
drag Florence through the mire, wheI
she was absent and could not defenC
herself. Poor Florence would answe
later in the evening, he was told, sc
verely; and though her cause was thu
championed against the slander it il
true that some of them felt STRINGS O
| c1rinSitU i'm rd tn I,
fact, there was getting to be somethin,
like cloud upon her reputation. Their,
were several important things for he
to explain; among them, her takin,
it upon herself to see that Noble re
ceived copy of the Oriole, and ais
her sudden departure from home an
rather odd protraction of absenc
therefrom. 1t was not thought sh
was in good company. Uncle Josepl
had telephoned from a suburb tha
they were dining at farmhouse an
would thence descend to the genera
region of the movies.
That word of any sort had com
from Uncle Joseph was in measur
reassuring but the air of perturbatio
and gloom was not noticeably re
moved. The general impression Nigh
be summed up in the words of hi
sister.
Nobody knows wnat that man1l dC
when he decides tot" Aunt Carri
said nervously. Letting the poe
child stay up so late! She ought t
be in bed this minute. even if it
Saturday night. Or else she ought t
be here to listen 10 her own bad litti
cousin trying to put his terrible r,
sponsibility on her shoulders"
One item of her description of hin
self the hadgered Herbert could M
bear in silence, although he had ju!
declared that since the truth was
ill-respected among his prosecutors /
would open his mouth no more unit
the next day. He passed over "bad
but furiously stated his height in fee
inches and fractions of inches.
Aunt Fanny shook her head