The Washington times., 1922-08-13
Hunter

Dear Mles morton:
After I left you I took an
hour to make up my mind as to
what man should do, though !
suppose the problem was a fair
ly simple one, given q sufficient
amount Of ordinary moral cour-
age. / think / can stand other
fire better than yours, and so I
have taken the only action that
seems possible now. That is, I
have sent In my papers, and q
letter to my colonel, raking up
the Deerut affair, and giving q
full explanation of It, which I
have asked him to make public
all through the station. The
atonement comes late. but may
II suffice for forgiveness? And
when I am not at Will Hill win
you still come and see my moth
er sometimes?
Yours sincerely,
DON WARDER.
The girl pushed away the break
fast things and sat staring, horri-
fed at the letter. She put her
hands up and held her throbbing
temples. What was this Warder
had done? She sprang up.
"Ruinw she cried in a loud
whisper-"that's what 1t is! Ruin
for him! At the outset of his
career he's ruined! And whyT
She paced up and down, and her
pacing brought her up. in front Of
the glass over the mantelpiece.
She paused, glowering, at her re-
Election. Q
"Megw she apostrophized it,
having acquired the habit Of self
communing from much loneliness
you've been abominably hard.
You've"-she was struck with
dread-"spoiled his life, and It
will break Lady Warder's heart.
Why couldn't you forgive? Dear
Heaven! What am / to do? If /
could only stop that Indian let
terri
She pealed the bell. GO to the
postoffice," she told the little ser
want, "snd find out when the next
Indian mail goes, or when the last
went out"
And the answer came back:
"The Indian mail goes out this
morning"
"T'm too late, thenr' she whis-
pered, going white. She sat down
at the breakfast table and put her
black head down on her arms. No
tears came; her desperation was
too great for that. Neither did
any solution occur.
She kept saying to herself: I:
"The mail goes out this morning,
and to stop the letter is an impos-
sibility-an impossibilityp The
little mascot lay, tiny hard lump,
between the table and her heaving
breast. She felt 1t and took it in
her hand. "Oh, Teddy!y she
moaned. "What are we to dot"
The answer came to her brain
in a moment: "A cablew
Red flushed back into her cheek
and light into her eyes. She hur-
ried out to the postofiice and sent
a cable of fabulous length to Don
Warder's colonel, to the effect that
papers and letters arriving over
the signature of Don Warder were
not to be read, but to be kept un-
til further explanation of the affair
was forthcoming. A mistake had
been made, and explanation by let
ter was following.
The next train carried her to
London, and from there she trav-
elled down to Berkshire, arriving
at Will Hill about five o'clock.
Warder and his mother were in
the drawing room, having tea by
freight, when she was shown in.
He sprang up.
"Donp' she said in a faltering
voice, ignoring Lady Warder.
Meg" he stammered.
She stood, glancing rapidly
from one to the other. Lady
Warder was very pale, and there
were traces Of tears on her soft
cheeks.
81 couldn't get here in time to
stop your mailing that letter." said
the girl. $50 l cabled your
colonel. l knew him, you remem-
Der, in India"
"You-cabled?"
She nodded. "Told him a mis-
take had been made, but that an
explanation was following. That
he was not to read the letters.
Don, WON'T can't have you do
this!"
"God bless you, dearl" said
Lady Warder, hurrying out.
They were alone in the freight,
looking at each other, both very
pale.
"But there Is no other explana-
tion to Make" he said with some
difficulty, "and no other course
open to me, / want to vindicate
myself of thaf-vou know ~ ha-