Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-11-16

MS eyes were SILL on the OLD Cnau1-
| feur.
Hawkins was no longer twisting his
shapeles hat nervously in his fingers;
instead, he held it now in one clench-
ed hand, while with the other he
closed the door behind him as he step
ped forward across the threshold and,
with squared shoulders, advanced to-
! ward John Bruce. AND then! quite as
suddenly again. as though alarmed at
his own temerity, the old man paused,
and the question son his lips. aggres-
sively enough framed, became irreso-
Lutte in tone.
"What-what's the matter with
Claire?" ~ stammered. Whats this
| mean?"
1t was moment before John Bruce
answered, while he eyed the other
! from head to foot Hawkins was not
the least interesting by any means
of the queer characters that came and
went and conferred around this one
+; time pawnshop of Paul VenNa;- but
Hawkins, of them all, was the one he
was least able, from what he had seen
/ of the man, to fathom. And yet, some
how, he liked Hawkins.
| That's exactly what / want to
know he said, little brusqueiy-
| "And"-he eyed Hawkins once more
with cool appraisal-"I think you are
the man best able to supply the infor-
lmation."
| Hawkins began to tumble with his
hat again.
| "I-I-why do you say that?" he
| faltered, a sudden note of what seem.
ed almost trepidation in his voice.
John Bruce shrugged his shoulders.
| Possibly it is just hunch,' he said,
| calmly. But you were the one who
| was driving that old bus on a GER
| tain night-you remember? And you
| seem to hang around here about as
you please. Therefore you must stand
4 in, srl,r - s%1~ -
family circle. I'd like TO know what
| hold a rotten crook like Doctor Crang
has got on Claire Veniza that she
should be willing to marry him when
she doesn't love him. I'd like to know
why girl like Claire Veniza drives
To-"
That's enough!" Hawkins voice
rose abruptly, peremptorily He ad-
vanced again threateningly on John
Bruce. Don't you dare to say one
word against my-against-again at
her. I'll choke the life out Of you. if
you do! Who are you anyway? You
are asking a lot of questions. How
did you get here in the first place?
You answer that! I've always meant
to ask you. You answer that-and
leave Claire out of it,"
John Bruce whistled softly
Il can't very we'll do that" he said
quietly, because 1t was Claire who
brought me here"
claire brought YOU" The old blue
That's a lie!~ She never saw you
after you got out at the corner that
night until you came in through the
window here.
She didn't tell you where she lived
She didn't invite you here. She's not
that kind. and. sick though you may
be, III not keep my hands off you,
STEADY, Hawkins-steadyn said
John Bruce, his voice as quiet as be-
fore fore We I'VE seem seem to possess a com
fond of Claire. Well, so am I. That
ought to make us allies" He held out
his hand suddenly to the old man. Il
had just asked Claire to marry me
when you came to the door,"
Hawkins stared from the out
stretched hand into John Bruce's eyes.
and back again at the outstretched
hand. Bewi1derment. hesitation. a Gu
rious excitement was in his face.
You asked Claire to marry you?"
He swallowed hard. "You-you want
to marry Claire? I-why?"
Why" John Bruce echoed help
lessly. Good Lord, Hawkins. you are
a queer one! Barring beasts like
Crang, why does man ordinarily ask
loves her. Well. 1 love Claire. / loved
her from the moment 1 saw her 1
followed her, or, rather, that old bus
of yours. here that night. And that Is
how. after that fight at Rattfs when
I got out the back door and into the
lane, I crawled over here for sane
tuary. 1 said Claire brought me here.
You understand now, don't you?
That's how she brought me here-be-
cause loved her that night. But 1t Is
because Of Crang'-his voice grew
hard--"that am telling you this. 1
love her now-and great deal too
much. whether she could ever care
for me or not, to see her in the
clutches of a crook, and her life
wrecked by degenerate cur. And
somehow"-his hand was still ex-
tended-'T thought you seemed to
think enough of her to feel the same
way about this marriage-for 1 imag-
inc you must know about it. Well,
Hawkins. where do you stand? There's