Evening star., 1923-11-21

was concerned did not place him be.
fore himself In any better light. II
| he cared for her. If there was any
depth of feeling in this love he
claimed to have. then at least hel
happiness, her welfare and her fu-
ture could not be extraneous and In.
different considerations to him. And
on the spur of the moment, piQued
in spite of Paul Veniza's protesta.
tions, he had left that night without
seeing Claire again.
He had been ashamed Of himself
Yesterday he had telephoned Claire
He had begged her forgiveness. He
had not mant to say more. but he had
Something in her voice had-no, not
invited; he could not say that-but
had brought tire passion, pleading al
most, back into his own. 1t had
| at the other end of the WIRE At least
bravely as she had evidently tried to
do so. 81 had been unable to keep
her voice under control. But she had
nothing to forgive, she had said. He
had told her that he must see her
! that he would see her again. And
then, almost Historically. over and
over again. she had begged him to
attempt nothing of the sort, but in
| insisted that it was not safe for him
! to stay even In the city. .
! John Bruce hurled the butt Of his
cigarette in the direction Of the Gus
pidor and clenched his fist. Crang
Safe from Crang! He laugh ed aloud
harshly. He asked nothing better
than to meet Crang again. He would
not be so weak the next time. And
, the sooner the better.
! He gnawed at his under lip as he
! continued to pace the room. Today
he had telept oned Claire again. but
he had not spoken to her this time
He had not been surprised at the
news he had received, for he remem-
! bered that Hawkins had once told
! him that the old pawnbroker was In
reality far from well. Some one. he
did not know who. some neighbor
probably, had answered the phone
Paul Eeniza had been taken i'll
s Claire had been up with him all the
! previous night. and was then resting
! John Bruce paused abruptly before
the desk at which he had been writ
ing and looked at his watch. 1t was
+, ing back to work" again tonight
He smiled suddenly. and little quiz
zically, as he caught sight of him
| self in a mirror. What would they
say-the white-haired negro butler
! and the exquisite Monsieur Henri de
lionaire plunger, usually SO immacu.
late in evening clothes, presented him
!; self at their door in a suit of bushes,
:; tweeds?
/; He 81 rugged his shoulders. Dowr
at Ratti's that night his apparel-it
| was matter of viewpoint--had beer
| a source of eminent displeasure, ant
; as such had been very effectively dis.
| posed of. He had had no opportunity
+, to be measured for new clothes.
The smile faded and he stood star
+. ing at the desk. The millionaire
| plunger! 1t seemed to jar somehow
/ on his sensibilities. Work! That was
| a queer way, too, to designate II. He
| was going to take up his work again
! tonight, pick up the threads of his
/ life again where he had dropped
! hem. A bit ragged those threads
weren't they? Prayed. as 1t were!
\ What the devil was the matter with
| him anyway? There was money in
! 1t, princely existence. What more
/. could any one ask? What did Claire
| his love for a girl who was glad to
marry some one else infinitely worse
than re was. have to do with IL? All
she did have something to do with 1t,