VOLUME XXXV. LAURENS, SOUTh CAROLINA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 1920. NUMBER 36
Houda
.Whispers
IDy"Willim mao.rC~iA
Johnston rwi Myers
CHAPTER I. She was far fron well. If anything
-should happen to her, miy young 85k
With an exclamation of annoyance tors had only mn to look to. IVhM
I crumpled up the note from my gretit- these plea., 110( fniled to move me
Tncle Rufus and lung it on the floor. she had not hesitated to remind inc
My disappointment at its contents was that I was In her debt.
the ono thing needed to complete the Unfortunately this vas true. My
utter misery of a wretched day. years it college had cost ie more than
Only that morning my roommates, my siiall patrimony. I had borrowed
Birge and Roller, fortunate fellows, freely from her, expecting soon to be
had been informed that their applica- able to repay her. Likc tll young grad
tions for tie ambulance service had uates 1 till(] vastly overestimated my
been accepted. Our year of happy earning capticity. Three yvars had
companionship had come to an abrupt elapsed and I still owed her eight hun
end. dred dollars.
"Cheer up, old manl," cried the o "I do not see,,' she had written
timistle Birge, '"your luck will change me, $'lw you can honorably feel free
some thile."
"Right," said Roller, as he stooped torgosh you ar Is ti debt. o
to give a fiial tug to the straps of 11 m rs you funds atceg my
new kit hag. "a chap ats crazy about economies. The girls are now reach
Adventure as you are is bound to meet Ilg tn age wvh(n their expenses will 1)
her soon." m for
"Stop I," I cried in dlesperationi. "It m.h eat y cd th mn y
Is you two who are to have the grea'it ick befoe you can do itospa
opportunity. Si rp ls i tion and go off on wild-goose chases."
sihrapnel hurit, airplanes battling,. r For tis trgument I could fnd no
i'llents charging, hors dying. andI nwer. My oIi-gation to her was a
I'll be sIttilig here alone in a hall- dbt of honor that must le p)b
room, eating my heart out with lone
soteiess und envy, spending my days fe I cotid be my ow mase Each
at tinl unongenal desk, and my nights, lr
God knows how, after you fellows have s, he( a it cu aehd
gone." snie a mon order.
"You never enn tell," chirped old
Birge, "all kinds of strange thinga hap- Ibegn to read my mother's latest let
pen right here in New York. You may ter. Tle first part of It repeated her
le the one that has had a bellyful of niny arguments, She wrote:
adventure before we return-if we do." "Two (ays ago I received a letter
Hftlis last three words gave us a aas
Iobein thuhte ee w a s ave us ie, ton, upon whom you called when you
sobering thought. There was a chance, frtwn
more than h chance, that tci etgA New York. e %ga1d
on this earth would we three be to- about you and maleVe h plrb~oton
gether again. Eight of our college concerning you. I did not venture to
mates had preceded Dirge and Roller give 11m an answer. Your views and
to the great battlefield. Already three mine are so seldom In accord. I gave
of them lay in hero graves somewhere him your address and suggested that
under the lilies of France. he vrite to you himself. Probably ho
The silence of a sad parting fell on its done so by this time."
us. The taxicab came and we drove Hastil I rescued my great-uncle's
together to the pier with hardly a word crumpled note from the floor and
spoken. smoothed it out. If Rufus Gaston
As we shook hands at the gang- ivtl his millions and no direct heir
plank old Roller spoke again, a glis- had made a proposition concerning me,
ten of tears in his eye, something his letter took on a vastly more Inter
most prophetic in his voice. . esting complexion. Careflly I reread
"Nelson," he said, "I feel it in my it, seeking for some hidden meaning
hones that something is going to hap- letween tie lines, but It gave no clue
-pen to you soon, something thrilling." to what le had In mid. le merely
"I wish to God something would!" expressed the hope that I would be
I answered bitterly. ablo to dine with 111 and his wife in
Disconsolately I waved them a last rmally next Thursday evening.
adieu from the dock. In a black mood What could It mean? It was at
I railed against the fate that had left least well worth looking Into. Mr.
me behind, poignantly lamenting the Gaston was seventy-four. le had made
lack of the eight hundred dollars that a fortune In the South American trade,
we-'ild have set me free to accompany retiring at sixty-five. There was only
himself and his wife. Oi the Gaston
shodhae thruhlloher, myun sis-r
Two letters, thrust nder the door s hol m tl e
In lodging-houte fashion, awaited my and I were the ofIly eld relations.
hnmecorrilag. One of them T reog- it wondered If It cold be that old
nid a one sm mohe's eeky Ufru atel thinig ofwakingrue Mys
billt o god adicenaltosedasi eai-rs to thlee hacst millions ha
to b ren whe I ws in~ btte Asmal pna ord.i ahpanceorof
frame f min. Theotherwtsfieaeli dinn er, vita ting etrmne to
cramedtiafmllttr taawrita. Abe to ryelfayo he. tLe ld ouplead
picon s t th wrters ienttyearingom callit. Ahreev years aod
flahedint riy mnd nd agely w~~elaps e desisloed her eoight ofun
toreit pen.My reatunce, fti teid o weth bee,' sie had wrie
asonwasan ldoldman Itmus coere "how ou ca ti wooaly o feern
ing o meabou? Ruus Gston~ to sav it, you view hi ngeydeb. T
It asmerlyaninvtaiontoilac mot r mstor (rcin e d h ahn)yt
withhim nd hs wieDsgusedly noarives. foun myelf ar ppnorachn
flug i aid. I cppe th cima ofting rnaeidenefm threensaers of b
my istisaetoa it evryting mucthtr bfreatIle te i ney forie
to he~V~ltidhee asISpailngt'othe. inThes poark fo as tew may
nelontwetysix stonginphyiqu, ton Od gouti ron etlyos has ien
savefor "fotbal ko" at hd ou this Aneremene anoud nofied
bared e fom iliarysericethrst bi oe hofo thse mste apardthent
lag or xeietutatlef behnd fnot e uiis cordbel iyon hm1aster Ehtis
doepi ol rlatves I ad upmy ntoiee ird benc ptin caway fty, doit
limn( rit o nsterthenoe.My ret-lagsandem as buachcumu rses Ia been(
uncl Rufs cold u hng, or sllnodpngltae as mony is order. oar
hismilion. Iwotld ot narWiin my gwasteatintg waftond.
The !gh ofmy othr's~ettr l i toeant reveriey fmo iher watse
to e tiim itwassh ~tlmohai prvet r sTte fst tart gon t mepethe
~uiiiii gong.Poormoter mhaan "aronmets Ih sairote: anly
my ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~fomm father's dahwtl a on- "lnhe i' o bthe, croaed
ste, I seme tomethlt awas to n, evil ho besid me.d hn o
had pposd evryting!wlune fitrdo weoeng my foweYrs, IHurei to[e
Aftr Ilef coleg sh ha forda find yoatd maesde me a mt-eedboitiori
lathr'sfrindsin te lttl vs oncrn inen star. As dId ooe aetr hio
Cit wiereourIlono asI hd bon e hbmgan crowder. oer vtwadme
tw6yeas gttig aay o jin irg Plinly art s so inentiod to ouave
and RollerhinwNoteorko Mouthomse1lfromrohebbench
~ a ha se hesel agins mygoig h erdoe'so ply of rome" tos
t~ rnree.Rhqdi no beiev li rumpoter I noefro the," or su antd
~ ~ ojhisnletter took ottiaivastly morentnter
-sigcmle n aeulyIrra
here," lie retorted, blowing the smoke
from a cheap cigarette in my face. "I
got a (late here, and I'm going to stay,
see?7"
I ainswered with an angry retort and
hot words followed. Ve had almost
come to blows when the bushes op
.osli us suddenly parted. I enught
sight for jot seond of a Vllainous
Ian-e. 1h of it IIa man about forty, an
unforgeitable- face with a red scar
:aro:s the left cheek. iHe rnised 'one
ti 'w -.n.in impilerativo ?pesture, Signal
ing. to mly un1welcolme comlpani onl Onl
II b-neh. W il a profal exclamn1111
1t11n ol' disma1.y, theo ral-eyeri fellow
tilg till 11o1l willk d ihastIly away
IaIo:,.. th 1 poIark pa th1. Wondering
v~lbat it wa, aill aboult, I waltchied himn
wit of -iglt nrould a turning of the
asphalt and tihen glanced toward the
apartminot house where In a few min
otes I was to be a guest.
As i looked a young girl cane out
of the h1ouase and walked slowly to
ward tle park. At the corner she
hesitated. She seemed to be debating
whetler- to continue on down the ave
nue or to turn into the park. Appar
ently thev lurlt of the greenery won her,
for she :11-m0 on slowly toward where
I was siling. As she drew nearer I
.)bserved her with interest, for she
was one of the prettlest ;rirls I ever
had seen. li fr slim figure, her dainty
ankles, her carriage, everything about
her suggested the patricIan. Her face,
rosy and youthful, was set off by a
jaunty feathered toque, from under
which a )air of soft, black, roguish
eyes, shaded by long lashes, looked
out above a '. aty nose, Just a bit
tip tilted, on either sido of which a
fugitive tllmple played.
To my great amazement she walked
right III) to tme and stopped short. I
observed then that she seened to be
greatly agitated. Involuntarily I
sprang to my feet and removed my
hat, feeling certain that she had mis
taken ie for someone else.
She looked straight at ne with an
odd tightening of the lips. Into her
great dark eyes came a look in whIch
pride and fear seemed to mingle with
utter loathing.
"I am here," she said.
In my confusion I mumbled some
thing, I hardly knew what. She look
"You Were to Wear One, Too."
ad me up and clown with a puzzled air
and raised her hand to a red carna
tion site was wearing.
"You wore to wvear one, too."
"I don't undlerstandl," I answered.
"Didn't you," she asked hesitating
ly, "didn't you comae here about the
papers-"
"WVhat papers?"
"You know-"
"I don't know," I replIed. "I know
nothling ab~out any papers. You must
have mIstaken ime for soimeoneO else."
"fldt this was the pinac-this bench
-the first bench?"
"I sat, down here quIte by accident."
"Oh I"; she exclaimed wilth a sigh of
relief. "And you'ire not wear-ing a
redl carnation, either."
I recalled thea wIth misgivIng that
the ill-favor-ed youthi who Just a ma
ment-ago had dlisputed the benach with
me1 had~ been wearing a red carnatIon,
and that lhe had miiutter-ed something
about having a date. Yct it (11( not
seenm posibl~e that a girl of thIs sort
wvould be having a rendezvous with
a scamp likec himt. I dleter-mined If
possible to ascertain the girl's nhis
sion.
"I am merely waIting herec," I hast
enedI to explain, "until It Is tIme for
me to keep a dinner engagement with
some relatives In the apartment housa
from wvhieh you camne."
As I spoke I noticed that, the fear
and loathing had vanished fraim her
eyes and that she was lookIng with
relief at a little college pin I wvas
wearing. She wvas blushing now f raim
confusion at, her mistake, and the ris
ing red in her cheeks added greatly
to her. exquisite loveiness.
"I was to meet someone here," she
faltered; "you quite understand, don't
you?"
"I understand perfectly," I answer
ed, and recalling the scar-faced man
who htad been lerking in the bushes,
IUhutried on to say. "but if I' can be
of nay serile-"w
"No, no,' she sobbed, apparently
overwholmed by whatever it was that
was besetting her. "It's nothing
nothing anyone can help."
"Tell me about the man you were
to meet here."
"Who are you?" she demanded, her
suspicion suddenly riaing at my ques
tion. "You're not a detective?"
"Far from it," I answered 'amused
ly. "I'm just plain Spalding Nelson,
on my way to dine with my great
uncle Rufus Gaston."
"Oh !" she said, relleved, "their
apartment is on the same floor as
ours."
"Tell me about the man you were
to meet," I insisted. "I may have Seer
him."
"Did you? What was he like?" she
domanded eagerly.
"Don't you know him?" I countered.
"No, I never saw him. I don't even
know who he Is. I only know that
there was to be a man waiting bore
on this bench this evening. We were
both to wear red carnations. I was
to come here alone, to see him and
to get the-"
She stopped abruptly and tearing
off the flower she was wearing,
trampled it viciously under her foot.
"Not so loud," I warned her, fear
ful lest they might still bo lurking
about and overhear is. "There were
two of them."
"Two," she whispered, turning pale.
"Yes, one waiting here on this bench,
and the other, a vilininous scar-faced
fellow, hiding in the bushes yonder."
"I (lare not go on with it," she
sobbed. "I dare not I I dare not l Oh,
what shall I (o?"
"The thing to do now," I replied, "is
for you to let me accompany you back
to ymn' home. They will mako no
further attempt to meet you this eve
ulng, since my presence has spoiled
Continued on fourth page, this section.
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