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Show - ' " 7 1 The Man Nobody Knew By HOLWORTHY HALL ' (Copyrictit by Dodd, Mead & Co., Inc.) enough to me, Mr. Hllllard, to be worth taking time over to be perfectly perfect-ly frank with you, I've got five hundred hun-dred dollars I want to put in some high-class, gilt-edged speculation. Mr. Cullen gave me some pointers, and now I'm Interested In your copper mine. Only and this Is where the hitch comes in I've sort of got into the swing of the law, you know, and that makes men well, what you might call judgmatical. You get so you want to look at everything from all four sides. And I thought maybe because of the the attending circumstances you'd be kind enough to explain the whole thing to me. Would you?" Hilliard, who didn't know whether to be touched or amused, compromised by nodding gravely. "There's one thing I'll have to tell you, though," he said ; "I don't advise any one to gamble in copper mines, or anything else, Waring, unless that person could actually afford to lose his whole Investment, and not be hurt. slaught against Mr. Cullen, End, after that, to gather subscribers where he chose. He said that Hilliard was wasting time, and ought to begin to collect signatures. Hilliard had mentioned, men-tioned, in a moment of indiscretion, the assistance which Angela had unconsciously un-consciously given him, and Harmon had appraised it highly; but it angered him, when he saw this reference written writ-ten down in Harmon's letter, to hav, her name brought Into the Instructions, even by implication. Still . . . had he not invited this upon himself? It was in a dizzying quandary, then, that Hilliard kept his next appointment appoint-ment at the Durants'. The problem had grown so many branches, sent forth so many tentacles of bewildering bewilder-ing confusion, that he hardly knew what to say, where to turn. His one consolation was that the miracle which had been performed upon him had given him a mask of impenetrable calm. At least, he didn't have to wear his forebodings on his countenance. And yet, almost the first words Carol Car-ol said to him were: "Something's troubling you, Mr. Hilliard." He was momentarily demoralized, and came near showing it tried to pass it off with a laugh. "Did I make it as plain ns all that?" "No," she said, "it wasn't plain at all." His laugh was remarkably hollow, but he persisted in it. "Why, how did yon think of It, then?" "Just f?om your eyes," she told him. "What'9 tne matter? Anything I could help straighten out for you? Or couldn't I listen? That helps a lot, sometimes " She dropped her eyes, and the color deepened in her cheeks. "Isn't there anything I can do?" she said. "Or that father could? You frighten me. . . ." "I'm sorry. . . . No, please don't think of it. I ought to be shot if I've made you unhappy." The bitterness in his voice was acute ; and by paradox, it was caused mainly by her sweet concern for him, and his realization of how little he deserved it. "You always seem to be pushing the world away from you," she said, after af-ter a pause. "Why do you, Mr. Hilliard?" Hil-liard?" "I didn't know that I do," he said dispiritedly. "And It would be a queer thing for me to do deliberately, when I want your friendship more than anything else I can possibly imaginewouldn't im-aginewouldn't It?" "But a woman," said Carol slowly, "almost always has to be a confidante before she becomes a friend. . . ." They sat without stirring while the clock ticked off a dozen seconds. Hilliard, Hil-liard, scarcely knowing what he did and, if he knew, Indifferent -had put both hands to his forehead, as though to calm the vicious throbbing within. Presently, and so quietly that he never heard her, Carol was gone she had slipped across the room, to the piano. . . . A breath of music, light, dreamy, caressing And there, on the sofa where Dicky Morgan had sat, and smoked, and taken his happiness with the utmost nonchalance, sat Hilliard, In tensest blushed and jerked his head to the front; Hilliard chuckled and continued contin-ued his stroll. He entered the Hotel Onondaga from the east and headed ucross toward to-ward the news-stand. Out of a red and gold chair in the spacious lobby a gentleman rose to meet him a gentleman gen-tleman who in appearance was a very fair replica of the well-known Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford, except that he was somewhat more refined and less obese. His animation was obvious, ob-vious, but he delayed to remove both his gray suede gloves before he offered to shake hands with Hilliard. "Weill" said Martin Harmon, effusively, ef-fusively, "you're looking great ! Must agree with you up here, what? Didn't expect me, did you?" "No !" Hilliard's expression was a study; he had dealt so long with Harmon Har-mon at a distance that he had almost forgotten what the broker looked like. "Why didn't you wire me you were coming?" "Didn't know It myself until pretty near train-time spur of the moment. Well, got any business yet?" Involuntarily, Hilliard smiled, and the smile spread wonderfully, until Harmon caught the contagion of it and beamed more royally than ever. "The man you called the 'decoy duck' remember re-member when you wrote that to me? well, he quacked yesterday." Harmon put his hand on Hilliard's shoulder; it was an accolade. "Really? How much?" "Thirty." For the life of him Hilliard Hil-liard couldn't resist a slight forward thrust of his chest. Mr. Harmon's eyes glazed for an instant. in-stant. "Good good ! That's clever work, son ! Clever and quick. But I knew you'd do it. Thirty! That's fine I Anybody else?" Hilliard laughed exultantly. "Yes, three more a total of sixty-two. sixty-two. I mailed you a draft yesterday morning; the others are in my pocket now. I've just come from the, bank." "Great work, son !" Mr. Harmon breathed rapturously. "That puts us pretty nearly where we belong. Sixty-two Sixty-two thousand! It's a running start for the big race! You certainly didn't get left at the post, Hilliard! Deducted your commissions yet?" "No ; I thought you'd rather do the bookkeeping in your own office and send me a check." Harmon's approval was manifest. "You show me the drafts and ril write you a check this minute. Let's go sit down In the grill, and have something. This is fine work, now I want to tell you !" "I rather thought so myself." Hilliard Hil-liard had led the way to the grill and commandeered a side-table. "In fact " He lowered his voice. "In fact, as things have worked out, Mr. Harmon, I almost wish I hadn't tried to play It just this way. I mean" But Harnjon had already grusped the point. "Oho! Is that so? You must have made a hit. And all your old friends you were so het up about weren't they as peevish at you as you thought?" "No." Hilliard grew warm. "I'd give a good deal," he said soberly, "if I hadn't tangled myself up In all that imitation history. Well, I'm in for it Oow, I'ys published so much that J. didn't need to I'm wondering hov In thunder I can ever get out of it when the time comes. That was the Idea, you remember coals of fire. What's bothering me is that there's nobody to tend the furnace." "Cut I thought you were so anxious to keep in the shade?" "Tes, but I didn't need to crawl In a hole, and pull It in after me! Well, well wait and see. After I've gone a little further and of course, you know I've hardly scratched the surface yet" "I know you haven't" The big man tucked his gloves Into his breast pocket pock-et and brought out a silver cigarette case. "Have one?" "A piece of d--d worthless worth-less property." (TO BE CONTINUED.) "HAVE I A CHANCE?" Synopsis. Dick Morgan of Syracuse. Syra-cuse. N. Y., a failure in life, enlisted enlist-ed In the Foreign Legion of the French army under the name of Henry Hilliard, is disfigured by shrapnel. The French surgeons ask for a photograph to guide them In restoring his face. In rrw rage against life he offers In derision a picture postcard bearing the radiant radi-ant face of Christ. The surgeons do a good Job. On his way back to America he meets Martin Harmon, a New York broker. The result is that Morgan, under the name of Hilliard, goes back to Syracuse to sell a mining stock. He Is determined deter-mined to make good. He tells people of the death of Morgan. He finds In Angela Cullen a loyal defender de-fender of Dick Morgan. He meets Carol Durant, who had refused to marry him. She does not hesitate to tell him that she had loved Morgan. Mor-gan. Hilliard finds he still loves her and Is tempted to confess. Hilliard Hil-liard tempts Cullen. his former employer, em-ployer, with his mining scheme. He discovers a rival for Carol's love In a nice younif fellow named Armstrong. B CHAPTER VIII. 9 For thirty days Hilliard had listened to the eulogies of his secret self. He had heard from a hundred sources the same belief repeated, that Dicky Morgan, Mor-gan, given time and counsel, would have made the city as proud of him for his Intrinsic worth as it now was proud of him for his military valor. This praise of Dicky Morgan had at first stunned Hilliard ; after that, it had exalted him; still later, it had abased his soul. He had longed, ceaselessly, during that third period of his introspection, to take the city to his heart, to rv.-eal himself, to answer an-swer for Dwriy n'forgan's failures and to plesi,ic himself anew to the achievement achieve-ment vlliich Dicky Morgan's friends had profsheaied; and then he had been overwhelmed by the recollection that he had made this course impossible. If he had only known that all his deceptions de-ceptions were needless.! If he had only known that Dicky Morgan could have come home, and been forgiven I What anguish he could have saved and what repentance! And the problem prob-lem was still the same should he continue, safe in his masquerade, to the goal he had eet for himself, or should he risk the worst, and salve his conscience by renunciation? By far the most distressing factor in this puzzle was his relationship to Carol Car-ol Durant. He had seen her only half a dozen timed during the month, and never alone the fates; or Armstrong had circumvented him but he was head over hoIs in love with her again, and he sensed, from fugitive glances and a stray word or two on her part, that she wasn't entirely averse to hira. But what would Carol think if she knew that this grnve and tender stranger was hiding behind the wraith of Dicky Morgan it was a thousand times the worse I If she were over truly in love with Henry Hilliard, it was impossible! And theu there was little Angela Cullen And in addition, there was the serious seri-ous business of making good ; he was no longer Impelled to It by resentment, but rather by unadulterated ambition; this, too, he would Be destroyed by any admission of hi deceit. To con-tlni'.i con-tlni'.i in the game was to lose his probity! prob-ity! to relinquish it was to lose all elwe1; and even now, his joy and pride wen contained in precisely those things Which Ut const give up, If he decided tK .r off the mask of hypocrisy ; and h'ji self-respect was rising out of the cud of what Ire never should have Jotie at all. When he thought of his worldly ambitions, am-bitions, lie was profoundly regretful that he had tnlked professionally with Mr. Cullen. To be sure, the matter had come up casually and naturally, and the opening had seemed too good to be missed j nt the same time, Hil-Herd Hil-Herd couhUyt help reflecting that It had been nremature. It might preve, eventually, fc have been just the proper prop-er course to pi-oduce results; It might be that Oullen would become so Impa-tlen' Impa-tlen' ll.at he couldn't be restrained, rl wmld leap without looking, and .arnp farther than ho Intended, and yet, ver dinee that preliminary interview, J'1ll'ird had known that he had made 4 breach In his own fortresses; that he had rendered It possible for an informal in-formal (and logical enough) investigation investi-gation to begin, or for mild suspicion to arne and gain momentum before he had devised the means of combating 1C And ali'jough Hilliard believed Implicitly tu the goods he had to sell, ha knew (lie difficulty of the market; he ki?TV how timorous is the average Investor; and he knew that there might very easily come a time at which tin harangue would bo remembered, nd remembered adversely. In this connection he was Irritat-ad Irritat-ad by the tone of narmon's letters to fclm from New York. Ilarmnn was enthusiastic en-thusiastic and confident ; he was relying re-lying sturdily on Hilliard to break through the acumen of the up-stale cxptUMsto; but he thought that Ilil-l' Ilil-l' ir'l -rAs making haste too sloivly ; he -.I Hint Bll Hllllnrd nee.Vd to d. himself in u tmnl .m- I was a phantasm which his brain reeled reel-ed to contemplate! The lump In his throat came near to strangling him. It seemeii to Hllllard that hours must have elapsed before he had the strength to rise, and cross the room. His brain was buffeted by wildly giddy passions; lie was only partly aware that Carol, trying to rise from the bench, was wide-eyed and intuitive ap- prehension. Volition had gone from him ; he was acting without reserve, without premeditation. "Tell me !" he said thickly. "Have I got a chance? One In a hundred? One in a thousand? But a chance?" "Oh! . . . Mr. Hllllard!" Her plea was to his chivalry, and had to be. "Tell me . . . would I have . . . If I should share everything you " One hand was pressed close to her breast ; the other was outstretched, defensive. de-fensive. "Don't! Don't! Don't spoil what was " "You'll have to answer me. ... I can't wait any longer. I'm not worth your little finger and I know it. . . . but I want a chance . . . just a fighting fight-ing chance .... you've got to answer an-swer me, Carol . . ." She was trembling within reach of him, but It never occurred to him to touch her, and if it had, he would have refrained, out of sheer consciousness conscious-ness of his lack of right. His face, working tragically, awed her. "Yes," she said, hardly above a whisper. "There's . . . one chance In a thousand. There's . . . that much, anyway." His arms went out to her stayed dropped. He stepped backward, ou of the danger zone. "Then I'll take it," he said. She had given him a chance, on an implied condition which he could never meet. She had given him a chance and what in the name of heaven could he do with it? CHAPTER IX. From the marbled dignity of the Trust and Deposit company, where he had bought a New York draft for fifteen fif-teen thousand dollars, and smaller ones for ten and seven, Hilliard emerged presently to South Warren street, and stood there on the sidewalk for a moment, numbed by the first galvanizing consciousness of success. He had come back resolved to win, in his second trial, the position he had failed to approximate In his first; he had set himself a commercial standard, stand-ard, and, gauged by it, he was advancing advanc-ing rapidly, for today's trio of subscriptions, sub-scriptions, added to Mr. Cullen's check of yesterday (and Mr. Cullen had acted as though he had gained a personal per-sonal victory in persuading Hilliard to accept it), made up a glittering total, a stupendous total ; and already Hilliard's Hil-liard's earned commissions formed a sum to gloat about. Despised as a salesman, he had sold to four impartial impar-tial business men the commodity hardest hard-est in all the world to sell. Scorned for his behavior, he had made his sales on the basis of a character which hadn't been questioned since the day of his arrival. His mind and his muscles demanded action ; to relieve the pressure of his spirits, he set off vigorously, swinging exultant. On impulse, he crossed the street for the purpose of patronizing a florist's, flor-ist's, where, ignoring the conventional measure of the even dozen, be ordered a prodigal armful of American Beauties-for Carol Durant. This done, and feeling very rich and independent, he rounded the rlghthand corner, and got himself greeted by two citizens of standing and importance who, in hailing hail-ing him, displayed a deference not ordinarily granted to the average resident resi-dent of Hilliard's age. Would Hilliard condescend to speak at the next meeting meet-ing and dinner of the Chamber of Commerce on France in wartime? Hilliard Hil-liard would. And this Indication of his new-won status fired him afresh. Logically enough, his swirling thoughts followed a well-worn trail which led him straight to Carol; and for the thousandth time he tried to set a future date, depending on the outcome of his mission here, at which he could confess, and ask forgiveness for his mummery, and simultaneously ask credit for his regeneration. At this juncture, he was aware that some one had arrested him. It was Angela's youthful suitor. "Oh hello, Waring!" said Hilliard cheerfully. "How's crime?" The student of law flushed at the lively salutation, which appealed to him as a reflection upon the majesty of the bar. Also, his sense of humor was temporarily atrophied. "We don't handle criminal oases," ho responded shortly. "Say, when can you and I have a conference together, Mr. Hilliard?" "Why, the sooner the quicker," laughed Hilliard. "What's it about?" Waring coughed. "Business." 'The time to talk about business is all the time isn't It?" Waring hesitated and finally stepped intn the shelter of a doorway, drawing Hilliard with him. "I don't suppose It'll scorn like a very Important thins to you," he said, rather awkwardly, "but it's important "You Don't Mean to Say It Isn't a . Sure Thing!" And In this particular case, since I happen to control the situation, I won't permit it. Does that hit you, or doesn't it?" The young man's mouth opened in amazement. He had been priming himself to be a clever investigator, and to pick yawning flaws In Hilliard's underwriting, un-derwriting, and here his thunder was stolen before he had had a chance to stake the aegis of his cleverness. "Why it isn't a gamble, is It? I understood Mr. Cullen said " "It's safer to figure it as a gamble, Waring. It's safe to figure all these things that way. Of course, we think it's a wonderful prospect, and a practically prac-tically positive success, but I don't mind telling you that so far I haven't allowed a man who couldn't afford to lose his whole subscription and didn't understand very clearly that he might to come in for so much as a plugged nickel. And that would apply to you, too." The law student gasped, incredulous. incredu-lous. "You don't mean to say It isn't a sure thing?" "Is any speculation? You see I'm not working very hard to take your five hundred away from you, Waring." The boy scowled. "I suppose it's really too small for you to bother with. Is that what you're driving at?" Hilliard smiled cordially. "It Is, and it isn't. From any one I didn't know, I'cj rather not touch It. It Isn't a good plan, ordinarily, to have a lot of small stockholders. But from you and if It isn't more than you ought to risk " Waring snatched at the straw. "Well, seeing you're who you are, and I'm who I am, would you be willing will-ing to give me just as much Information Informa-tion as you would if I had twenty times as much to put In?" "Come up to the room," said Hilliard Hil-liard Impulsively; and he was actuated actuat-ed solely by the obligation he felt toward to-ward all of Mr. Cullen's friends. "You come along up to the room, and I fill if iM i u snow you everything I ve got. Will that do?" At the lust words the amateur detective de-tective had brightened. "I can't come now very well. But maybe I could run up this evening, if that's all right for you." "That'll be Just as good. F.ight o'clock? Fine." He held out his hand. Waring took it limply. "I'm afraid I'm causing you a lot of bother." he said, "but It's a pretty-big pretty-big thing for me. ... I hope you don't think it's anything personal ... I mean my not just taking It for granted" grant-ed" "Not at all. Business Is business. Ill expect you at eight, then." Hilliard Hil-liard nodded good-humoredly and went on north. A quaint intuition overcame him, and he glanced back over his shoulder. Fifty yards away the law-stuii-fit was also glancing over his shoulder, and Waring, having less of self-possession than the adventurer, "Something's Troubling You." desperation of soul, strained to the tenuous melody which floated across to him. an echo of youth and gladness which mocked him, derided him, indicted in-dicted him ... a translation of the unutterable sadness which welled up in his throat and choked him. . . . She was playing the "I.iebe-strauin." "I.iebe-strauin." His shoulders went up convulsively, convulsive-ly, and he was chilled to the heart. I.iebestraum I It was a taunt, a savage sav-age cynicism, a challenge to his Inward In-ward self. The waves of It battered his unresisting conscience; the piercing pierc-ing tenderness of It damned him, while it awoke his dormant passion, and set his will to vibrating. I.iche-; I.iche-; svi-.i inn -and the dream of his love |