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Show BaW-SST'iWIIIIIIIIWMWWWiUHUH.lU'IMUwi THE RIGHT MAN m By MYRA LEE STANFORD. "Engaged, eh?" repeated Nell Hudson, Hud-son, reporter for tho Daloton Weekly Herald. "Yes. Thought It would bo an Item of nows for you." "It is, inifvoJI" replied tho young newspaper man nnd his henrt was thumping violently although ho did not show it In tho least. "Who may tho fortunata lover bo?" "Wyllo Bnrr, our bank cashier." Neil Hudson mndo a noto and his hand trembled and tho pencil point broke. Ho nodded his thanks silently silent-ly nnd went his way with a momentary humidity In his oyes. "Dear llttlo Nelly I" ho sighed. "Poor mot Ah, welll as It has turned out 1 could never have hnd a show. Nolly liked mo right enough, but it ended thero, it seems, only I wish It was almost anybody oxcept that Barr fellow." fel-low." With that Nell fancied ho had dismissed dis-missed nil further thoughts of tho most ccngcnlnl and pleasant two months of his llfo In tho company of tho sweetest girl ho had over mot, but ho found tho memory would not down. Ho tried to banish It, but ho could not do so. His mind made a compromise. They might no longer bo sweethearts, but thoy could bo frlonds. Ho would not tempt suffering by seeking her company, but he would guard her in- luicoia uu inuugu sno wero art own sister. He did not like Wyllo Barr. Outsldo Out-sldo of that flashy self-assertive individual indi-vidual bolng a successful rival In love, Noll fancied he "had something on him." Barr had appeared in Daleton about a year previously. Ho had invested in-vested nvo thousand dollars in tho Btock of tho Farmers' bank and had been made tho cashier of that institution. insti-tution. A singular incident had como One Was Wylle Barr. to tho notice of tho vigilant nows gatherer gath-erer about a month back. This had made him decldo that Barr was "not right." Ho was seated in tho llttlo railroad depot Into ono night, waiting for a midnight train to tako him to a distant dis-tant town where a farmers' convention conven-tion was on tho program for tho noxt day, when ho noticed two men pus3-Ing pus3-Ing slowly up and down beyond tho open doorway. Tho signal light shot across tho faces of tho two men. Ono was Wyllo Barr. Tho other had a for-retllko for-retllko face Nell could not forget, once seen. There was a certain air of sinister sin-ister socrettvonoss In tho actions of tho two men. Noil saw Barr hand tho man a roll of bills nnd then both disappeared, dis-appeared, going in different directions. A fow days later Nell noticed In an exchango an Horn on tho escapo of ono lied Lcary from tho Btato ponitentlary. His photograph accompanied tho article ar-ticle It was that of tho man Noll had soon lurking about tho station with Har. Ho looked up tho caso. Tho escapo es-capo had taken placo two days before tho night when ho had Been tho convict. con-vict. Noil did not llko tho situation on general principles, less than over on account of Nolly. Ho evaded her, but ho kopt his oyo upon nor fiance. A bit of gossip floating his way from tho lips of tho chum of Nolly who was a friend of his own, urged him to a cortaln hopofulnoss. For tho first ttmo ho learned that Nolly, not bo-lieving bo-lieving that Noll cared particularly for her, had boon influenced to accept tho attentions of Barr, who in tho eyes of hor frivolous mother was an excellent nnrtl Cr )nn Knll.. 1....I t , .. . , . ,w .m.w .mit MUU ivuruuu mat her fiance was of very common clay, indeed, and that she had mistaken an impulso for real heart interest. At daylight a fow mornings later Noli Hudson was aroused from sleop by his landlady, who excitedly announced an-nounced to him that tho publisher of tho Herald was on tho phono and wished to talk to him at onco. "That you, Hudson?" hallod him as ho took up the recolver. "Yes." "Got right down to tho bank." "What's tho troublo?" "Burglary nearly murder. A fortune for-tune stolon. Don't let tho Beacon get ahead of you." Noll hurried on his clothes. Scurry-Ing Scurry-Ing people wore flocking to tho ccntor of the town. The town marshal had sounded tho alarm. Ho had found Wyllo Barr lying bound, gagged, his clothing torn, a bad brulso on tho faco two bullets in tho woodwork behind him. Barr, palo and bedraggled, was toll. Ing his story as Noll entorod tho bank. He had seme oxtra work to do nnd had stayed at tho bank till midnight Ho: was hard at work whoa a masked man' "i ri hi ii hi ii luddenly appeared. Thero was a1 itrugglo. Tho burglar shot at him iwico and then overpowered him. The vault door was open nnd tho oank robber got the cash box. It had been a day of heavy deposits forty thousand dollars in cash taken I Then Harr weakly asked to be taken homo, a norvous wreck. . Tho Beacon had an "oxtra" out bo-fore bo-fore noon. Tho Farmers' bank did not ndvertlso in tho Beacon, bo tho editor edi-tor cast a veil of suspicion and mystery mys-tery over tho weak story Barr had narrated. It was hinted that Barr had como to tho town practically a stranger. There wore hints and in-uendoes. in-uendoes. On tho contrary tho Herald praised "tho bravo bank cashier" Nell would havo It so, for a purpose Tho article told of his defiance to tho burglar at I tho risk of death. It reminded tho reader that had Barr opened tho Inner safe, as demanded by tho burglar, two hundred thousand dollars In valuable valu-able securities would havo also been taken. "That was handsome of you, Hudson," Hud-son," commented Barr a few days later, when ho met him on tho street. "Tho Beacon has discredited mo out of pure malice." It was tho next morning that Barr started for tho city. Ho seemed gratified grati-fied when ho found Noll "accidentally" taking tho samo train. "You've been a good friend to me, Hudson," ho said effusively. "I've got to spend tho day going over our affairs with our correspondent bank. Let's havo supper tosether after that, eh7" Nell acceded. Ho watched that cor-respondent cor-respondent bank all day long until uu.r ieu ii. e trailed Barr, unsuspected, unsus-pected, after that and Joined him at tho supper. Ho feigned to partake liberally lib-erally of tho liquid refreshments. Barr left him, his head on tho table, apparently appar-ently overcomo. Barr had no sooner got away from the placo than Neil was after him. Ho traced him to a crowded saloon of tho poor typo. He saw him Join a man with a satchel in a private compartment compart-ment at tho rear of tho bar-room. Then Noll went for tho police, for ho recognized tho companion of Barr as Itcd Leary, "Thero Is your man," ho announced to tho officers, five minutes later, pointing point-ing to tho oscaped convict and there, too, wns tho monoy in tho satchel stolen from tho bank. It was unfor-tunnto, unfor-tunnto, tho police declared, that In the scrimmago that ensued Wyllo Barr leaped through a window and escaped, but Noil was secretly glad for Nolly's sake. And "for Nolly's sako" ho wore his honors modestly back at tho homo town nnd did not Intrudo upon hor as ck-mplon and victor. A noto, contrite, pathetic, camo to him. Ho saw to It that thoy met as friends, Ignoring all that had occurred, but when ho left her his ardentlovo ho could not conceal. Ho loft Nolly with a kiss ot truo lovo upon his lips. (Copyright. 1015. by w. a. Chapman.) |