Part 28 (1/2)
Billy was ain than he had been since the day he had renounced Barbara Harding to the ht she loved He read and re-read the accounts in the papers, and then searching for e he ran upon the very nahts for all these e to W could not be seen at her father's hoht Mr Mallory refused to discuss the matter, but would not deny the rumor
There was more, but that was all that Billy Byrne read The paper dropped frohts He sat with his eyes bent upon the floor, and his mind was thousands of miles away across the broad Pacific upon a little island in the midst of a turbulent stream
And far uptown another sat with the sah the sporting sheet in search of the scores of yesterday's woolf tournament And as she searched her eyes suddenly becaot about tournaments and low scores Hastily she searched the heads and text until she came upon the name--”'Sailor' Byrne!”
Yes! It must be he Greedily she read and re-read all that had been written about hi, scion of an aristocratic house--ultra-society girl, read and re-read the accounts of a brutal prize fight
A half hour later athrong in Professor Cassidy's third-floor gy in his new hero from head to foot the youth handed Byrne a note
He stood staring at the heavy weight until he had perused it
”Any answer?” he asked
”No answer, kid,” replied Byrne, ”that I can't takeboy
An hour later Billy Byrne was ascending the broad, white steps that led to the entrance of Anthony Harding's New York house The servant who answered his ring eyed him suspiciously, for Billy Byrne still dressed like a tea that Mr Byrne has co in the hallway, and started to ascend the great staircase, but halfway up hedown
”NeverMr Byrne,” and then seeing that the fellow had not seated her visitor she added, ”He is a very dear friend” Sirl, rushi+ng toward hiht you were dead How long have you been here? Why haven't you been to see reat,since he had read of the broken engageirl's note And now in her eyes, in her whole attitude, he could read, as unh her lips had formed the words that he had not hoped in vain
But soe influence had seemed suddenly to come to work upon hinificence of Anthony Harding's hoe little stricture of the throat--a choking, half-suffocating sensation
The attitude of the servant, the splendor of the furnishi+ngs, the stateliness of the great hall, and the apart upon it--all had whispered to hi”
And now Barbara, clothed in son creation, belied by her very appearance the expression that suffused her eyes
No, Billy Byrne, the , ed” on Grand Avenue
And Billy Byrne knew it now His heart went cold The bottom seemed suddenly to have dropped out of his life
Bravely he had battled to forget this wonderful creature, or, rather, his hopeless love for her--her he could never forget But the note froht of her had but served to rekindle the old fire within his breast
He thought quickly His own life or happiness did not count Nothing counted now but Barbara He had seen the lovelight in her eyes He thanked God that he had realized what it all would have meant, before he let her see that he had seen it
”I've been back several months,” he said presently, in answer to her question; ”but I got sense enough to stay where I belong Gee! Wouldn't I look great cohlifes?”
Billy slapped his thigh resoundingly and laughed in stentorian tones that caused the eyebrows of the sensitive Smith on the floor above to elevate in shocked horror
”Den dere was de mills I couldn't break away from me work, could I, to chase a bunch of skirts?”
Barbara felt a qualain into the old dialect that she had all but eradicated during those days upon distant ”Manhattan Island”
”I wouldn't o' come up atal,” he went on, ”if I hadn't o' read in de poiper how youse an' Mallory had busted I t'ought I'd breeze in an' see wot de trouble was”