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The Clown
J5
Militant explained to the bewildered lad that he had lost one father but soon would have
another.
Looking into his eyes steadily, she told him the whole story — of her attempted suicide, of Piffle's sacrifice, of those awful months with the circus, of the birth of the boy — "our boy. Dick" — and the return. Parts of the tale were hard for the man to believe, and yet he could not look into eyes and doubt.
" riie poor devil — how he must love you !" Ordway explained.
"Dick. I say it in all reverence, but if God were a man. I often think he would be just like John Fuller."
"And yet you did not love him."
"I have wanted to — oh. how I have wanted to. If you had really been dead, I am quite sure I should have. But somehow, way down in my heart. I must have known all the time that you were alive, and coming back, and I just couldn't Dick — I just couldn't."
"And now I have come back — seven years too late."
Millicent buried her face in her hands.
"What are we to do?" she moaned. "I love you so !"
"Don't," he pleaded.
"Of course, I must tell him I have seen you."
"No. It will only make him more unhappy. I must go away again. I struck it rich out there in the desert, and hurried back to bring the news to you. But I heard of vour marriage and went away. I saw no one I knew. I buried myself in the mine, and a few weeks ago sold out. I thought you had gone for good, and never expected to see you. Now it's back to the desert for me — to try to forget once more. I almost thought I had."
"No, no. no ! I can't let you go again."
"But I can't bear to stay here, to see you, and not to have you for my own."
"Anyway, don't go yet a while — please."
"The longer I stay the harder it will be for us both."
"But not for a few days. Don't you want to see our boy? He's a darling boy,