The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-07-16


these pictures. found 'cm on his body. Look
at EN-. Pictures Of you and your girl. Praps
| you'll deny them. Ir'aps youll tell me Ito
when tell you he told me he was your son;
| told me how he ran away from YOU how you
were Twin somewhere in the mountains maxim
gold or sutlin' else outer charcoal. He told me
who he was as n secret. He never let on he told
it to any one else And when found that the
man who killed him. Lance Harriott. had been
hdin' here. had been sendin' spies all around
to find out all about your son. had been fooin'
you and tryin' to ruin your gal as he had killed
your boy, l knew that lie knew 1t too"
"LIARl"
| The door fell In with q crash. There was
the sudden apparition OF demoniac face still
half hidden by the long trailing black locks Of
| hair that curled like Medusas around it.. A
| cry Of terror filed the room. Three OF the men
| dashed from the door and fed prccipitately.
| The man who had spoken sprang toward his
rifle in the chimney corner. But the move
ment was his last; u binding flash and shat
| terlng report interposed between him and his
weapon. The Impulse carried him forward
| hcadong into the fire. that Kissed and splut-
| tered with his blood and Lance Harriott. with
| his smoking pistol. strobe past him to the door
! Already far down the trail there were hurried
voices tie crack and cracking OF impending
branches growing fainter and fainter in the
distance. Lance turned back to tho solitary
living ngure-the old man.
Yet he might have been dead too he sat so
rigid and motlonless. his fixed eyes staring
vacantly at the body on the hearth. Before
him on the table lay the cheap photographs.
one evidently Of himself. taken In some remote
epoch OF complexion. one of n child which
Lance recognized as Flip.
" Tell me- said Lance hoarscly. laying his
quivering hand on the table was Bob Ridley
your SOM"
" My son." echoed the old man in strange,
far-or voice. without turning his eyes from
the corpse" My son-is-is-is there !" point
ing to the dead man. Hush! Didn't he tell
you SOP Didn't you hear him say t2 Dead
ad--shot-shot!"
Silence are you crazy. man?" repeated
Lance, trembingly; that is not Bob Ridley.
but dog. coward. liar gone to his reckon
ing Hear mel II your son irds Bob Ridley, |
swear to God l never knew It, now or-or-
them Do you hear me1 Tell me! Do you be-
lieve me? Speak, You shall speak"
He laid his hand almost menacingly on the
old mans shoulder. Farley slowly raised his
head. Lance fell back with groan OF horror.
The weak lips were wreathed with feeble i'm
ploring smile but the eyes wherein the fretful.
peevsh. suspicious spirit had dwelt were blank
and tenantless; the pickering intellect that
had lit them was blown out and vanished.
Lance walked toward the door and remained
motoness for moment gazing into the night.
When he turned back again toward the fire his
face was as colorless as the dead mans on the
hearth; the fire of passion was gone from his
beaten eyes; his step was hesitatng and slow.
He went up to the table.
"Isay. old man. he said with n strange smile
and an odd premature suggestion OF the in
finite WEAKNESS Of death in his voice. you
wouldn't mind giving me this, would your"
and he took up the picture OF Flip. The old
man nodded repeatedly. Thank you said
Lance. He went to the door. paused a moment
and returned. "Good-by old man." he said
holding out his hand Farley took it with a
childish smile. He's dead" said the old man
softly, holding Lance's hand but pointing to
the hearth. Yes" said Lance with the faint
est Of smiles on the paest of faces. You feel
sorry for any one that's dead don't you;'
Farley nodded again. Lance looked at him
with eyes MS remote as his own. shook his head
and turned away. When he reached the door
he laid his revolver carefully. and. indeed
somewhat ostentatiously, upon chair But
when he stepped from the threshold he stop
ped moment in the light OF the open door TO
examine the lock Of u small derringer which
he drew from his pocket He then shut the
door carefully. and with the same slow. hesitate
ing step felt his way into the night.
He had but one idea in his mind-to find some
lonely spot some spot where the footsteps OF
man would never penetrate some spot that
would yield him rest. sleep. oblitcration for
gettulness-and. above all, where lie would be
forgotten. He had seen such paces-surely
there were many-where bones were picked up
OF dead men who had faded from the earth and
had left no other record II he could only keep
his senses now he might find such a spot. but
he must be careful. for her little feet went
yl,ara IL
alive or dead. And In the midst Of his thoughts.
and the darkness. and the storm. he heard
voice at his side" Lance. how long you have
beenl"
Left to himself the old man again fell into
vacant contemplation OF the dead body before
him, until a stronger blast swept down like an
avalanche upon the cabin, burst through the
ill-fastened door and broken chimney. and
dashng the ashes and living embers over the
floor. filed the room with binding smoke and
flame. Farley rose with feeble cry. and then.
as If acted upon by some dominant memory
CROPPED under the bed until he found his buck
skin bag and his precious crystal. and fed pre-
cipitately from the room. Liftedb this second
shock from his apathy he returned to the fixed
idea OF his ife-the discovery and creation OF
the diamond-and forgot all else. The feeble
grasp that his shaken intellect kept Of the
SNcHls u lue Hsul relhNeu tne ulSEulScu
Lance, the story ofhis son. the murder. slipped
into nothingness; there RENAME only tho one
ldea-his nightly watch by the diamond pit
The instinct OF long habit was stronger than the
darkness or the onset OF the storm, and he kept
his lettering way over stream and fallen tim
Der untilhe reached the spot. A sudden tremor
seemed to shake the lambert flame that had
lu!red him on He thought he heard the sound
OF voices; there were signs Of recent disturb
ance-iootprlnts in the sawdustl With cry
Of rage and suspicion, Farley slipped into the
Fit and sprang toward the nearest opening;
10 his frenzed fancy 1t had been tampered
with his secret discovered. the fruit Of his
long labors stolen from him that very night
with superhuman strength he began to open
the pit, scattering the half-charred logs right
and loft and giving free vent to the sutfocatng
gases that rose from the now ncandescent
charcoal. At times the fury OF the gale would
drive i back and hold it against the sides Of
the pit. leaving the opening free; at times, fol-
lowing the blind instinct OF habit, the demented
man would fall upon his face and bury his nose
and mouth in the wet bark and sawdust. At
last, the paroNysm past, he sank back again in
his, old anathctic attitude OF Watching the atti-
tude he had so often kept beside his sylvan
ia