Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-16

meanly followed me TOTO detect me in
M And there he came to a deadlock and.
reaoer than before, Numbered. Are you not
ashamed of yourself sir?'
thought saw a back knew" mnttered
JACK; looking everywhere but at his father.
which,, which was terribly Irritating. Il was coming
You were coming through the street: sup
pose you often pass through Sidmouth street,"
casm, but swallowing some of his wrath
Very often" said Jack SO sturdily that his
father could not but believe him, and was fur
ther sobered Il saw back thought knew.
ana ! came IN here. had no intention Of
offending you, sir. And now think / will GO, ~
he added, looking about him uneasily, ..and-
and speak to you another time"
But the arehdeacon's anger was shortived
wretched embarrassment was ALREADY taking
Its place as 1t dawned upon him that after ali
JACK might by pure chance have seen him en-
ter and have followed innocently In that case,
how had he committed himself by his outbreak
how, indeed! Jack" he said sweetlv Il beg
your pardon. beg your pardon, Jack. see /
was mistaken Do not go. my boy. until 1
nave explained to you why l am here Ii is
not. perhaps" he went on, smiling a wretched
| smile at the pretty faces round him, quite the
place in which you would expect to find me-
1T is certainly not the place in which did
expect to find you, sir, said Jack bluntly
ion, as it the archdeacon and the photographs
were not a conjunction for which he was pre-
pared.
mo, no." assented the archdeacon wineing,
however: But it is the simplest piece of bust
ness in the world which has brought me here
And he recalled to his sons memory their talk
at the club.
'Ah, 1 understand" said Jack as if he did.
too. you have come about your friends bust
ness"
The orol5o.o1- .oz,, -. IA,
well, not precisely. To tell you the truth.
| there never was a friend Jack. But" he went
on hurriedly, holding up a hand of dignified
protest, for Jack had looked at him queerly,
very queerly, you know me too well to doubt
doubt"
The sons keen eyes met the fathers for an
instant and then a rare smile softened them as
the mems hands met Il do, sir; you may be
sure Of that!' he said brightly.
The archdeacon cleared his throat Thank
you, he said; now | think you will under
stand the position. Miss Kent. the young lady
IN question lives here, and have called to-day
to see her by appointment"
The dickens you havel It is like your i'm
them
Both men swung around at this interruption
In the doorway. holding the door open with
one hand, while with the other placed against
the wall he balanced himself on his feet, stood
smart Jewish-looking man. THE dickens
you have" this gentleman repeated. leering on
the two most unpleasantly. 80 that is your
game, Is 1t! Amt you ashamed of yourself"
he continued, addressing himself particularly
TO the shudderng archdeacon-and how far
away seemed Wnnall and the lavender,
ana ne calm delights of Sudbury at that
moment" amt you ashamed OF yourself,
old man?"
This is private ROOM" said Jack sternly,
anticipating his fathers outbu-st. You do not
seem to be aware of il, my friend"
"A private room, is itI' replied the visitor,
closing one eye with much enjoyment "A
private room, and what then?"
This much, that you are requested to leave
'Ho hop replied the man; $50 you would
put me out of my daughters room. would you
out of my daughters room? l dare say that
you would like 10 do IL" Then, with a sudden
change to ferocity, he added, ''you are brag-
glng above your cards, young man. Dry up,
do you hear? Dry up"
And Jack did dry up. falling back against the
table with white face and trembling hands
The arcbdeacon. even in his own misery-mis-
cry which far exceeded his presentiments-saw
and marveled at his sons collapse. That Jack.
keen, practical, hard-headed Jack, should be
so completely overwhelmed by collision with
this creature, and so plainly scared by his in
situations infected the archdeacon with a kind
OF terror. Yet, struggling against the feeling,
he forced himself to say, ''you are Mr.. Kent, /
presume?"
Il am, sir, yours to command" staggered
the wretch.
'Then may tell you that your daughter. 8"
thing OF his natural self-possession, was left
In my charge by your wife, and that am here
in consequence of that arrangement"
''Gammon!" replied Mr.. Kent distinctly,
putting his tongue in his cheek. Cannon
Do you think that story will go down with
IN will
one?"
1T is the truth"
"All right; but look here, when did you see
my wife2 On her death-bed. Once. And be-
fore that-not for twenty years. Well, what do
you make of it now? Why" he exclaimed
with genuine admiration in his tone, you
have the impudence Of the old one himself!
Fie on you, sir, Amt you ashamed of hanging
about stage-doors and following actresses home
at your age? But l know you. And your
the Athen@um club. You will hear more of
this!"
"You are an insolent fellow" cried the cler-
gyman. But the Precipitation stood in great
beads upon his brow, and his quivering lips be-
trayed the agony of his soul as he writhed I'M
der the mans coarse insinuations. The awk-
wardness and improbability of the tale he
would have to tell in his defense flashed across
his mind while the other was speaking He saw
how cogently the silence he had maintained
about the matter would tell against him. He
pictured the nudge of one friend, the wink of
another, and his own crimsoning cheeks. His
sons unwonted silence, too, that touched him
home. Yet he tried to bear himself as an inno-
cent man. He struggled to give back look for
look. You are a mailman and a scoundrei,
besides being drunk" he said stoutly. IF it
were not SO, or-or were as young as my son
here"
II do not see him." said the man. CURLY.
"Jack!' cried the archdeacon, purple with
indignation. Jack! If you have a voice, speak
to him. sir.'
ut won't do" replied Mr.. Kent, shaking his
head. Call him Charley, and might believe
you"
Charley" repeated the archdeacon, me-
chanically.
"Ay, Chariey-Chariey Williams. Oh,
know him, too" with vulgar triumph. Il have
not been hanging about this house for two
days for nothing. He has been here heaps of
times! What you two are doing together beats
me, confess. But am certain of this. that /
have caught you both-killed two birds with
one stone, eh?"
1t was the archdeacon's turn to fall back,
nerveless and aghast. The light that shone in
upon him with those words SO blinded him
that every spark of his anger paled and
dwindled before it. His son Charles Williams?
He sought in that sons eyes, sought with a
pitiful eagerness. some CLEAN of denial. But
Jacks eyes avoided his; Jacks downcast air
seemed only too strongly to confirm the inso-
lent charge. The shock was a severe one taE