The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-03-09
THE REACHING HAND

Returning home after n long absence one
naturally expects surprises and changes;
but could not have ever imagined such as
found in my friend Philip Aoreiand. /
had been gone twenty years. and / an we'll
aware how impressions will fade and men,
DRY become defective in that length of
time; but he was so different from the
promise of his early manhood that / at
once felt the change TO be much moro than
warplng of my recollection. When we
had parted. Just after graduating from the
same college-he 10 study law and to take
o promising business post in Australia-he
was 8 healthy. stalwart young man. in
domitable. buoyantly aggressive. uneom-
pfomisingly ambitious and blessed with
talents insuring his success. Calling at
his office. l found shrunken man. old be-
fore his time, his hair and beard streaked
with gray. and deep lines rudely cut across
a waxen forehead. The first glance told
me that beheld a tragedy of noble gifts
and aspirations.
Not until had answered his questions
as To my prosperity, and he had told me
that his parents were dead, and that, not
having married, he lived almost alone in
the old homestead, did i speak of his ap-
pearance and beseech him. in the name or
our friendship to tell me what calamity
had come TO him. He looked at me few
moments. unable to reply, the pupils of his
sunken eyes dilatIng. and pallor forcing Its
way through the yellow skin. At last he
replied. with shaking voice, and conceal
ing the trembling of his hands by tightly
pressing them upon the chair arms:
eyes. John. will tell you. Bat you will
be the only mortal except myself who
knows what has snapped the strings of my
energy and purposes. / cannot tell you
here. though"
Greatly wondering, / asked:
Where can you tell mel"
Come 10 the Old home tonight at
O'clock"
Principally to the appointed time, sent
solemn echoes of the old-iashioned brass
knocker through the wide hall The house,
dating from colonial days. unable TO keep
pace with modern improvements. and Sc
cluded from the street amid high poplars
and elms. was gloomy enough ut all times;
but clouds had brought the October night
earlier, and the rattle and rustic OF the
withered leaves, rs the wind tore them
from the bOughs and scurrled them across
the dead grass. seemed to deepen the dis
NAL quiet OF the place; or, IN my fancy, eX-
cited by apprehension. TO be thew hsDerlng
of the demons OF fate and mystery. An
aged cOlOred servant. whose hearty voice.
as remember it, had been lowered to n
pitch of melancholy, opened the door and
bade me go upstairs
Philip welcomed me in the study with an
air of relief. As he turned up the light,
the evident pain IN his eyes. and the grate-
tre showed me he had been brOoding In
the dark. An easy rocker drawn close TO
his chair. silently revealed bis wish that
We sit there. l accordingly asked MIN TO
turn down the light, which he gladly did,
and we SAT down before the ire place.
AnNIOualV Inferp9fad friand'a n
dition. 1 fell naturally to analyZing it as
reflected by the expression OF his face, and
i now saw. even In the dim hearth light.
spark of hope that this first rovealment
might lessen his grief.
John" he began. lyon have noticed that
this Is not the same study father used. He,
you remember preferred the room at the
top of the house. which looked out over
the slantIng room OF the back building.
and commanding the Wow We have SO
often, as young men, admired III those
happy days. Men of Studious habits seem
TO take instinctIvely TO the hOuse-tOps. as
If nearDess 10 the ground makes the mind
earthly. 1. too. liked its solitude. and, after
father died, L kept 1t until"
He stopped suddenly, and the spark in
his eyes was queDched by despair. said
nothing and he went on:
But will start at the beginning and if
you can suggest an escape for me you will
be more than friend to me. Pm suffering :
JOhn-GOd help me- how | suffer- lou
know what prospects / had. i wrote you
how i was elected prosecuting attorney. |
was winning legal trInmphs such as might
have turned any ones head, but you be-
hold me nova complete, q hopeless
wreck.
Yes. 1 triumphsd until tho case of the
State versus Joel HarktOn came to NE. 1t
was my first capital case. Harkton was o
well-known man of the city and an ac-
quantance of mine. His wife died sud-
denly under circumstances sufficiently sus-
piciOus to warrant his arrest. They were
only circumstances, but very, very
strong against him, and l saw that
conviction would be laurel
worthy trying for; especially Is / knew
that success meant my certain nomination
for State Senator. Briefly anG horribly.
John. my ambition rose to madness. 1t
trampled down my scruples against con-
vietiOn on circumstantIal evidence, and
even the sympathy 1 had for HaTkton q
close acquaintance You will not you can
not, understand me when l tell you that
my ambition became-blood thirsty. IL set
mark-HarktOn's life. You shrink, my
friend. and 10 Is right you shOuld; but be-
fore high heaven, i swear it TO be troe that
it was the external impulse deterni-
nation which could have been formed only
In the deepest heart OF Lucifer himself.
Through day. and night after nj ght. not
stopping To sleep. / studied the ciTeum-
stances until l had weighed. and pared,
ana shaped. and fitted them into mosaic
of conviction. If thought OF Harkton at
nj. it was only the old high prizes. re-
garded the sacriicIal lamb-as necessary
10 sdlHdtiOu- my IcilBlOH
and my GOd
"One nisht'-acute recollection silenced
the trembling voice for few minutes-"I
sat up In the old study, strIngiug the facts
for she bundredth time. upon thread OF
prosecution. L was IN fever OF citation.
No possible defense could break down
my theory of the wlfe-murQerer. L already
eiutched victory to my sOuL / was
oblivfous TO everything but the case; tho
hours. tolled from the steep!e yondor. struck
upon my ear. brt did not reach NY BRAIN
i reveled In n realization of victory. OF the
attainment OF nay cherished heights. aud of
triumph over the counsel for tho defend
ant, who my bitterest political op-
pOnent. Suddenly was disturbed in INV
ecstacy by o silghJ noise. and. LOOKING
around. there within reach OF my hand,
quietly stood Joel HarktOn.
For a moment was chilled by the fear
that was the victim of AN hallucinatIon,
but the mans voice assured me OF his ma
terisl presence.
lyon are working to convict me- was
what he said. In mild reproach.
"'How did you come hcref / demanded
Il escaped from Jail. and crawled ND
over the root there. foo,ishly. perhaps, 10
ask you 10 ard me In escape, instead of
seeking my lie. as you doing. We
have been friends, Moreiand, and as surely
as talk to You now. | am innocent
'''Innocent" l repeated III scorD. You
killed your wife In cold blood. The proof
u incontrovertible.'
"He sbrank from me. holding up his
hands In despairiDR realization of my hit
4 a.