Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-07-09

satisfying myself that Jones was get
ting on as we'll as we had any ground to
hope he would, and that he would be
carefully looked after by the nurses
] who had volunteered for the service, i
| set out for the house on the knoll. II
was my plan to seek Johnson after nay
regular call upon Lamar, but, fate be-
ing auspicious, 1 was saved the trouble,
for the fisherman was atwork about his
| employers premises. He was very
willing to let the boat, which, he said,
| was well adapted for a woman's use, be-
ing light and handy, easily rowed, and
equipped with a small triangular sail,
available in light winds and on smooth
water. He would bring it that after
| noon TO the head Of one of the inlets.
You're on shore most of the time,
aren't you ?" asked, when this arrange
ment had been made.
"Ay, ay, sir" be answered.
Tired of salt water?
| NO, sir; but bed that don't pitch
| and roll is comfortable enough for me,
when I've chance to lie in it."
What are you doing these days?"
I'm mono too idle" he answered,
with quick glance at me.
"Find him sociable?" 1 nodded to-
ward the house.
He seemed to be about to speak, but
after look about him he changed his
| intention, and without word turned
again to the task which my coming had
Interrupted. Smiling at his caution, l
climbed the slope to the door, and en-
tered. Lamar, who was reading, laid
down his book-it was his well-worn
Cicero's Letters-and babe me good
morning. He seemed to be rather more
gracious In mood than usual.
We'll" said I, that fellow Jones
curiosity is not likely to cause you any
| annoyance for some time TO come. We
amputated his right leg last night"
II supposed It would be necessary"
he answered, composedly.
"What2 Supposed it would be nee
essary% What did you know of it?"
'I judged his hurt most serious"
How did you hear ofit?"
81 saw it."
You saw him run over?"
"Yes."
lou hHc" JudI was ~ ing
helpless for hours?"
at is true"
"And you did not attempt to relieve
Aim, to go to his assistance"
''The inference is correct"
His tone was as unconcerned as ever,
his speech as deliberate as If he were
discussing the most trivial of matters.
Ir nfY MT n T1p with sT1
! was thunderstruck by this fresh evil
dence of his callousness. He enjoyed
my surprise, think, as q singer may
enjoy the applause of long hostile
critic. 1t was a tribute of the sort he
understood aud appreciated. AS coolly
hs If he had been giving directions for
u days errand-going in Trent, he told
the story of the accident Jones, he
said, on his way home from the beach
tried a short cut which ran near the
knoll. Leaving his team in the little
hollow where Dorothy Gray afterward
found him, he cautiously approached
the hummock and climbed TO its sum-
init. Turning a corner of the house, he
came face to face with Lamar. What
talk passed between the two I never
learned, but the intruder departed in
such haste that his foot slipped on the
slope, and he fell. From the way he
limped on arising, Lamar believed that
6is ankle was sprained. but he con-
tdved at last to reach his horses. He
had picked up the lines, and was pre-
pairing to climb to the wagon-seat,
when his injured ankle gave way, and
he fell. At the same moment the
horses started. The fore wheel of the
loaded vehicle passed over his leg, and
before he conldsget it out of the way
II. indeed, pos @g 70 move 1t remained
the hind wheel bad completed the work
the other had began. Lamar from an
upper window of the house watched
what was happening, and, so far as
could determine from his account of it
spent most of his time until the girl
appeared gloating over the sight of the
helpless man stretched out on the
ground at the bottom of the depression.
When Dorothy hurried to his house for
assistance, he sat within, listening uu-
moved TO her knocks upon his door and
her cries for help. Moreover, he pre-
vented old Martha from responding to
the summons, when sounds of it pene-
trated even her dulled hearing. These
things he related as calmly as II they
had occurred at the other end of the
earth, as shamelessly as II there were
no sense of pity in him. What my
opinion of his conduct might be appar.
emily concerned him not In the least,
He sat there telling the tale Of his heart
lessness, with the cold, dispassionate
directness of a man who Is his own
judge, and who holds himself blameless
and beyond the need of apology.
He will survive, you say2" he asked,
In the same level tone of Indifference he
had maintained throughout.
1--WE hope that he WILL" 1 answered,
striving to keep all trace Of feeling out
of my voice.
"The odds?"
Last night they were against him;
to-day they are In his favor"
| "Ah! He rallies9"
He hos the best of constitutions. In
that lies his hope. l may as well tell
| you that In his incoherent talk last
| night made out the word mis- AIKEN.
1t was repeated several times. Did ii
have any bearing on his visit here?"
Lamar's face bore the grim smile
| which, rare as II was, was the unit OF
! his demonstrations of emotion
'It had a bearing" he said. THE
man regarded me as suspect He
! thought me n criminal of this country,
in hiding. When we met, he perceived
his mistake. That is all"
cause you trouble?'
None" he answered. And he picked
up his book, to warn me that or dis
cusslon had reached its close.
1 left him as gladly as one leaves n,
room the air of which is heavy with pois-
onous vapors. l was oppressed by
him, by his cuelty, by his utter disre-
| gard of the suh rings of another. Often
had 1 been on the verge of hatred for,
him; now l realized that the line had
been crossed, that the feeling that l
was bound to obey his nod, to come and
go at his command. would be more
odious than ever. Why had l not the.
| courage to denounce him to his face
and to quit his services then and there?
| Why had listened cowed and unpro-
testing? Why, even now, did l not
turn back to ease my conscience like
IN honest man and TO cast off the yoke
[ which CALLED me? In my own heart