The National tribune., 1901-06-27

the fire, and turning fiercely to the coach
man, he said in Il low, hoarse whisper:
Il thought you said there were no
strangers here?"
We'll, / swear / did not know he was
here. He warn't here when l left the
house.
The new conner hesitnted moment
and then, as if he had formed n sudden
resolution, walked to the fire and seated
himself in front of it.
The coachman, framing some excuse for
leaving the room, went out to the old barn,
shaking his head and muttering some unin-
telligible words.
Uncle Matt was assisting in the kitchen,
where the fire had to be again replcn-
ished, and as the wood was damp, this
was no easy matter.
The two strangers were, in the mean
while, left alone. For a long time they
sat gazing into the fire, occasionally cast
ing suspicious glances ut each other from
the corners of their eyes, but gradually
thawing out from the icy reserve with
which strangers regard each other.
At last one, the tallest, and the first
conner, asked:
Have you Travelled farE'
YES, half round the globe"
Lived long III strange countries Z!
There were long pauses between ques-
tions, and sometimes between question and
answer, but gradually they came nearer to
each other.
Have you ever been in this part of the
country beforeY
Yes, several years ago." was the an
swer, after another silence. Were yOu?'
Yes
Then a silence. At last the latest conner
asked:
What do you think the greatest crime
one can commit"
Murder" was the answer.
Il differ from you"
What do you think the greatest
crime?"
deception"
The tall man sat up straight, and fixed
his eyes on the man before him.
You talk strangely" he said.
'Yet, | talk truly. One usually Stays
in passion, or when insane and irreSpOnsi-
bic, but the man who deliberately deceivcs
does SO from malicious or selfish pur-
pose"
Then came a silence of some moments,
broken by the tall man, who sat gazing
into the fire from his great soulful eyes,
communing with himself:
Yes, yes; one must be mad to commit
murder, when he knows the awful conse-
quences OF such a crime. We had been
the best Of friends, until l, mad with
jealousy, met him at the mill pOnd"-
Then he seemed to realize that he was
in the presence of another, commuming
aloud. and became silent, while the second
stranger took it up saying:
And l was deceitful to my friend.
made him believe she loved me, when she
had told me that she could never be more
than a friend to me; when | knew she
loved him. We met by moonlight at the
old mill pond, where | tantalized him,
until / provoked him to strike me, and |
fell in the water. He had murdered me
and would have to fly for his life. Was
not my offense greater than his!"
The tall stranger was on his feet, his
eyes staring, his breath coming in short
quick gasps, and his whole frame trem-
bling with ineXplainable emotion.
What is that y0u are talking about.
What do you meang' he demanded.
Mark Henderson, you are not a mur-
derer, though l was wicked enough to
make you for 10 years believe you were
guilty"
TON Ashley-Tom Ashley, aliver'
'Alive and well. Here is my hand in
the flesh, but stained with the gilt of de-
ceit. Will you take it,"
"God be praisedr' gasped Mark Hender-
son, grasping his former friend in his arms.
TON, Tom, l can forgive you anything,
now that / know that | have not the
brand of Cain upon my brow"
wait until you know how much l have
wronged you, before you decide that l am
worthy of forgiveness"
They sat down side by side, as they used
to do when they were friends in the long
ago, holding each others hands, while Tom
Ashley resumed, talking very rapidly s-
I'VE had always been the best of
friends, though l was poor and you rich,
until Kate AylesfOrd came, and 1 loved