Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1901-04-05

For fully seven years l had not seen
my father in the flesh. and was now
a big boy Of IS. somewhat tall for my
age. but giving promise OF doing we'll
in the future. And it was in this year
that my troubles began, and remem-
Der now. as distinctly as though it had
only happened yesterday, that first
meeting with the yellow man.
l was home for the holidays at the
time and was doing little work in
our front garden when heard the gate
click. Looking up. saw a man slowly
push it open, carefully close it and
then. with a very deferential air, ad.
vance toward me-. AS he raised his
hat to speak l noticed tina: be had coal
black. hair. that his skin was very
dark and foreign looking and that be
had strange. dark eyes.
II beg your pardon" he said, "does
Captain Kingston live hereT'
Though the English was remarkably
pure. there was just suspicion of for
eign intonation in his voice.
YES" said I.
"And is the captain at homeT'
mo. sir; he is in China
The strange eyes peered up from un-
der the strange lids, lids Of which the
skin seemed to be drawn up in the cor
ners in some peculiar manner. no.
ticed that the man had scarcely any
eyebrows and no eyelashes.
THAT is very strange" he said. Il
thought he would have been home long
before this
He seemed to doubt me somewhat.
though he did it in a quiet way with
which l could not quarrel. After all,
the man would naturally be a little
disappointed. 1t is poor fun to travel
a good 20 miles to see man and then
not find him at home. And yet where
could he have seen my father and how
did he know he was coming home?
The man, looking at me very hard
said, pardon me, but are you Captain
kingston's son?"
Eyes, SIR
Ellis only SOM"
''His only child
"You are not much like your "a
ther."
"You know him we'll then?"
"Fery intimately. Indeed. we were
great friends in Australia
"But you are not an Australian?'
knew we'll he wasn't, but his nationali.
ty puzzled ME. and | hoped thar he
might vouchsafe the information.
mo, but sometimes have business
there"
He regarded me intently, measuring
me from head to foot, his strange eyes
seeming to take in every particular of
my face and dress. And this he did
without speaking, a proceeding with
which was not at all pleased, which,
moreover. was beginning to render me
extremely uncomfortable.
II am sorry my father is not here"
said, 'but if you will leave your name
l will tell my mother to mention you
the next time she writes"
"Yeu have no idea when your father
will return?''
"None," said shortly. a little an
noyed at the way be ignored the sug-
gestion that he should tell me his
name.
"Ah, that's pity! Perhaps your
mother knows?'
THAT is scarcely possible"
"1s she in?''
II think So"
In fact, I knew so, but the mans
questioning was not at all to my lik-
ing. and l felt suspicious, hardly
knew why. But he seemed to ignore
my restraint and with calm survey
of the garden and the house remarked
that we had a very pretty place, and
he wondered why Captain Kingston
preferred to roam SO much abroad.
That, I was nearly saying, was my IA
TIERS business, but at that moment
my mother appeared at the door and
called to me.
at once advanced toward her, the
stranger following.
'"This gentleman has just called to
see father" l explained, pointing to
the stranger, who raised his hat and
bowed very low.
My mother honored him with an un-
commonly sharp scrutiny, and then l
thought her lips frightened and she
grew shade paler.
II am sorry to say Captain Kingston
is still abroad" she answered, and her
voice was cold and distant and star
tlingly unlike her usual tone.
II regret it exceedingly" said the
man. II expected to find him here"
She did not answer, but stared at him
in way which failed utterly to com.
prehend. So l Clipped in with:
''This gentleman met father in Aus.
tralia."
"Australia!" she echoed, her eyes
growing wider.
l may have been mistaken, but
thought the zvno was more like gasp.
EYES," he said, a curiously familiar
smile playing round the corners of his
mouth. eve were good friends out
there. He gave me his address when
he knew l was coming to England. l
quite understood from what be- said
that he would have arrived by this
He spoke easily and with the same
meaning smile, but his strange eyes
played all over my mother, and l saw
how deeply they affected her.
Il am sorry" she said hastily. giving