Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1902-06-12

gested that we should stroll on to
her house.
"My uncle will be wondering what
has become of me-" she said, 'and
he will also be most anxious to see
you"
"He does not accompany you to
church, then?"
"No," she answered. "He is so
conscious of his affliction that he
cannot bear it to be remarked. He
usually stays at home and walks up
and down a path in the garden,
brooding, am afraid, over his treat
ment by Mr.. Hayle. 1t goes to my
heart to see him."
"And Mr.. Codd?"
"He, poor little man, spends most
of his time reading such works on
archaeology as he can obtain. 1t is
his one great study, and | am thank
full he has such a hobby to distract
his mind from his own trouble"
Their coming to England must
have made a great change in your
life" [ remarked.
"It has made a difference" she an
swered. But one should not lead
ones life exactly to please ones self.
They were in sore distress, and l am
thankful that they came to me, and
that l had the power to help them"
This set me thinking. She spoke
gravely, and / knew that she meant
what she said. But underlying it
there was suggestion that, for
some reason or another, she had not
been altogether favorably impressed
by her visitors. Whether / was right
in my suppositions / could not tell
then, but | knew that / should in all
proba bility be permitted better OPP
portunity of judging later on. We
crossed the little bridge, and passed
along the high road for upwards of
n mile, until we found ourselves
standing at the entrance to one of
the prettiest little country resi-
dences it has ever been my lot to
find. A drive, some 30 yards or so in
length, led up to the house and was
shaded by overhanging trees. The
house itself was of two stories and
was covered by creepers. The gar
den was scrupulously neat, and l fam
cied that | could detect its mistress
hand in it. Shady walks led from it
in various directions, and at the end
of one of these l could discern n tall,
restless figure, pacing up and down.
There is my uncle" said the girl,
referring to the figure | have just
described. THAT is his sole occupa-
ton. He likes it because it is the
only part of the garden in which he
can move about without n guide.
How empty and hard his life must
seem to him now, Mr.. FairfaX?"
at must, indeed" l replied. "To
my thinking blindness is one of the
worst ills that can happen to a man.
1t must be particularly hard to one
who has led such vigorous life as
your uncle has DONE"
| could almost have declared that
she shuddered at my words. Did she
know more about her uncle and his
past life than she liked to think
about? / remembered one or two
expressions he had let fall in his eX-
citement when he had been talking
to me, and how / had commented
upon them as being strange words
to come from the lips of mission
ary. ] had often wondered whether
the story he had told me about their
| life in China, and Hayle's connection
with it, had been a true one. The
| tenaciousness with which a China
man clings to the religion of his fore
fathers is proverbial, and l could not
remember having ever heard that a
mandarin, or an official of high rank,
had been converted to the Christian
as being highly improbable that he
would have been the possessor OF
such princely treasure, and, even sup
posing that to be true, that he
would, at his death, leave it to such
man as Kitwater. No, I fancied il
we could only get at the truth of the
story, we should find that it was a
good deal more picturesque, not tc
use a harsher term, than we imag.
ined. For a moment 1 had almost
been tempted to believe that the
stones were Hayle's property, and
that these two men were conducting
their crusade with the intention o1
robbing him of them. Yet, OF
maturer reflection, this did not fit in
There was the fact that they had Ger.
tainly been mutiliated as they de-
scribed, and also their hatred o1
Hayle to be weighed in one balance
while Hayle's manifest fear of them
could be set in the other.
''If I am not mistaken that is your
step, Mr.. Fairfax" said the blind
man, stopping suddenly in his walk
and turning his sightless face in my
direction. Its wonderful how the
loss of ones sight sharpens ones
ears. 1 suppose you met Margaret
on the road?"
81 met Miss Kitwater in the
churchyard," | replied.
"a very good meeting place." he
chuckled, sarconically. Its where
most of US meet each other sooner
or later. Upon my word, l think the
dead are luckier than the living II
any case theY are more fortunate