The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-08-27

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mouth After a pause he continued: ct
viii admit 20 you that there Is a reason,
but what n II I may not say. Perhaps
one day. but not now n Is a long story
and one which II known to you. would
contain but little consolation. And 80
repeat-there is a reason. AS you see
am getting old; shall soon set sail for
foreign parts" his reference to death.
my nerves are not what they were I
need companionship: maybe I shall re-
uuire help. and I look for II TO my son.
We shall go 10 many strange places and
DO many strange things. and cannot say
when our wanderings will cease. Perhaps
soon. perhaps late; but soon or late
want obedience and an end 20 this ques-
tioning. II DO an odd thing. you are 10
believe that have n good reason for It.
and leave mo alone when you see me
struggling with the devil OF fear or me-
lancholy."
Though this confession left me no wiser
than / was before. II to a certain extent
cleared the air In his own way he had
first time as a rational being, and as a
result I felt considerably Modified That
some potent reason forced him 60 this
contemplate subterfuge had no doubt
whatever; that II did not encroach
upon the domain OF Scotland Yard I also
was. or whatever he may have been. II
was not to escape the police that he be-
haved in this extraordinary manner.
We left Shrewsbury that night by q
late train. 7 spent that day wandering
about tho town. but I DO not believe my
father left his room during the whole or
our stay. When the time came for our
departure, he went through the same
mysterious performance. muffing UP ~
the ears ordering q closed cab and Sitting
huds,led up in the corner. He was not on
the platform when the train arrived, but
as soon az II came to a standstill and the
passengers began TO make toward the exit
he took up position where he could see
their faces as the lamplight streamed
upon them. Evidently satisfied with his
scrutiny. he chose his carriage and en-
tered IL. A minute or so later and we
were pounding along through the night.
We arrived at Denbigh without mishap
and there acquired rooms on the out
skirts of the town. For some six or eight
weeks we pursued a quiet. uneventful life,
and my father. who scarcely ventured out
OF the house for the first eight or ten
days. gradually began to throw of the
fear which seemed TO clothe him as a
cloak. But though he went abroad ne
seemed unable to forget. He never left
his room without frst going to the win
dow TO see who was I'm the street; he
never stepped out from the door without
first taking a hasty glance up and down
the roadway. and when I'm the street 1t
self his eyes were forever darting keen
giances In every direction Even upon
the highroad, seeing a solitary figure nd
vance toward him, he showed unmistak-
able signs Of apprehension until the per-
son was well In view. He was looking
for somebody; he expected some one He
seemed assured OF the meeting and yet
fearful OF II. What would happen then t?
His evident fear tended toward catas-
trophe. Being a fatalist. think he had
no doubt what would be the result OF the
encounter.
During this period my own soreness
wore of. and as knew him better dis
covered the suggestion OF many good
points IN him and when the terror was
not on him joviaI to q degree. Or rather
] ehould say he showed the wreck of a
stanch heartfness from which one might
guess what the ship had been. And so
j began to take an interest In him and
his Affairs and thought less OF myself and
my Uncle Jim. / Will not pretend that I
felt for him anything like the affection
which i had bestowed upon my mother,
but he was my father. and. account for
It as you may, one must take certain
amount of interest In ones parents.
Thus his fears became my fears, and /
used TO long for him to take me into his
confidence, but that, despite numerous
broad hints. he would never do regard :
ing me as nothing more than a boy. Yet
boy as was misfortune had sharpened
my wits, and, piecing his words to-
gether. knew that he feared the yellow.
slit eyed men Of the east I had not
forgotten the man with the STRANGE eyes
nor the little brown faced gentleman who
had stood I'm the door OF the waiting
room.
/ remember once reading out TO him
the account OF attack by Chinese mob
on an English mission during which the
rioters had set the place on fire and de-
liberately burned several OF the inmat ties.
80, like them:" he said. II loathe the
yellow, Shiny swine. Cruel, treacherous.
they know neither pity nor mercy. OF
course. its only English life and English
property. II doesn't In the least matter
to the bloated fools who sit at home
and fancy they know how TO govern out
side OF England. It's not their property.
It's not their life. Ignorant. pigheaded
fellows, they want whipping, every one
Of them. They are responsible for these
outrages ON Fnglishmen because they do
not make the name Of England feared.
Heavens, II they'd only give me COM
mand OF the squadron and free hand
ia teach those yellow devils and ali the
world besides what the power OF Eng
land is IL makes me mad" no con-
tinued, Ito think that our ministers in
sist upon treating these Asiatics as civ
ilized beings. Any sign OF courtesy or OF
Cancellation has but one meaning for
them--fear. They have never been treat
ed as intelligent human beings. and they
40 not expect such treatment Give
them orders: don't ask favors"
am afraid my father got very excit-
ed as ne dilsted on the delinauencies OF
the Asiatics and that he used some Ian
guage which might sound stirring when
delivered from the bridge of a ship. but
which would be singulariy out OF place I'm
a decent narrative. He also spoke with
contempt Of her majesty's government
and gave II some sound advice. which
I would reproduce n thought ministers
would profit by II. But as advice of any
kind and. above all, sound advice. is
the thing most dctested by the Jack In
once refrain. After all we have our
own village pumps and our own parish
councils. and the present holder OF n
great Office IL necessarily a great man.
and the government knows everything
about everything.
CHAPTER VIII