The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-11-14

i nave NNhhNN 70 AHI lHItH GEaNns NNl
] shall be glad of your kind assurance
that you will give no account Of your
discovery to the newspapers. OF TO the
authorities. Not that ! have any occa.
sion 10 fear them" 40 said, 81 am not
a criminal, but the revelation of my
true name and identity with the men
who disappeared from the train In
which you were travelling would cause
me considerable inconvenience and
perhaps endanger the happiness Of my
home"
81 will keep your secret faithfully"
said. 'But in return will you tell me
how and why you are here?"
Certainly" he said. "And / give you
my permission to tell 1t to the world
after my death, or If you care to do so
in twenty years from this time. There
will be no difficulty then about letting
the truth be known. The fact is. nave
from my boyhood been placed In UNI
congenial circumstances. / do not
know whether l can express to you
the loathing with which the life Of
civilization of modern cities fill me.
and has always filled me since l came
to years of maturity. I suppose l have
the soul of recluse-a hermit. though
not, as you see, of a celbate. My wife
and children are the greatest joys of
my present life, but in order to gain
this haven of peace | was obliged to
cut myself adrift from the world and
all my earlier associations
4 had made Finettes acquaintance
some time before you met me in Italy
and was convinced that my only
chance of happiness lay in marrying
her. Unfortunately had a relative, an
uncle, who was a severe, uncompromis-
ing man, with a Calvinistic turn and
a conviction that man would be eter-
nally lost if he did not apply him
self to business. l hated him, but at
! the same time l acknowledged that he
had complete mastery over me whom
ever l was in his presence. He even
contrived that l should engage myself
to his daughter a woman ten years
cider than myself, as hard and dry as
her father, and quite capable of suing
me for breach Of Promise Of marriage
If l dared to terminate the engage
ment. Under these circumstances I
took refuge in fight. But fight was
useles. l received letters from time to
time showing that my whereabouts
was known, and finally was told that
my uncle and his daughter had re-
solved to follow me to Italy and insist
that the marriage should take place
Immediately. was forced upon desper.
ate courses, and you yourself know
what l did"
Upon my word 1 don't!" l inter.
polated hastily, Il suppose you mean
you gave them the slip. But how did
you leave the train?"
my dear sir" said Edmund Justi
can, don't you remember the snail's
pace at which the train was crawling
up the hill? I simply opened the door
and stepped out. l made my way from
the railway line to place where l was
not known, concealed myself for some
Gays among the peasants, and adopted
as far as | could their dress and habits
Finally made my way to Finett's ma
tive village and persuaded her to cas-
in her lot with mine. You may hav,
observed that took my handbag will
me, which contained a very fair pro
portion of my fortune in a portabl
form We married, bought this littl
homestead and here we live with GU
children, our garden and our animals
|, as happy as the day IS long. Than
God, l shall never see a city again"
stared at the man, for such an ez
preston of feeling seemed to me e1
traodinarily bizarre. But l could detec
no sign of insanity in Edmund Just
cans tone.
"And do you never regret you
friends?" I said Surely the relative
Of whom you speak must have suffere
some anxiety on your account?"
2 Il took very simple procaution,
! said Edmund Justican, smiling, wit
! the air of a man who had triumphe
!, over fate. 81 wrote to them beforehan
telling them of nv intention to comm
suicide That is probably why the
, made no search for me, and conclude
6 that I had carried out my threa
! They had no affection for me, bl
7 they envied me my money, and ha
: no conjunction for the deception
pr9cticed All that | ask is that VIC
y will not let them know"
:, ''T will most certainly not let the
know" l answered. But I am gls
that have met you and solved a my
: terry which often tormented me-"
Il am sorry for the trouble l ms