Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1903-11-07

II
/ Never,
So he began to temporize. Nothing
| was known. His crime could never
be discovered. Richard Dysart was
long ago food for the asvogels. Stella
need never learn the truth Unless he
chose to tell it. Let her Rick be for.
gotten, as he would be in time. swiftly
sinking out of sight in the maelstrom
of life. merely another name added to
the long roll of the missing.
| Tossed and torn by SUCH conflicting
agonies OF thought, the lurid hours
| went by for Rossiter Kane until il
| wanted but two days to the climax of
the festivities. He had seen Stella but
once since his declaration, and then
she was not alone, but he knew that
she would think it strange If he did
/ not call.
/ Then arose another dilemma. She
would be sure to ask him about Rich
| ards picture, and what could he say?
| His soul Shrank from the thought of
more deceit; he had meant that their
page of life should be henceforth white
and unsullied by falsehood or guile.
So he spared for time. and wrote
excuse for not being where his heart
was, and telling her also that, in full
fillment of his promise. he was going
to London for few hours to set on
| foot inquiries about her brother.
Not that he expected any news-the
dead do not come back-but the mans
death might possibly have been bruited
at the Cape, in which case it would be
well for him to know the precise ma
ture of the reports. Then, too, he
wanted to be able to say truthfully
. that he had actually set the sleuths at
| work
Arrived in the city, he went first OF
all to Lloyds, where he spent a morn
Ing porting over the files of all the
South African papers. Not syllable,
not line, could he find bearing upon
the disappearance of Richard Dysart.
One solitary item alone rewarded his
close and anxious scrutiny, and that
reported the locating of a new dia-
mond field on the MOOT river.
"Ah," he said to himself, ''then it
has leaked out!" He knew the hateful
spot only too we'll
Then ne visited a well-known pri-
vate inquiry Office in a street off the
Strand, where he left minute instruc-
tons for prosecuting the search at the
Cape
Spare no expense; use the cable
freely send your best detectives; find
the young man, alive or dead, and send
me the smallest item of news."
Such commission. from a man of
such social and commercial promi-
nence, was safe to be worked up quick
ly and thoroughly. Kane felt that he
ran no risk in thus displaying his per-
sonal interest in what was, after all,
very natural manner.
The mere act of being busy. even on
this partially fictitious errand, served
to steady his nerves, and he returned
to The Cedars fortified for his interview
with his afianced. with a sort of
blind defiance of fate he determined to
let matters drift for few days.
Stella he saw on the morning after
his return, and was lavishly rewarded
for his quick compliance with her
maiden request.
How good and thoughtful you are!"
she exclaimed, the love-light in her
eyes. IF you were one of us-if you
were Kicks own brother-you could
not do more"
The bitter-sweet of her praises
moved and thrilled him more deeply
than he would have believed possible
one short year ago, and again his con-
science smote him. But he was none
the less alert to seize the opening thus
afforded him.
Remember you have yourself given
me the best of all rights to help you."
he murmured, land when you give me
your sweet self l shall be a brother to
Rick and something nearer and dearer
to you"
She suffered his caress with an alto
gether happy abandon. Then sud-
denly:
Marcia was here yesterday" she
/. said. "She tells me Kicks photo
graph revealed nothing-suggested no
, one to your"
He shook his head mutely, and in
wardly thanked his stars that the form
7 OF the question he had been dreading
made a verbal lie unnecessary.
REST assured" he said aloud, "that
If your brother is anywhere on Gods
footstool we shall hear of him. These
temporary disappearance are quite
common in all the new lands. A man
hears of new diamond field or a new
gold reef, or goes elephant hunting
for ivory up-country, and only his i'm
mediate companions could tell you his
exact whereabouts. Suddenly he re-
! appears, sound as dollar and rich as
Croesus. Total disappearance are
very rare occurrences, I assure you.
Rick may return to civilization any
day and laugh at us all for worrying
! about him.
I, She hung upon his words with parted
, lips and wide-open eyes.
"You give me new courage!" she ex-
claimed resolutely. Until we hear the
/, worst I shall believe and hope that all
will turn out as you say"
Kane breathed freely once more.