Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-03-06
A Knave Of
Con SCience
By FRANCIS LYNDE.
sCoDyriga IT 100. by Francis Lynde.)
CHAPTER XxX.-CoNr1NuED.

CHAPTER. XXX.-CoNTINUED.
Andrew Galbrafth was silent on the
short run before the gale to the pier
head at the foot of Main street. For
one thing. he was not a man of many
words; and for another, he was
chilled through and thoroughly un-
comfortable.
None the less, he made shift to
thank his rescuers in fitting phrase
at the point of debarkation, and to
Eliminate, as a gentleman might, that
ms gratitude would wait upon a fit
ting opportunity to take a more sub
ataRtial form. Charlotte offered to
aVaIk home, that Griswold might see
Mr.. Galbraith safe to his hotel, but
<his the old man would by no means
permit. '.f O. r.
ma. na," he said, relapsing, as he
did now and then, into the Scottish
mother-tpngue. ''I'm9 wet as any
drowned rat, but I'm. not that badly
fashed. Take. the Teddy home, Mr..
Griswold, and do you two be seeing
sitter yourselves. . You're as wet as
n am"
Accordingly, Griswold accompanied
Charlotte to her own gate, and then
lust what he meant to do afterwards
ssas not very clearly defined. but dur
ting the changing interval he made up
his mind with sudden determination.
Whatever should come of it. the
ching for which all other things must
wait must be said. He had reached
GsGhe parting of the ways; he knew. as
ne might have known from the mo-
80
Julie." that life without Charlotte to
share it with him would henceforth
be ne more than a shadow of the
real.
He had a good excuse for going
straight away back to DR.. Farnham's.
! The very least he could do would be
to call and ask if she had come
Through the adventure with no worse
consequence than shock and a wet
ting And yet, when he had let him
Self out of Mrs. Holcomb's gate he
cid not go directly to the house on
the lakes edge. Instead. he made a
hong detour, walking aimlessly and
deeply buried in thought. This thing
which he was abouteeto do was not
TO be done lightly. So far from it,
the more he pondered. over it the
anore he realized that it was likely
to prove the turning point in his life.
Now. that he gave himself the back
ward glance which he had steadily
refused since the morning of the
bayou bank incident to take, he saw
chat he had been living tentatively;
passing from day to day as one who
waits upon the event of the day;
Rocking neither backward nor for
ssard.e Though he had worked faith
fully. doing the thing that lay next
60 his and, he knew now that his
vCork, on his book or in the office
with Raymer, had been. purely ex-
&rinsic toe any weil-considered future
Hut now the future demanded
thoughtful consideration-would have
&c, whether or no: and, as was in
evitable, the past colored every fore
casting picture.
For one thing, he had come to that
stone of stumbling which he had
forseen in his, earliest imaginings
touching his future relations with
Charlotte. Without being unduly be-
sotted. the hope that he should not
plead with her in vain was almost an
assurance. If he could gain his own
consent to let the past lie buried in
ssbaivion, the vista OF the future
opened out before him with all the
barriers to happiness brushed aside
And yet, tryeas he might to resolve
kEo hold his peace touching the past,
SAe could not bring himself to the
k1scint of taking her Conscience un-
saHares. He was far enough from,
rsalizing that his own conscience was
e11erposing this obstacle He
Thought. when he allowed himself to
think in that direction, that he hud
ssetfied the conscientious scruples for
siszaself once and for all. Neverthe-
Ness. there had BEEN moments, brief
Aeeting moments, for the most part,
ashen he would have given the rever.
kzsfDn of years of life to be as he had
oeen before the pistoI-drawing Incl.
s<ent IN Andrew Galbraith's private
dzee But these little upflashes oi
sSf2snorsc had been but match flares
<sHzisE out in a sudden whiff of the
lad or EnaIity- For the thing wa.
IRE eeably and could never bs
fa the as::less detour which let
s Am from s1s-se = street and finall,