The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1904-03-11

whose heart could be read more cas-
lily than Dorothy's nor man whose
guilty thought had been hidden behind
q mask SO impenetrable as that which
Carl had worn. If he had been mis-
taken in her, he must be mad, but it
seemed to me that not even the mystic
rious power which she had once pos
sessed could have warned her against
him. His manner toward her, as i
would have sworn from constant OBJ
servation, had always been perfect.
Yet it is true, Of course, that those who
stand nearest to such tragedies of the
home are often most blind to their be-
ginnings. Mrs. Kelvin's hint about
Donald required to me. and wonder
ed with shudder whether he had
looked into Archer's heart If that
were true. 1t could have been only to
hate the man, never to fear him.
When I came out upon the veranda,
Dorothy was sitting In q big chair with
her son upon the arm Of it. saw them
against the brightest of the moonlight,
a great statue Of bronze.
where is your father, DonT she
was asking him as stepped out.
"In his room, writing" he answered.
"Shall call himT'
She answered mo-" that she would
go up.
"Ill carry you," said he, and in an
instant he had lifted her with his right
arm alone by q peculiar knack which
L ha nf 4
was very easy and graceful, and Doro-
thy was perched upon his arm like a,
bird on bough.
"Oh, Donald" she cried, steadying
herself with n hand upon his bare
head, "Tm too heavy! I'll topple you
over"
II have pond lily in my buttonhole
on the other side," said he. I'm bal
anced perfectly"
And he strobe away with her into
the house.
waited there long time for Carl,
but he did not appear, and at last /
made up my mind not to speak to him
OF my plan for sending him away until
1 had had more time to mature it, No
immediate action was necessary, for
upon the following day Carl went to
visit a friend Of his who lived in fine
country house about half w,sy between
Tunbridge and the Junction. He had
made such visits before, and if 1 had
not had the wretched fortune to play
eavesdropper I should not have felt
the need Of any explanation OF his de-
parture.
A day or two later Donaldson laid
the whole case before me in q manner
most delicate and most affecting. He
spoke as If I had been his father.
Archer had come to him, he said, In
such an attitude of mind as to alter
his own feeling materially. He was
inclined to believe that the man had
been greatly overwrought by the ex-
igencies of our common business af-
fairs.
Gle believes" said Donaldson, "that
Kelvin will win I'm this fight and that
1T will be the beginning of the end, so
far as this business is concerned. He
has brooded over 1t and gone sleepless,
as he tells me, and / know what
strange things, contrary to his own
tSof hutuiSD u may uo WhCh
tect to such strain. 1t is weak JUS
tificatioa, but one can't look at him
and feel that there IL nothing in 1t.
He has been beside himself for weeks.
! think his attitude toward Don has
been the result Of pure nervousness.
At any rate, acting under Dorothy's
advice, am unwilling to do anything
that may cut Carl off from the benefit
OF your influence. l know how strong
an affection you have for him.
That's the central fact, isn't itT
interrupted. "You want to please me.
/ Well, then, let's wait Let's trust bit
to him. We will not hastily condemn
man who seems to be struggling to
redeem himself"
Now that my attention was thus di-