Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-15
CHAPTER XIV.
The Other Woman

| have never felt so near sickness, so
physically overcome, as amid that CHEEKY,
busting, chattering crowd. Ridiculous
as the notion was, | fancied that Karl, his
father, Maggie and myself were particfPeS
crtnti1tiS, sharers in the awful secret
which led to that poor mangled body
being carried to a mortuary. 1t is well
enough now to smile at the shaken nerves
which induced this shrinking, self-con-
demnatory frame of mind-it was real
and terrible then
Sinking, conscience-stricken, through
the barrier, l saw refreshment buffet.
To this day l can recall the surprise of
the barmaid when | grabbed bottle
of French brandy and poured out what
she said was two shillings worth, war
ranted pure" which drank neat.
Well, l neverl" she gasped.
Nor l, hardly ever" | managed to
say, for the ardent spirit reinvigorated
me. And let me interpolate here, as
breathing space in a thrilling moment,
that it is a fine thing never to drink
brandy when in good health; thus it
becomes an invaluable tonic in physical
suffering or mental depression.
Well | fastened to the hotel, and
as l expected, Kari was in a highly
distressed state, and l was called on to
deride in him the foolish conceit which
had shaken my soul at the docks. His
fathers British phlegm was superb on
this trying occasion. To him, Constan-
tine was an admitted scoundrel, and a
black one at that.
Never heard such nonsense in my life!''
he declared in the true 'Confound it, sir!
what dye mean?" manner of John Bull.
OF course, | am sorry this Armenian fire.
brand has taken his own life; but it is
evident that if he did not face an eternal
Judge he would soon be called on to face
an earthly one You talk about personal
responsibility for the death of a mailman,
loony who has visions and carries a
long knife concealed on his personl What
next, | wonder? Ny firm belief is that
his untimely decease was dispensation
of Providence!"
You cannot argue with a man who de-
scribes such a tragedy as Constantine's
as an untimely decease." The phrase
lentazto our discussion grim humor of
which my excellent friend was sublimely
unconscious.
Ihlld llIuSCllt DdCk III CdlIIlUcSS
to the tumultuous thoughts of that day,
| have ever been thankful that his stolid
god sense came to our aid. 1t must not
be forgotten that Grier the elder had small
experience of Karls sixth sense He was
piling up money; and for what? To enable
Karl to enter Parliament, marry WE'LL and
earn peerage. l suspected that he was
profoundly annoyed with me for seeming
to encourage the exercise of the teleg-
nonfic sense, and it was proud moment
for me when, not long ago. he confessed
his error and recanted his opinions
However, he was a rock to which we
chung for salvation during that storm
tossed afternoon in a Liverpool hotel.
for we had barely resolved to take the
next train to Oxford and London re-
spectively than there came a telegram
addressed to Karl
He opened and read the message with
a strange listlessness. Il was expecting
something of the kind, he said, handing
the slip of pink paper to his father. Il
knew it had ended! | knew it on the
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