Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1906-11-16
SGDU copyright, I9S " te s-Merrl Coz N~@A
ODE Deluge
w. BY DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS K<S

BY DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS

He wasn't at his office; they told me
there tina they didn't know whether he
was at his town house or at his place
in the country-'probably in the coun-
try" said his downtown secretary, with
elaborate carelessness. He wouldn't be
likely to stay away from the office OF
not to send for me, if he were in town,
would hep"
IT takes an uncommon good liar to
lie to me when I'm on the alert. AS ]
was determined to see Langdon, / was
in so far on the alert. And l felt the
fellow was lying. That's reasonable"
said |. "Call me up, if you hear from
him. / want to see him-important,
but not immediate" And l went away,
having left the impression that l would
make no further effort.
Incredible though it may seem, es-
pecially to those who know how care
full / am to guard every point and to
see in every friend a possible foe, /
still did not suspect that smooth, that
profound. 1 do not use these epithets
with heat. / flatter myself | am a
connoisseur OF finesse n can o
even at my own affairs with judicial
im~partiality. And Langdon was, n
is now. UGH q past master of hnesse
that he compels the admiration even
of his victims. He's like one of those
tabled Damascus blades. When he
takes a leg off, the victim forgets to
suffer in his amazement at the clean
ness Of the wound, in his ~incredulity
that the leg Is no longer part of him.
~"Langdon," said l to myself, lis a sly
dog. No doubt he's busy about some
woman, and has covered his tracks"
Yet | ought, in the circumstances, in
stautly to nave suspected that | was
the person he was lodging.
l went up to his house. You, no
doubt, have often seen II often adj
mired it's beautiful facade, so simple
that it hides it's own magniticence from
all but experienced eyes, so perfect in
it's proportions that it hides the vast
ness of the palace of which it is the
face. | have heard men say: I'D like
TO have a house-a moderate-sized
house-one about the size of MoWbray
Langdon's-though perhaps a little
more elegant, not so plain"
That's typical of the man. You have
to look closely at him, to study him,
before you appreciate how he has COM
bined a thousand details of manner and
dress into an appearance which, while
it cannot but impress the ordinary
mar with it's distinction. suggests to
all but the very observant the most
modest p~lainness and simplicity. How
few realize that simplicity must be pro-
found. complex, studied, not to be and
to appear crude and coarse. In those
u - Nlll 1 1 AAll A&h IdoN Z oAA W
dawn on me.
Mr.. Langdon isn't at home" said
the servant.
had been at his house once before;
l knew he occupied the left side-the
of the second floor, so shut off
that it not only had q separate en-
trance, but also could not be reached
by those in the right side of the house
without descending to the entrance hall
ami ascending the left stairway.
Just take my care to his private
secretary, to Mr.. Rathburn," said /.
Mr.. Langdon has doubtless left a mes
sage for me-
The butler hesitated, yielded, showed
me into the reception room off the en-
trance hall. l waited a few seconds,
then adventured the stairway to the
left, up which he had disappeared. /
entered the small salon in which
Langdon had received me on my other
visit. From the direction of an open
door I heard his voice-he was saying:
II am not at home. There's no mes
And still I did not realize that it was
! he was avoiding!
It's no use now, Langdon," I called
cheerfully. Beg pardon for seeming
to intrude. l Observation-Disclosures didn't
hear where the servant said / was to
wait. However, no harm done. So
long! I'm off" But l made no move
toward the door by which / had en-
tered; instead, / advanced a few feet
nearer the door from which his voice
had come.
After a brief-a very brief-pause,
there came in Longdon's voice-laugh-
ing, not a trace of annoyance: Il might
have known! Come in, Matt!"