The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1906-12-10
CHAPTER I.

~ of Jan % On that night the
blacklist fog within a four years mem
DRY fell upon certain portions of Lon
don and also on that night came the
first announcement Of the border ris-
Ings against the Persian government
In the province Of Khorassan-the an
nouncement that speculated upon,
even smiled at, at the time, assumed
such significance IN the light of after
events.
AT o'clock the news spread through
the house of commons, but at 0 men In
the inner Hobbies were gossiping, not
so much upon how far Russia, while
ostensibly UNFOLDING the shah, had
pulled the strings by which the insur-
gents danced, as upon the manner In
which the ST Georges Gazette, the
Tory evening newspaper. had seized
upon the incident and shaken 1t In the
faces Of the government.
More than once before Lakely, the
owner and editor of the St Georges,
had stepped outside the decorous circle
OF tradition and taken a plunge into
modern journalism, but tonight he es-
sayed deeper waters than before and
under an almost sensational heading
declared that in this apparently limo
cent border rising we had less an out
come of mere racial antagonism than
n first faint index of a long cherished
Russian scheme growing to a gradual
maturity under the drift policy of
the present British government.
The effect produced by this pro-
nouncement if strong, was varied
Members of the opposition saw, or
thought they saw, reflection of it III
the smiling unconcern on the minis
terial benches, and the government
had an uneasy sense that behind the
newly kindled interest on the other
side of the house lay some mysterious
seeming of battle from afar off. But
though these impressions ran like cleo
fricity through the atmosphere, moth
ing tangible marked their passage, and
the ordinary business of the house pro-
ceeded until half past IL, when an adj
5ournment was moved.
The first man to hurry from his place
Ras John Chilcote. member for East
"a
quickly, with the half furtive quick
ness that marks a self absorbed man,
and as he passed the policeman stand
ing stolidly under the arched doorway
of the big courtyard he swerved lit
tie, as if startled out of his thoughts
lie realized his swerve almost before
1t was accomplished and pulled him
Inr sAoA
"Foggy night, constable" he said.
with elaborate carelessness.
"Foggy night. sir, and thickenlng up
west" responded the man.
"Ah, indeed" Chilcote's answer was
absent The constable's CHEEKY voice
Jared on him. and for the second time
he was conscious of senseless lrrita-
ton. Without further glance at the
man, he slipped out into the courtyard
and turned toward the main gate.
At the gateway two cab lamps show
ed through the mist of shifting fog
like the eyes of a great eat, and the
familiar Hanson. sir?" came to him
indlstinctly.
He paused by force of custom and,
the open door when a new impulse
caused him to draw back
NO" he said hurrledly; mo. I'll
walk"
The cabman muttered, lnshed his
horse and, with a clatter of hoofs and
harness. wheeled away, while Chicote,
still with uncertain hastiness, crossed
the road In the direction of Whitehall
About the abbey the fog had par
TALLY lifted, and in the rallied garden
that faces the houses of parliament
the statues were visible IN spectral
way. But Chilcote's glance was unsta-
BILE and Indifferent. lie skirted the
ratings heedlessly and. crossing the
road with the speed of long familiar
ity. gained Whitehall on the left hand
side.
There the fog had dropped and. look
ing upward toward Trafalgar square.
1t seemed that the chain Of lamps ex-
tended little farther than the Horse
guards and that beyond lay nothing
Unconscious Of this caprlcious alter
nation between darkness and light
Chllcote continued his course. To a
close observer the manner Of his going
had both interest and suggestion, for
though he walked on. apparently self
engrossed. yet at every dozen steps be
started at some sound or some touch
like a man whose nervous system Is
painfully oversuung
Maintaining his haste, he went de
liberately forward, oblivious Of the
fact that ut each step the curtain Of
darkness about him became closer
damper, more tangible; that at eacf
second the passersby jostled eaci
other with greater frequency. Then
abruptly, with a sudden realization o.
what had happened. he stood quit,
still without anticipation or prepa
ration he had walked full into tht
thickness Of the fog-a thickness s.
dense that, as by an enchanter's wand
the figures OF a moment before melted