Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-19

at James. do you think you can manage
it2'' he said.
James smiled. "It is a new thing to me.
but have no doubt 1 can" he replied.
would take off my shoulders. Don't spare
money. See to it that everything Is good
and as it should be. The bills are to be
sent to me-"
Gordon answered an unspoken question of
James. YES" he said; che had money,
considerable fortune, and he has no heirs
at least, / am as sure as need De tnat
he has none. In his pockets were two bank
books. small check books, and a security
register book. I have done them up in
parcel See to it that they are buried with
him."
But" said James.
will be advertisements in the papers. and
that sort Of thing, but that will pass. Coo
knows I would not touch his money with
the devils pitchfork, nor allow anybody
whom I loved to touch it. Let him be
buried under the name by which he was
known here. 1t is not the name. needless
to say. on the bank books. While living un-
der other than his rightful name, he must
have gone to New York in person to supply
himself with cash. There was some two
hundred dollars in bank notes in his wallet.
That is with the other things. Let the whole
be buried with him, and see to it that Drake
does not discover 1t. You had better take
the parcel now. Open the right drawer OF
the table, and you will find 1t IN the corner
IL,
Drake at once. 1 will attend to the patients
today"
"You are not able"
cable Is word which I have eliminated
from my vocabulary as applied to myself.
The funer,-. which was held the next aft
ernoon in the parlor of the hotel, was at
once a CHASTITY and a grotesque function.
The two doctors, the undertaken and mis-
and Mrs. Slocum with a female friend, and
a man. evidently the boarder to whom she
had referred, were the only persons present:
The boarder wore a hat which had belonged
to the dead man. 1t was many sizes too
large for his grayish blond, foolish little
head, and when he put it on 1t nearly OBJ
scured his eyes. Mrs. Slocum shifted audibly
through the service, which was short, being
conducted by the old Presbyterian clergy
man of Alton. He hardly spoke above
whisper of 1.-The stranger who had passed
from our midst into the beyond His con-
GLIDING prayer was quite inaudible. Mrs.
Slocum had brought bouquet of cheerful
pink geraniums from her window plants.
which on the top of the closed black casket
made odd spot of color and life in the
dim room Among the blossoms were some
rose geranium leaves, whose fragrance
seemed to mantle everything like smoke.
While the clergyman conducted the inaudi-'
Bile services loud voices were heard in the
bar-room. and the yelp Of a dog. On one
side of the house was the hush Of death,
on the other the din of life James won
that he had distinguished was the express
sion. 1.-THE stranger within our midst"
1t all seemed horribly farcical to him. The
dead man in his casket had no personality
for him; the shifts Of Mrs. Slocum, her
boarder with the hat assumed. in his eyes,
the character of Punch and Judy show.
But along with that feeling came the real
ization of most terrible pathos He felt
sort of pity for the dead man, whose very
personality had become nothing to him. and
the pity was the greater because of that
It became pity for the very scheme OF
For in he OH Of har
haps, through no fault of his own, to sin
and misery, both miserable and causing
misery throughout his life. and then to end
in the grave, and vanish from the sight
and minds Of other men. He felt that it
would not be SO sad If 1t were sadde-. II
Mrs. Slocums snifs had come from her
heart and not from her sentimentality. He
felt that funeral where love Is not Is the
most mournful function on earth. Then. too
he felt great anxiety for Doctor Gordon,
who sat shrugged up in his gray overcoat,
collar and his forehead heavily corrugated
over pent and gloomy eyes,
He was heartily glad when the service
was over, when the casket had been low
cred into the grave, when the village hearse
had turned off into street, the horse
going at a sharp trot, and he and Doctor
Gordon were left alone. He drove. Gordon
sat hunched into a corner of the buggy, as
he had sat in the corner of the hotel par
lor. James hesitated about saying any
thing, but finally he spoke. he felt foolishly
enough, although ne meant tne WORDS 10
be comforting. "You did all you could to
save his life." he said.
Gordon made no reply.
When they reached the house Clemency's
head disappeared from the window, where
she had evidently been watching. She met
them at the Office door. with an odd. shock
ed, inquiring expression on her little face.
James kissed her furtively. while Gordons
back was turned. as he Invested himself
Of his gray coat.
Dinner is nearly ready" Clemency said
In. an agitated voice.
How is she?'' asked Gordon: then. be-
fore she had time to reply, he added almost
roughly, What on earth are you fretting
aboutf"
81 am not fretdng," Clemency answered
in weak little voice.
There is nothing in all this for You to
concern yourself with. Put 1t out OF your
headr'
Eyes, Uncle Tom"