The Cairo bulletin., 1907-12-11
THE LS1 :!
HIS RACE
WENT HOME

Z
wind howled and shrieked A. though
| pursued by thousand fut!es; Is
shook even the sturdy oaks ana bent
ana buffeted the long, 1.-the brahches
| OF the willows till they writhed snd
twisted like living things: the rain
| dashed In ever recurring sheets ~
! saingt the windows till they shook
and shiyered In their easements.
Within all was warmth. light and
! comfort. The master or Lancashire
manor sat In his great leathern chair
before tne glowing Goals within the
I crate; he soft shaded lamp diffussd
rosy glow throughout the room. .
stand covered, with the papers Of the
/ day stood close at his elbow, but he
was not reading, he sat lost IN re-
/ Fiction At length he drew q letter
/ from his breast pocket. He smooth
ell the creases out upon his knee With
slow, lingering fingers.
The letter from his son Jack. his
only boy. All. how Ions ago y
seemed, that nignt OF the bitter Qnarl
rel between them. Why had h. not
listened to the boys explanation!
/ But be had been SO sure the tale was
true, the clrcumstantial evidence had
been so strong, hts disappointment.
Shame and anger 20 great, be had
poured forth such q torrent OF abuse
| that the lad had at length turned
sharply on his heel and quilted the
! room.
In moment the hall coor aad
slammed and he was gone, out into
the blackness oh the night Ana In
day or two how eyerythlug had
been made clear. the real culprit en-
posed and punished.
In vain he nad tried to trace the
4 lad, to discover MS whereabouts:
time and money hal been expended.
1 the best SERVICES Of Scotland Yard
employed, but the boy hid vanished
az completely. as though the earth
aad opened and swallowed him.
Eight long, silent, solitary years
had passed, be had grown elder and
grayer, more silent, more rnorose;
then last Juns had come the letter
from his son in far Oh Califarnia.
whittier ne had gone and araasssa
wealth. lss
1 Then had come that fatxi day.
when In the early hours OF themorn-
Ing the city trsmbled beneath the
| earthquake shocks: when IA ! fsw
I ehort hours San FraRriscp. the Erids
and glory OK the WsAtera sl6pss had
become d stricken city. 4 scene OF
horror. desolation and despair. His
son With mis- wife and child had been
buried In the crumblips ruins of
their nome. from whence later he.
and he alone had been rescued
IN his grief and despair be had
written to his father, and instantly,
In response. II cable nessA&s had
flashed across the ocean, an urgent.
beseeching message for him to re-
turn.
He had been busy In arranging and
settling his affairs, and on the eve
OF his departure had been seized by
long, lingering illness. but the
fever had abated. he was Gonzales
cling, and the physicians had deem
cd sea voyage the one thing need
cd to set him on his feet again.
K He would be here now IA few
more hours: the steamer would be
due In day or two; the weary walt
for years would then be over: his soa
would inherit the broad acres, the
vast estate. be could carry on the oil
name; be smiled and replaced toe
letter. Al that moment footman
entered. bearing upon q small silver
salyer telegram. which be brought
to his master and noiselessly lets
the room. 8
Slowly he broke the seal and read
the words: John Allsworth Laa-
derdair died at sea Nov. .. Signed
-" The letters blurred before his
eyes: his hand dropped heavily TO
his side the fingers relaxed; the
pink slip fiuttered TO the roor.
The silence remained unbroken In
the room save for the dropping OF
the Goals within the CRATE. AMI the
soft ticking OF the tall clock 10 the
corner. After while che Great
Dane VINO. with his nose upon his
paws, had been sleeping on the rug
at the farther end Of the room. arose
slowly, stretched himself and shifted
the air, then with SLOW. padding
steps he crossed the room TO bis
masters side and laid his heavy aead
upon his knee.
He started back. a long loud howl
broke the silence OF the night. an
other. and then another followed:
they rang out into the hall: they
hoated up the stsIrcases. and psne-
trsted even TO the domss5ics' guar
ters. where frightened maid SER
want muttered. '-Tae BaBshee." A.
she crossed herself sud covered clos
or beneath the clothes.
In the Geld Ers7 dssn Of the Nov
embsr day a man serFsrt entered
the library to rsplenish the ERE He
stsrtpi back in alright ~ AZ per
csfsed the master sitting II bis cas-
tomary seat. bis arm hanEinf. notion-
-. ~ hfa <ld1 n Tray RH4rtIF r.Tor