The Elbert County tribune., 1907-02-07
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quired:
"And the watch?"
HAS been constantly on guard since
the seventeenth"
"And with what result?"
mo one save those who gave the
sign has entered the yard.
"Or shadowed the house from the
street." insisted Valdermere.
DO you think that Victor Deneau
has followed you here?", he added.
'I think not" replied valdermere,
land yet, l may have travelled on the
same train, for his DISCUSSES amount
almost to witchery-still. / believe /
should know him in the guise of
devil--or a saint-there is something
about him that is ominous-foreboding
the nearness of his sleepless, attenu-
ated person has begun to haunt me.
There Is something devilish in this
trail-something uncanny. l have
grown SO used to his shadow that !
can feel the distance that divides us.
If he pauses, there is some subtle
change in my temperature, and l find
myself waiting for him to
come. II pause ! feel he draws near
er for short time-then he too
pauses. Once / felt strange sensa-
tion which warned me that all was
not as 1t had been, something was
wanting. could not tell what. felt
ill-at-ease, with that inward sense Of
warning that all was not well, that a
change had come over me. a physical
and intellectual change, a part of my
purpose was gone-an incompleteness
of environment, of intention, of action
and of motion. A strange inner sense
that l must go back, as IL l had left
something in my path. | must return
and look for it, and so for days, some
thing-some force unknown even to
me, seemed to drive me blackstone
voice seemed to command me to pause
Ito turn back-and so persistently
was haunted by this one dictate, i'm
PEELED by inexplicable subtle force,
that at last did pause-I turned back
to say that undefinable force assert
ed itself-a certain relief Of the ten
sion that had swayed me-a certain
approval of the unknown subtle force
which impelled me-and-"
"Be calm, my friend; this is un-
worthy of you; you must rest, quiet,
you have overworked."
Valdermere calmly resumed his
seat and the light had gone from his
eyes, there only lurked the embers of
great emotion in their mystic
depths. He smiled.
my friends, it may seem strange
- IL
conviction that Victor Deneau and
will never part company until one of
us is dead-his life and mine will
cross at some point-the shadow will
destroy the man or the man will de-
stroy the shadow"
"And yet" said De Tavenier. there
is still another shadow greater than
Deneau's-a shadow which obscures
all others. which falls but once upon
man never to rise-the Shadow OF
The Death Committee"
l shuddered as heard these words,
which were spoken in low solemn
tone, and my heart seemed to shrink
as l pictured the awful fate that
awaited the tireless detective, whose
corpse, I felt sure, would mark the
end of his remarkable trail
A silence had fallen upon us, as II
some ghosts had walked among us.
Valdermere sat silently gazing at
nothing. The old man whose troubled
eyes bespoke the emotions of his soul
spoke not word, and as for me had
lost the power of speech, though my
brain was surging with many
Ia. t.. Al. l.
saw the sweet face of Marie. her
great brown eyes troubled and her
face pallid with fear.
l saw it all as in a vision
Suddenly a loud clang from the
clock in the hall brought us to our
feet.
''It is now time to depart" said the
old man, and as he spoke heard the
rattle of carriage wheels upon the
shell drive, and in moment Gabe
had entered the parlor.
AS we left the hall. turned my
face to the stairway, hoping to catch
last glimpse of Marie. but, alas. she
was not there 1t was with a great
effort that l controlled my emotions,
for l was madly struggling against an
almost irresistible impulse to fly to
her room-to seize her in my arms,
and defy THE Invisible Hand" which
now hated almost to frenzy. I mas
tered my feelings. however, and as
we approached the carriage I turned
boldly and looked up toward her win
dow, and there saw her.
De Tavenier and Valdermere had
entered the carriage and the old black
stood silently holding the door ajar
for me. but I gave him no heed
waited kiss to the woman loved
something fell at my feet. / stopped
and picked great white rose from
the shells. and lifting my eyes again,
1 kissed it fervently and placed 1t
against my heart,