Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1907-04-19

hans she realized the fact that Sucn
creatures NAY lie led blindly, help;
less!y. with Il SINCE hair, but that that
hair mav swnp iaoihny rao,nesatno1jGq
She was not thinking of Gay Qscard'
Him she had 'hethr 'f3Sed Tie had
OIL; been one OF her experiments. ana
by bis very simplicity, above all by his
uncompromisjaS honesty. he had out
witied her..
It was characteristic of her that at
that moment she scarcely knew The
weight of her own remorSe. 1t sat
lightly on her shoulders then. and ii
was only later on, when her beauty be-
gan to fade, when years came and
brought no joy for the middle aged
unmarried woman, that she began to
realize what il was that she had to
carry through life with her, At that
moment a thousand other thoughts
hlled her mind: such thoughts as one
would expect to find there. How was
tie world TO be deceived! The guests
wouil have to be put off, the wedding
couA cr,nauded the presents returned.
Ana tie world-her world-wouid
laugh in its sleeve. There lay the
sting 4
Where are you going?" asked Mere
dith when they were in the street.
Home"
Taey walled on few PAGES to-
getAer
May come with you?" asked
Mereui;h again.
Certainly / have Il good deal to tell
y9n"
Thay called q cab, and, singularly
enough. they drove all the way to Rus
sell square without speaking. These
two men had worked together for
many months, and men who have
daily task in common usually learn to
perform it without much interchange
CT observation. When one man gets to
know the mind Of another, CONVERSE
ton assumes a place of secondary i'm
Dortance. These two had been through
more incidents together than usually
fall to the lot of man; each knew how
the other would act and think under
given circumstances: each knew what
the other was thinking now.
The house in Russell square, the
Quiet house in the corner where the
cabs do net pass, was lighted up and
aStir when they reached it. The old
butler held open the door with smile
Of welcome and a faint aroma of wills
Ky. The luggage had been discreetly
removed. Joseph had gone to Mr..
NIcredith's chambers. Guy DISCARD led
the way to the smoking room at the
back of the house-the room wherein
the eccentric OScard had written his
great history-the room in which Vic
tor Durnovo had first suggested the
simiacine scheme to the historians
son.
The two survivors of the originating
trio passed into this room together and
closed the door behind them.
1.-The worst of ones own private
tragedies is that they are usually only
comedies in Disguise" said Jack Mere
dith oracularly.
Guy Oscard grunted. He was look
ing for his pipe.
IF we heard this of any two fellows
except ourselves we should think 1t an
excellent joke" went on Meredith.
Oscar nodded He lighted his pipe,
and still he said nothing.
Hang it," exclaimed Jack Mere
dith, suddenly throwing himself back
in his chair, ''it is good joke"
He laughed softly, and all the while
his eyes, watchful wise, anxious, were
studying Guy Oscard's face.
"He is harder hit than am" he was
rejecting. Poor Old Oscardw
The habit of self suppression was so
strong upon him-acquired as mere
social duty-that it was only natural
for him to think less of himself than
of the expediency of the moment The
social discipline is as powerful an
agent as that military discipline that
makes a man throw away his own life
for the good of the many.
Oscard laughed. too, in strangely
staccato manner.
at is rather a sudden change" OBJ
served Meredith, "and all brought
about by your coming into that room
at that particular moment-by acct
dent"
Not by accident" corrected DISCARD,
speaking at last. II was brought there
and pushed into the ROOM"
by whom
"By your father" |
Jack Meredith sat upright He drew
his curved hand slowly down over his |
face-keen and delicate as was his |
eyes deep with thought.
1.-THE guv'nor." he said slowly. 1.-THE
guv'nor"
He reflected for some seconds.
Tell me how he did It," he said
CURLY.
Discard told him, rather incoherently, !.
between the puffs He did not attempt
to make story of it, but merely re-
lated the facts as they had happened
10 him. 1t Is probable that to him the
act was yelled which Jack saw quite
distinctly. MS
That Is the sort of thing" was
comment when the story
was finished, that takes the conceit
)ut of fellow. suppose have u ore
han my share suppose it is good
or ne to find that | am not so clever
IS I thought | was-that there are
plenty of .eleverer fellows about, and
hat one of them is an old man Of
;eventy-nine The worst Of it is that
le was right all along. He saw clearly