Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-05-21
CHAPTER III.
cGzzzTT IsNs 81 AL

- 4
o'FerraI Hears OF Friends Sad Fate in
the Land OF Ophir-
Quaintance was quick Of wrath.
who the devil are your he asked
hotiy. "And what dye mean by your
ridiculous statements! Get up on that
chair-this tables reserved"
THE other did not bulge.
.sTf vour names not Quaintsnce," pur-
sued the intruder. cycling him imperturo-
abIv what alias are you using. you
rascal7 Sit still. Don't make a disturb
ance. / know YOU Look here
tss ,1,5 one hand on the white table
cloth. and Quaintance observed ola-
r,o,d-shaued scar on its palm He sank
hack into his seat. and his expression OF
anxer gave way TO one Of helpless be-
wElderment
ISIS that YOU. O'Ferralr' he whis-
pered weakly. admitting his own identity
vi.hout further argument. And the ell
derly-Eooking mans haggard. clean-shav-
en face wrlnkIed into friendly smile
I'm -O'Ferral sure enough" he re-
torted. ''or at least I'm his mortal re-
mains in q civilized shirt. Steve"'
aBut I could have sworn you were still
an the Upper Congo" objected Quaint
ance. ''You told me you'd be there all
vrfnter. and-XVhat in Gods name have
xou been doing 10 yourself since 1 saw
You IastI You were 80 then. and-you
look 60 now. What's happenedT'
IF you were one OF the Where, How,
and All About II Brigade from Newspa-
per Row" O'Ferral returned easily,
s.votfd know better than 10 bank on my
being anywhere at any time Here today
ana only heaven knows where tOmOrrow's
our motto. my boy
..rrn older and uglier than I was this
tine last year. but I can't help that.
THEREBY wags tale-which I'll tell you
PRESENTLY
ouaIntance's brain was stu in whirl.
but he was overjoyed by O'FerraFs most
unlocked for appearance. There was that
between himself and the quick-witted
newspaper man which formed an I'M
breakabIe bond. and he knew that he
could not have gained a more congenial
companion or stancher cOmrade at such
. juncture-
Cad I'm glad to see you again-al-
slough I took you for a high-class gold
hrick artist at first 1 couldn't imagine
how you had got hold OF my Old-my
name"
O'FerraI raised quizzical eyebrows.
Your old-yOur name,'" he remarked.
'tWhat the game? Have you changed
your name2 Why? What's the new one?
Let's swap stories
Quaintance thought for a moment be-
fore replying. he had not intended TO
take anyone into his confidence. but he
promptly made up his mind to trust his
friend fully.
my story's a somewhat tangled one.''
he at length returned Let's hear yours
first"
Mines soon told said O'Ferral read
iIy. After We parted company on the
rant frrrF .nT
at a village there. and was laid low for
close on three months. Then orders
reached me from the office that was TO
cross country TO the coast, looking up the
alleged slave trade in Portuguese West
Africa I came out OF Mossamedes, where
found a cable waiting 10 hurry me
home. Here / am"
Thus simply did he epitOmize a twelve
month Of the severest suffering a man
might well undertake. and ouaintance,
reading between the lines, understood all
he had left untold.
For the-t had been more than friends.
They had endured together in darkest
Africa. and there was also a debt between
them The scar-on O'Ferrars right hand
lad been left there by a spear aimed at
1Eaintance's heart.
But Quaintance's recollections OF the
correspondent had been Of big. stalwart
gus man GlAAeAAA MunutEs Alltus LlldL he
had not recognized this slender. elderly
elegant in evening dress.
O'FerraI glanced inquiringIy at him.
Don't tell me anything you'd rather
not. he said. simply. IN take you
on trust-if you'll just let me know
what name I'm 10 call YOU by
I'D rather you heard the whole sto-
~ replied Quaintance, ''but it's such
q long one / dOn't quite know where 10
cut in I'll have to start way back tc
make Il clear.
Ny stOrys somewhat tangled. II
starts with a blood feud. You know
what that means-in the south. O'Fer-
raj"
HIS friend nodded assent.
There's one I'm my family. In IL, mark
you. and not with any outsider. My
fathers only brother. Miles Quaintance
began it-and kept it Uphill he died
last Christmas, in San Francisco. He
murdered my father. Not with knife
or shotgun. but legally and by inches.
I'm the last OF the Quaintances living
nnd-I must carry on the quarrel. My