Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-23
CHAPTER XVI.
The Wilderness Call.


I went again, and more than once. to
the house of Judge Wharton, although L
took care to see Alicia only in the COM
pany of Mrs. Guthrie or Mrs. Wharton.
Despite the unconscious heights from
which she looked down l would not have
the faint of gossip to touch her, and l
took every precaution. 1t may be that
she was talked about at the capital, new
ertheless, but it did not come to my ears
nor to hers, and If one is ignorant of
such a thing it does not exist, so far
IS one is concerned.
] wished to discharge all the social dI-
ties of my place, and at regular intervals
/ gave receptions at the governors man
zion, assisted by Mrs Guthrie. Mrs.
Wharton or other ladies in Frankfort,
and | enjoyed them. | repeat that | have
the social instinct, l like to see we'll
bred and handsome people together; like
the lights, the music, the bright dresses
of the women and good talk. Alicia usu-
ally came with the Whartons and Mrs.
Guthrie, and her manner and bearing were
irreproachable. Although a wife. living
apart from her husband, she radiated
such an air of purity that she was thor
oughly established in the good graces of
Frankfort, and, If gossip touched her, as
| have no doubt it did. because In every
community there are foul-minded people,
Just before giving one of these recep-
tons | heard that Harrison was at the
capital, and | promptly sent him an In
vitaton. He appeared on the appointed
evening rather early. distinguished fig
ure, his pale. thin face lighted up with
keenness and intelligence. Although L
believed that he had set afloat during
the campaign the story about my mysteri-
Gus disappearance. l reflected how little
cause he had to like me. and l did not
cherish hostility.
It's kind of you to ask me here he
said, when / gave him the formal well
come.
1T is your right to come I said.
Il wanted to be asked he said. You
can guess why. It's the old story of the
moth and the flame. l cannot stay away
from Alicia Grey forever
1t was on the tip of my tongue to ask
him about Pauline Harmon, but / re-
strained the impulse, and when Alicia
came | saw him watching her at a dis
tance with eager eyes Presently he went
up to her and spoke. OF course, L did not
hear the words, nor did l seek or wish To
hear them, but l knew that she reptile
coldly, because his face fell, and soon
he withdrew to another room. l saw
him regarding me later with a look Of
intensest dislike and suspicion. l read
his mind. He believed that if l were out
of the way he might win 1t was curl
Gus fact, but always he seemed to re-
gard Grey as negligible quantity. l felt
anger then toward him, not because of
his dislike not because of the injustice
that he did me, but because of the great
err Injustice that he did Alicia
That evening was a memorable one in
my life because of the conjunction of
persons and events. At SO inopportune
a moment an affair threatening for some
time came suddenly to a head. All the
world knows that the blood feud still lin
gers in the wild mountains that crowd the
eastern part of our state: in the widest
of them all the Kents and the Horners
had been fighting throughout the winter,
and there had been several deaths, all
assassinations. I had kept an eye upon
the matter, expecting the local authorities
to cope with 1t, but fearing that they
would fail, and ready in an emergency to
send the militia.
That night while l was among my
guests a telegram was handed to me. 1t
came from the railroad station nearest to
the scene of conflict, and said that a
pitched battle had occurred two days be-
fore between the Kents and Horners. re-
suting in three deaths on each side.
had asked to be excused while l read
the telegram and when / had read it 1
felt flush of anger on my face. 1t was
disgraceful that such things could be hap
pening in Kentucky in the twentieth cen
fury and / resolved to stop it. If all the
power lodged in my hands had to be di-
rected to the effort. Alicia was near me
as l read. and she noticed my expression.
Il hope it's nothing bad" she said.
only that some of our people in the