The Washington times., 1910-02-26
By
George M. A. Cain

When Hepburn Green had bought his
farm and moved into the present Green
vile. the Meade case was a sensation
which was beginning tc lose the ghastly
interest it had held for the people Of
five counties a few months before But.
at the time OF the murder and during
the trial OF Hollis Meade, every country
store and every hearth within fifty miles
had heard little else than the discussion
of the crime.
Probably the young clergyman had
heard II mentioned often enough 20
have some notion Of the details. for he
had been three years old at the time
and the talk had never died out entire
ly. Even Elizabeth could recall some
hints Of the horror with which the
name OF Hollis Meade had fingered in
the talk Of her elders. after her father
had told the brief facts
But Wallace Green had probably
never heard Of Hollis Meade in his life
The Greens had never allowed his name
TO be mentioned before the child At
the first hint from his foster-father
mat he was other than tho son Of those
he had supposed his parents, he had
suspected an alteration OF the old
man mind.
BU. when he saw the agony Of look
with which both Mr.. anJ Mrs. Green
allowed the confession tC be WTung
from them. he knew that they We're
speaking the truth. For the Old lady
had met the inCuirfng glanCes Of the
others as they turned from her hus-
band 10 her for confirmation oS his
story
And she. rocking 10 and fro with the
pain Of II, had said. "It is true
For a moment he struggled with the
sensation Of weakness that shook him.
he = A.
person he nad thought himself had
seemed 70 open a chasm OF doubt be-
meath his feet
With the revelation Of the ghastIy
reality. as TO his parentaFs. the chasm
seemed TO yawn wider TIE very earth
seemed TO withdraw itself from under
him
He allowed himself 10 sink limpIy into
one OF the stiff chairs Il was hard 70
feel certain that the chair was support
ing his weight
4 few years before he had fallen and
broken his arm. They had put bin un-
der ether 70 set the bones in place He
had returned 10 consciousness with 2
terrible struggle IN which he seemed un-
able 10 establish hts own identity within
his mind
Now he endured the same mental tor
ture- Lake a drowning man. his mem
ory reached out hithsr and thither IN a
Wild effort 10 Law hole on some circuul-
stance with which he could connect
himself as he now knew himself
But every one Of the thousand de-
tails that sprang into his remembrance
seemed 10 have lost is essential reality
Al every moment Of HIS life. IN every
act. thought, or word even IN hIs
d~eams-he had been Wallace Creel. the
son Of most emineuuy honorable people,
and a credit 90 such parents
Never-at any time or plaCe-had he.
Tor an instant, been thought Of by him
self or another as the child Of a mur-
5erer whose crime was a memory so
dark Il could not but descend 10 the
third and fourth generation Of the Grim
NAL
And now-he had become that
Without word OF act Of his own,
he had been transformed from a nan
p hose name carried weight and brought
respect from al who knew fl To one
whose name must bring askauCe looks
and dark hints 10 the faces and lips OF
every one who saw 0T hs=ui Of him
DumhIg vaguely. his mind E-npcd
through the blackUeSS and found 10
resting place. He was lost unmOored.
uprOOted. The mark Of Cain had rpp-
suddenly branded unon him Iuwardly
he had become a fugitive and a 7-aEa-
bond on the face or an earth unl ecog-
nizable from his changed position.
II might have been but a few seconds
or q century. he CotI}d scarce tell
whether the voice cane from beside
lsTn or nom another C..r.-hlr II was
EliZabeth'S voice thai broke the tense
Silence and brought hir back 70 soma
sense Of realities.