Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1910-01-13
CHAPTER xvI.-(Continued.) }


With a swift, instructive movement
both of them turned away. Each reaC
in the others face consciousness o.
the impossibility of discussing those
experiences through which they hat
come to be what they were, Such mer
guard the real history of their lives
and the real emotions OF their hearts
as jealously as the combinations Of
their cards. The old, ironical smile
lighted up Mantel's features, and he
said:
we seem to have a violent antipa-
thy to thin ice, Davy, and skate away
from 1t as soon as it begins to crack a
little beneath our feet"
Yes" said his friend, Struggling his
shoulders, 1T is not pleasant to fall
through the crust of friendship. There
is sub element in every life a too
sudden plunge into which might result
in a fatal chill. We had all better
keep on the surface. am frank enough
to say that the less any one knows
about my past, the better I shall be
satisfied"
i wish that l could keep my own
self from invading that realm as cas-
lily as / can keep othersl Why is it
that no man has ever yet been able to
let the dead past bury its dead? 1t
seems a reasonable demand"
He is a poor sexton-this old man,
the Past. l have watched him at his
work. and he is powerless to dig his
own grave, however many others he
may have excavated!"
THE Present seems as helpless at
the Past l wonder if the future will
heap enough new events over old ones
to hide them from view?"
Let shadow bury the sun! Let
wave bury the sea-" answered David
bitterly.
Mandel dropped his eyes in silence.
For the first time since David had
known him, his fine face gave some
genuine revelation of the emotions of
his soul. Great tears gathered in his
eyes, and his lips trembled. In a mo-
ment, he arose. took his hat, laid his
hand gently upon the arm of his
friend, and said. David, my dear fell
low, we are skating on that thin ice
again. We shall fall through If are
not careful, and get that chill you
were talking about. Let's go out and
take walk. Life Is too deep for either
you or me to fathom. l gave it up as
a bad job long ago. Come, let us go.
We need the air"
They went down into the streets and
lost themselves in the busy crowd of
care men. Suddenly Man
tel was startled by an abrupt change
in the manner of his companion, who
paused and stood as If rooted to the
pavement while his great blue eyes
opened beyond their natural width
with a fixed stare
Following the direction Of their gaze,
Mantel saw that they were fixed on a
blind beggar who sat on a stool at
the edge of the sidewalk, silent and
motionless like an old snag on the
bank Of a river-the perpetual stream
of human life forever flowing by. His
head was bare; in his outstretched
hand he held tin cup which jingled
now and then as some compassionate
traveller dropped him a coin by his |
side. looking up occasionally into his |
unresponsive eyes, was a little terrier, |
his solitary companion and guide in a
world of perpetual night
The face of the man was a remark |
able one, judged by almost any stand |
ard. 1t was large in size, strong in |
outline, and although he was a beg |
gar, it wore an expression of power, |
of independence and resolution like |
that of another Belisarius But the
feature which first arrested and long
est held attention, was an enormous
moustache 1t could not have been
less than fourteen inches from tip to
oar raf11lI4r frfr nj
ed, and although the man himself was
still comparatively young was white
as snow. Occasionally he set his cup
on his knee and with both hands twist
ed the ends into heavy ropes
1t was a striking face and exacted
from every observer more than a pass
ing look; but remarkable as it was,
Mantel could not discover any reason
for the strained and terrible interest
of his companion, who stood staring so
long and in such a noticeable way,
that he was in danger of himself at
tracing the attention Of the curious
crowd.
Seeing this. Mantel took him by the
arm. What is the matter?" he asked.
1T is hel" cried David, drawing his
hand over his eyes like man awak-
ening from a dream; 1T is he!"
1T is who? Are you madt Come
away People are observing you. II
there is anything wrong, we must
move or get into trouble"
Let me alonel" David replied, shak-
ing of his hand Il would rather die
than lose sight Of that man"
"Then come into this doorway where
you can watch him unobserved for you
are making a spectacle Of yourself
Come. or shall drag you"
With his eyes still riveted on that
countenance. David yielded to
the pressure Of his friends hand and
they retired to a hallway whence he
could watch the beggar unobserved. |
His whole frame was quivering with
excitement and he kept murmuring to
himself; 1T is he. 1t is he / cannot
be mistaken. Nature never made his
doubIel But how he has changed,
How old and white he IS It cannot
be his ghost. can Il? II II were night
I might think so. but It is broad day
light This man is living flesh and
blood and my hand is not, after ALL
the hand Of a mur-"