Evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1907-1913, 1912-09-07

JuOIiON We Ii ul III ~ NiIOuteSteI ana
look up his people and friends"
VERY good. sir"
THANK YOU
I thought Of having a look at Peter
Johnson, myself for | was somewhat
curious to stHdy that face again when
1t was sentient, and had eyes open,
but on second thought l decided to
wait until morning 1t seemed silly
to suspect this seemingly honest but
unfortunate fisherman.
We had not been speeding so well
during the afternoon; there was some
rouble reported from the engine
Dom, and 1t was question whether
We had made over fifteen knots an
1our since two O'Clock. | know that
at ten O'Clock that night, when the
noon went down. We were somewhere
EAST of Nantucket, and directly in the
oath of the transatlantic liners.
The night was balmy as a night in
springtime, and Cameron and | in
light overcoats sat on the afterdack,
watching the moon slide slowly below
the dark horizon line Our chairs were
close together, facing the lee rail; his
the farther astern. We talked Of
many things, | remember He was al
ways interested in my work, and es-
peeially in my ambitions to make The
Week a power for national good; and.
| remember that We discussed several
projects then had in mind for bring
ing about reform in high places. But
the subject which then interested me
most, and regarding which | still eX-
perienced q vague, unreasoning unoas-
mess, he had avoided throughout the
day and evening, with what seemed
to me studied intent.
The sudden cessation OF hostilities
on the part Of those whom he had
been given every reason to look upon
as his implacable enemies, was GER
tainly strange enough TO have invited
endless debate; and | marveled that.
after having accepted my falsehood
as truth, he had not chosen to go over
with me the whole marvelously per
picking business.
His mind, knew, was relieved by
what l had made him believe, or he
would not now be the man he was;
but despite that, it appeared to me,
1t would be most natural for him, on
this day of all days-the twenty-first
Of the month-to question, at least,
my previously emphatically stated
conclusions.
There had been moment of silence
between US, and these reflections were
dominant with me, as six bells, ring
ing out unsteady, announced that
midnight was but an hour distant At
that instant, while in time to the
bells strokes, there echoed in my
brain the words: Know then, that be-
fore the morning of the eighth day
hence" Cameron. lowering his ci-
gar, turned to me with:
CLYDE, l wonder if you have for
gotten what day this Isl"
l don't know why, coming at just
that particular juncture, the question
should be more upsotting than if it
had come at some other time of day,
but know it seemed so to me
For little space my tongue refused
its Office There was lump in my
throat which demanded to be swal-
lowed, and l made a pretence of
coughing TO hide my plight. AT length
l answered, a bit lamely:
"No. I haven't forgotten It's
Wednesday, the twenty-frst of Octo-
Der"
He returned his cigar to his lips and
smoked in silence for a full minute.
Then, he said. quietly;
IT'S seven days since that empty
envelope came.
Eyes, l returned.
There was another slight pause and
he went on:
Il have been thinking that possibly
YOU were wrong about the significance
of that empty envelope. Possibly
those enigmaticai persons intended
that absence of definite threat TO
imply the inconceiyably terrible"
Now that he had started to talk
about it. I wished that he had contin-
ued his silence l could not under.
stand how | had convinced him be,
fore. knowing all the While that | was
without truth to support me. Ger,
tainly, now, poryaded as I was with
that grim disquietude, it would be
even more difficult 10 carry conviction
with my words.
Whatever they intended" I ven
tured. yielding a fraction of a point,
1T seems to me that they'll have some
difficulty in carrying it out There
are no portraits here to mutilate and
no mirrors to smash. For the preyi-
GUS performances there must be some
more or less simple explanation
Neither you nor believe in the SUI
pernatural; therefore the things that
happened at Cragholt were brought
about by natural means, seemingly in
eXplicable as they We're. Now no nat
ural means can be brought TO bear
10 perform any such lcgerdemain on
this yacht. You know that. There's
not man here, except that poor old
fisherman, that We don't know all and
everything about So, I say, no mat
ter what thev MANNED tb{c tina thew