The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-12-04


Evelyn 0rsyson. meeting mo on the
Old Boston Post Road. between Green
wich and Stamford. gave me . mes.
sage from her uncle. That 10 the
logical beginning of this story; though
to mako everything quite clear from
ths start II may bs better TO hark
back . few months. to the day on
which Evelyn Grayson and first met.
Then. 40 now. We were each driving
our own car; she. Q great sixty horse
power machine. all slistsning pale yel-
low. and l. compact six-cylindsr
rsosr. Of Gull dusty gray. But We were
not on any such broad. roomy thor
ouGhfare 40 the Boston Post Road. On
tho contrary We were short-cutting
through q narrow, rough lane. beset
By stone walls and interrupted at In
tervals by . series OF sharp and
treachsrous angles.
know I shall never forget the mo-
mentary impression I received. Out
OF the golden sunlight. II seemed to
me. there had emerged suddenly q
tableau Of Queen Titania on a topaz
throne-the fairest Queen Titania I'm
asiation ever conjured-and I, In my
mad. painting speed was about to
crash into the sauzy fabric Of that
dream creation and rend II with
brutal. torturing onrush Of relentless,
hard-driven nickel steel. take no
credit to myself for what I did. voii-
ton was absent My hands acted on
an impulse above and beyond all tardy
mental guidance. For Just q flashing
instant the gray nose of my car rose
before me. as In strenuous assault II
mounted half way to the coping OF
the roadside wall. felt my seat dart
away from beneath me, was conscious
OF my body In swift, unsupported
aerial flight. and then-but II is idle
10 attempt to set down the conglom-
crate sensations OF that small fraction
OF . second. When I regained con-
sciousness. Queen Titania was kneel-
Ing In the dust of the lane beside me
"a very distressed and anxious Queen
1ftania. with wide. startled eyes. and
Quiveringly sympathetic lips-an,.
about us were half dozen or mt.
OF the vicinal country folk.
Between that meeting In mid-May
and this meeting on the old Boston
Post Road In mid-September, there
had been others. OF course: for Queen
Titania. whose everyday name. as
haze said. was Evelyn Grayson, was
the riece and ward Of my nearest
neighbor. Mr.. Robert Cameron. a gen.
teman recently como to reside on
what for century and more had been
known as the old Townsbury Estate,
extending for quite q mile along the
connecticut shore Of Long Island
Bound In the nsighborhood of Green
wich.
The intervening four months had
witnessed tho gradual growth Of as
near an approach 20 intimacy between
Cameron and myself as was possible
considering the manner OF man that
Cameron was. BY which statement I
mean to imply naught to my neigh
oor's discredit. He was In all respects
admirable-a gentleman OF education
and culture. widely travelled, Of exalt-
ed ideals and noble principles to which
ne gave rigid adherence. Butt was
about GO qualify this by describing
him as reserved and taciturn. I fear.
though. to give wrong impression.
He was scarcely that. There were
moments. however. when he was unre-
sronsive. and he was never demonstra.
tive. He had moro poise than any
man l know. He allowed you TO see
Just so much OF him. and no more. At
Zines he was almost stubbornly reti-
cent. And yet. In spite OF these quail
tiles. which appeared TO be cultivated
rather than inherent. he gave repeated
evidence OF a nature at once so sim.
pie and kindly and sympathetic as TO
command both confidence and afYec-
tion.
To the progress OF my intimacy
with Evelyn there had been no such
temperamental impedlment. She was
fearlessly outspoken. with a frankness
born OF unspoiled innocence; barely
six weeks having elapsed between her
graduation from the tiny French con.
vent OF Sainte Barbe near Paris and
our perllous encounter In that con-
tracted. treacherous. yet blessed little
Connecticut lane. And she possessed.
moreover. multiplicity OF addition.
al charms. both OF person and dispo-
sition-charms too numerous indeed
TO enumerate. and far too sacred 10
discuss. From which II may rightly
Do inferred that We understood each
other. Evelyn and I. and that we were
already considerably beyond the state
or condition OF mere formal acquaint-
anoeship.
II was no Queen TItania who now
came gliding 20 stand beside me on
the broad. level. welloiled highway.
under a double row of nrchinR eIms. n