Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-03

| feet work on earth-became as God, and
| knew what was good and what had been
| evil.
| Neither OF them spoke: the word fare
| welr' was not uttered between them. His
! final kiss was. upon her eyes. and she
! closed them after that. the better to inn
| print on her memory the vision of his
| face lit up with the divine fire Of an I'M
| conquerable passion.
| The entrance Of Col. Harris brought
them both back to present reality. He,
poor man, looked severely troubled, and
| distinctly older than he usually did.
did you want me. Luke?" he asked.
Eyes, sir" replied the latter. 1.-The
police are here, and I thought that per-
| haps you and Louisa would be SO kind as
! to take Edie along with you. Jim is 60
| ing to sleep in barracks tonight. and Edie
ought not to stay here alone
] Yes. Well take Edie." said the colonel,
CURLY. shell be all right with us. Are
| you ready, Lou?"
Yes, dear" she replied.
And she passed out of the door without
another word. or another look.
The supreme farewell had been spoken.
Further wOrds-eyen another kss-Would
have almost desecrated its undying men,
DRY.
The two men remained alone. and Col.
| Harris. without any hesitation. held out
his hand to Luke de Mountford
THE police are here. sir" said Luke,
without taking the hand that was offered
| him.
| Il know they are muttered the other.
| that's no reason why you should refuse
an old friends hand
Then as Misunderstanding no longer
placed his burning hand in that of his
| friend, Col. Harris said, quietly, almost
| entreatingly:
Its only a temporary trouble, ell. my
| boy? You can easily refute this abom-
Unable charge and prove your innocence?'
Il think not SIR" replied Luke. 81 can
[ not refute the charge and my innocence
will be difficult to prove
But you are mad. man. retorted the
older man, holly. You are mad and are
| breaking a woman's heart.
| Heaven forgive me for that. sir. 1t is
| the greatest crime"
Col Harris SmOthered a powerful oath.
Luke's attitude puzzled him more and
more. And his loyalty had received such
a succession of shocks today that it would
| have been small wonder if it had begun
| to totter at last.
He turned away without another word.
! But at the door he paused once more
| in obvious hesitation.
| There's nothing else can do for you?"
he asked.
! Nothing sir Thank YOU
| ''You-you were not thinking-of-"
"Of what, sir?" asked Luke.
| Then as he saw the other mans eyes
! wandering to the drawer of the desk, he
| said. simply:
''Of suicide. you mean. sir?''
| Col Harris nodded.
ooh, no. rejoined Luke. And he added.
! after a slight pause: Not at present.
What do you mean by that?'
Il mean that I shouldn't exactly hang
| for the murder Of the Chaplain brick
| layer. / shouldn't let it come to that.
am sorry l did not manage to get away
| tonight. thought they meant to let me. =
| Il think they did mean to. Some blum
der. suppose. on the part Of the sub
| ordinates.''
II suppose So"
"Weli, Luke" said Col Harris. with a
you were child, but. by :, man!
confess that l don't understand you"
| That's very kindly put, sir" rejoined
Luke. with the semblance Of a smile.
You have every right to call me con-
| founded blaclkguard.''
| II shall only do that after your trial,
my boy said the other. When 1 have
heard you confess with your own lips that
you killed that ID scoundrel in a
moment of intense provocation."
Il had better not keep the police wait
| ing any longer, sir. had I?''
| No! no! that's all right. I'll take my
| poor Lou away at once. and We'll see
after Edie and Jim-we'll look after them
'Thank you, sir
"S'lOng, my boy.
And Col. Harris-puZZled, worried and
overwhelmingly went out of the room.
On the InreSnOlQ ne turned, moved Dy the
simple and primitive instinct Of wishing
| to take a last look at friend.
| He saw Luke standing there In the full
! light Of the electric lamp, calm, quite
serene, correct to the last in attitude and
| bearing. The face was just a mask
| marblelike and impassive-jealously guard
| ing the secrets of the soul within. Just
| a good-looking, well bred young English
! man. in fact. who looked in his elegant
attire ready to start off for some social
function.
Not a single trace either on his person
or in his neat. orderly surroundings of
the appalling tragedy which would have
broken the spirit of any human creature
| less we'll schooled in self-restraint.
Convention was triumphant to the end
The man Of the wOrld-the English gen.
| tleman. hypocritical or Unconditional?
which?-was here ready to face abject
! humiliation and hopeless disgrace as i'm
:, passively as he would have received the
,xelcnx,ao of q haSteSS at q dinner rt