The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1912-12-13
CHAPTER VI.
Nell ewvnne,s Mirror.


With the approach of the twenty
first Of the month, which is to say
the seventh day following Camerons
receipt of the second letter, OBJ
served in him a growing nervous rest
leSsness, which with praiseworthy eff
fort he was evidently striving to over
come. Of my visit to the red giant
and the tragedy which followed it, he
was, of course, informed; as he had
been of the incident in the wood, in
Guiding the finding of the bullet
pierced piece Of canvas. Every
thing, save only that Evelyn was the
'discoverer of the portrait rem1ant-
which l thought best under the cir
-cumstances to keep secret-was told
to him in detail, and with all the cir
cumstantiality necessary to an intel
ligent discussion of even the minutest
point.
My description of Murphy ELECTED
from him a recollection. He remem-
bered having seen the man once. 1t
was on the Fourth Of July. Evelyn
and Mrs. Lancaster, Cameron's house
keeper, had accompanied Cameron to
what is called THE Port Sof Missing
Men," a resort for motorists, on the
summit of Titicus mountain. They
! had lunched there and were returning
by route which took them over a
succession of execrable roads, but
through some Of the most glorious
scenery In the whole state of Con-
necticut. For a while they had been
| following a stream, willowgirt, that
went babbling down over a rocky bed
which at intervals broke the waters
into a series of falls and cascades. At
the foot of one of these they had
stopped the car and alighted for a
better view, and so had come upon
the unexpected.
Seated upon a great bowlder, his
easel planted between the stones OF
the streams shadows, was red.
headed, red-bearded Colossus, in a
soiled suit of khaki and a monstrous
straw hat such as is worn by harvest
ing farmers. Cameron told me that
all three Of them made bold to peer
over the painters shoulder at his
work, and then, though it was Of the
most mediocre quality to shower him
with laudatory and congratulatory
phrases.
81 can fancy how he thanked you,
l broke in, smiling. 81 suppose he
said something very rude"
'He said nothing at all. He simply
stopped painting, and turning, fixet
his eyes upon me. 1t was as If he
saw no other one of us. He seemed
to be making a careful appraisemen
Of my every feature. After a mo
ment it grew embarrassing, anC
though l did not resent it-feelinl
rather that we, ourselves, had beer
in the wrong-I very speedily with
drew. To my surprise he rose from
his stone seat; and, palette anC
brush in hand, followed us up thu
little activity to the road, watching
in silence, until we got back into GU
car, and wheeled away"
"Did you gather from his inspection
that he recognized you, or thought h,
recognized your" l asked.
J 81 gathered only that he meant Il
be insufferably rude" was Cameron
answer.
And you have never seen hin
since?"
Never"
"He has evidently seen you. H
spoke of the Russian wolf-hound
that go about with you"
Cameron made no response.
, "Well," | added, in a tone meant t
be reassuring, 81 think We need hav
p little fear of a continuance of thi
, singular method of annoyance
: Though we can't trace it directly t
t Murphy and his unfortunate Mongol
: an, l thoroughly believe that one o
/ the other was responsible. With tn
Chinaman dead and Murphy in jai
/ the persecution will cease. The threa
/ contained in the second letter wi
never be executed See If I'm nc
} right"
J My hope of putting Cameron a
( ease, however, was not rewarded H
continued to exhibit signs of an a
= most constant apprehension. Their
was, indeed, a sympathy-stirrin
3 pathos about the nervous disquiet {
! this man, usually so impenetrabl
= self-contained. And at moments,
! spite of me, a suspicion gripped an
3 held that he had not been entirel
frank; that somewhere in his pas
] there was something unreveale
+ which might serve as a clue, if nj
E an explanation. to the present. Bl
4 these doubts OF him were Away
e transitory.
d The twenty-first of September fe
+ that year on Monday. My office d.
' manded my presence, but / arrange
= affairs as well as possible by tel