The Washington times., 1912-04-06
CHAPTER II.
Realization.
The jov in Beatrice's eyes gave
| way to poignant wonder as she
/ gazed on him. Could this be he;

THE jov in Beatrice's eyes gave
way to poignant wonder as she
gazed on him. Could this be he?
Yes, we'll she knew 1t was. She
recognized him even through the gro
tesquerY of his clinging rags, even be-
hind the mask OF a long, red, dusty
beard and formidable mustache, even
despite the wild and staring incoherence
OF his whole expression.
Yet how incredible the metamor-
phosis! To her flashed a memory OF
this man, her other-time employer
keen and smooth-shaven, alert. we'll
dressed. self-centered. dominant, the
master OF a hundred complex problems,
the directing mind of engineering works
innumerable.
Faltering and uncertain now he stood
there Then, at the sound Of the girls
voice, he staggered toward her with
outflung hands. He stopped and for a
moment stared at her.
For he had no time as yet to corre-
late his thoughts, to pull himself to-
gether.
And, while ones heart might throb
ten times, Beatrice saw terror in his
blinking, blodshot eyes
But almost at once the engineer got
a mastery over himself Even as Beat
rice watched him breathlessly from the
door she saw his fear die out, she saw
his courage we'll up fresh and strong.
1t was almost as though something
tangible were limning the mans soul
upon his face. She thrilled at sight OF
him.
And though for a long moment no
word was spoken, while the man and
woman stood looking at each other like
two children in some dread and un-
! familiar attic, an understanding leaped
between them.
| Tncn, womanlike. instinctively as she
/ breathed, the girl ran to him. Forget
| full of every convention apd OF her dis
array, she seized his hand, And in a
voice that trembled till 1t broke she
cried:
what is it? What does all this
mean? Tell me!'
To him she clung.
Tell me the truth-and save me! II
it real?"
Stern looked at her wonderingly. He
| smiled a strange, wan, mirthless smile
All about him he looked. Then hi!
lips moved. but for the moment no SOUND
came. ,....
He made another effort, this time sue
cessful.
There, there" said ne, huskily, a.
though the dust and dryness of tht
innunerable years ha6 got into his yer!
voice. There. now. don't be afraid.
Something seems to have taken plac,
mere While-we'Ve been asleep. What
What Is 1t? don't know yet. I'll fine
out. There's nothing TO be alarmed
about, at any rate"
| "But-look!" She pointed at the hid
| eous desolation.
yes, / see. But no matter. Your
alive I'm alive. That's two of us, any
how Maybe there are a lot more. Wei
soon see Whatever 1t may be, wei
win"
streamers of rotten cloth that once hat
been a business suit. lie waded through
the confusion OF wreckage or the foo
to the window.
II you have seen a weather-b beatel
scarecrow Tapping in the wind, yoI
have some notion OF his outward gIdse
| No tramp you ever laid eyes on coul
have offered 50 preposterous an ap
Down over his shoulders fell tn
matted, dusty hair, His tangled bear
reached far below his waist. Even hi
eyebrows, naturally rather light, ha
grown to a heavy thatch above his eS Rs
and that he still seemed to have kel
the resilient force of vigorous manhood
! YOU might have thought him some I'm
! Credlbly ancient Rip Van Wrinkle com
to life upon that singular stage ther
In the tower
But little time gave he 70 introspec
{ ton or the matter Of his own appear