Evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1907-1913, 1912-09-02

evident 10 me III Cameron nUSleQ
voice and furtive manner, and in my
own unwonted nervous disquietude.
We sat very late. | wished, If pos
sible, to learn if at any time in my
friends life he had done aught to en-
gender an enmity TO which these
strange developments could be traced
whether, for instance, in the hot
blood of his youth in some far land he
had provoked the vengeance of one
whose humor it is never to forget. AS
we talked l came to know Cameron
better than I had ever known him be-
fore. He barred to me much Of his
early career; he gave me clearer
view of his temperamental qualities;
and yet / could not but feel that he
left the vital point untouched, that be-
meath his seeming frankness there lay
hidden, shielded, some one episode,
perhaps, which might let the light In
upon Our darkness. For my question
was evaded rather than answered.
Presently, we went back to the let
ters and dissected them, colby and
critically, sentence by sentence, and
while the weird influence which they
had exerted upon me at the first read
ing increased stimulated possibly by
the incident Of the portrait, still We
reached a certain practical, common
sense view as to their origin for we
came to see in them what We be-
1ieved to be the hand Of religious
fanatic. Certain expressions, we con-
Guided, We're quotations. II they were
not Biblical, they were certainly Of
sacred genesis. And the discovery
vas not reassuring. 1t lent, indeed,
an added prick to the perturbation we
already experienced.
Nor did the absence of specified
date for the second promised Demon
stration of power tend to relieve our
uneasiness. In this silence We found
the acme of cunning cruelty. Any day,
at any hour, some other mystifying,
soul-torturing incident was liable to
occur.
tried to argue that the seventh day
was implied, inasmuch as the second
note was received on the same day of
the month as the first, and was a mere
continuation of the original threat
But my contention lacked the intrinsic
strength which carries conviction,
and, as Cameron put it, we could only
watch and watt" for the communi-
cations offered no alternative. They
made no demand which being COM
piled with would avert penalty. Only
implacable and inevitable retribution,
calm, patient, and determined, effused
from every line.
But, in spite Of Cameron's evident
anXiety-and in using that term I am
very mildly stating his obvious condi-
ton of mind-he sternly refused to
consult either the police or the private
detectives.
you may not know" he explained,
that | am largely interested in GER
tain line of industrial enterprises, the
shares Of which are listed on the New
York Stock Exchange. Should the pub
lie become aware that my life is
threatened, very serious consequences
might ensue in the market No, Clyde,
whatever is done, must be done by
ourselves, and by friends whom we
can trust absolutely. I can take no
risk of this horrid thing getting into
the newspapers. Besides he added,
with a kindly, considerative smile,
Evelyn must be kept in ignorance.
Not for worlds would have her trou-
bled by our perplexing enigma"
My suggestion that he should go
abroad for a time, or at least spend a
few weeks at Newport, was met with
similar obstinate refusal.
Il admit that I have been somewhat
upset by this extraordinary combna-
tion," was the way he expressed 1t,
but am not a coward. l am not GO
Ing to run. Even If were inclined to
do So what should I gain? If man
be not safe in his own house, where in
Heavens name is he likely to find
safety?" ~,
Quite naturally was led by this ex.
preston to inquire whether, per-
chance, he mistrusted any of the many
persons who were employed in the
house and about the estate. But, some
what to my surprise, he was almost
gravely offended by the mere sugges-
ton. Nevertheless there We're several
features of the affair, chief of them
the manner in which the letters were
received, which caused me to dwell
with some mental persistence on this
as the most profitable ground for spec
ulation. And when at length, in the
mornings small hours, returned to
my home and to my bed, carried the
thought with me.
The sowing of this seed In the sub
conscious garden Of my mind brought
forth fruit after its kind. l awoke
with a perfectly clear understanding
of how that which, the night before.
had seemed so impossible of accom-
pllshment was, perhaps, after all.
merely harlequin trick, quite simple
when explained,
With the new day, too, and the
sunlight, and the CHEEKY brightness of
my own rooms, there came lifting of
that oppressive atmosphere Of the ESQ.,
teric which at Cameron's had set my
nerves out Of plumb and my reason
on the bias. Indeed I was fully con-
!, l. o.