The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-12-07
CHAPTER 10.

closure i am nigh hopeless. The more
We discussed the occurrence the less
susceptible II seemed OF explanation.
And what 10 90 terrifying as the in
explicable. OF 90 dreadful as the In.
tangible? Here. apparently. was an
enemy OF calm and cunning malignity,
who chose TO manifest his power In a
menner almost ludicrously puerile--
save as II pointed with Significant I'm
Ger TO some dire and inevitable sequel
yet with such crafty secrecy as com.
pietsiy to mystify and dismay.
Cameron showed me the mutilated
portrait. He had taken II down al.
most Immediately. and had hidden Il
away In Q closet Of the hall behind an
array Of raincoats. The cutting had
been done. evidently. with an exceed.
fngly keen blade. and very dexterous-
U done. But that II should have been
accomplished In twelve minutes, while
Cameron sat In the room. not fifteen
feet distant. was beyond our compre-
hsnsion- Absorption In his book was
The nearest We came TO q solution, and
that was scarcely tenable. For there
was the crowded top Of the book.
shelves. To cut the canvas, the van.
dal must either have stood upon that
or have reared q ladder. There was
not room for the foot Of q child on tho
shelf-top; and as for the ladder, II was
unthinkable. How could q ladder have
been carried In and out without Cam
eron being conscious Of Il? From
every possible angle we Viewed the In
cident. making every conceivable con.
csssion. and no halfway plausible an
swer to the riddle presented itself.
And though our conmon-sense told 10
that the time Of miracles was long
past. that no Gyses' ring nor Abe
rich's cloak survived to this day to
make Invisible their wearers, there
persisted. nevertheless, a chill, uncan.
ny sense OF the supernatural, quite
evident TO me In Cameron's hushed
voice and furtive manner, and In my
own unwonted nervous disquietude.
We sat very lats. wished, II DOS
sible. to learn II at any time In my
Trends 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 tho vengeance of one
whose humor II 10 never to forget. As
we talked l came 70 know Cameron
better than had ever known him be-
fore. He barred to me much OF his
early career; he gave me O 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, coldly 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 certain practical, common
sense view as to their origin: for we
came 70 see In them what We be-
heved to be the hand OF . eliyious
fanatic. Certain expressions. we con-
-ciuded. were quotations. II they were
not Biblical. they were certainly tf
sacred genesis. And tho discovery
was not reassuring. IT lent, indeed,
an added prick to the perturbation we
already experienced.
Nor did the absence of q 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.
soui-torturing incident was liable to
occur.
/ tried u argue that the seventh day
was implied. inasmuch AS the second
note was received on the same day OF
the month as the frst, and was mere
continuation OF the original threat.
But my contention lacked the Intrinsic
strength which carries conviction.
and. as Cameron put 1t. 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
fmplacable and inevitable retribution.
calm. patient. and determined, effused
from every line.
But. In spite OF Cameron's evident
anxlety-and IN using that tern I am
very mildly stating his obvious condI.
uon OF mind--he sternly refused 20
consult either rhe police or the private
detectives.
You may not know" he explained.
that am largely Interested I'm GER
tain line of industrial enterprises. tho
shares or which are listed on the New
York stock Exchange. Should the pub.
lie become aware that my life ls
threatened. very serious consequences