Farmers' champion. (Elgin, Okla.) 1912-1922, 1913-02-20

noe eonecfcce ioot oDe ~ - u
room. Tia, IL vas iocons.ce-ats q
me. admit II vas. perhaps. unpar
donsbie And yet II vss nc, vfifui
Frankly. ] had forgotten he.. absolute
ly. In the stress Of the emotional tenn
pes, raised By that revelation In the
dA-sened bsdchamber.
Back and forth I strobe from book.
case 70 bookcase. over the soft. nsu-
tral-iintet Persian rugs: anc al the
while there echoed shoss repeated Do
mails Of Can<ron's that be had ever
been In China Never nearer than
Yokohama" he had sa,d- once / ate
chop suey in . Chicago Chinese restau-
rant" I have always been interested
IN China and the Chinese. bu, | know
only what ! have read" And the
words Of his quondAn friend came
back TO ne nor. too. with redoubisd
emphasis He refused 20 adni, what
kne q 20 be the truth
Nevertheless I h.d chosen 10 believe
that Cameron. should be ever return
20 us. would be abb TO clarity this
,urbic stream Of Circumstance. and
prove the ,silibility Of appearances.
The Illusion to which had chung.
however. vas nov In shrsds Cam
eron. returning. with body enfeehled
and brain confused had spoken in bis
unguarded delirium- The mask was
Dropped. the screen thrown down. and
barefaced and stark be stood revealed,
a voeful figure In the impartial glare
Of truth.
Al the moment could See no extern
uation- He VAS . liar and be was Q
coward; and all the sympathy, all the
friendship ever felt for him died at
terly. as thought how. probably,
every untoward incident Of the past
month. with its chain OF vexatious
consequences. might have been avoid
ed had he been brave to the point Of
confession.
II was now plain enough for The
least as,ute to see that al some time
he had committed an act which had
aroused certain OF the Chinese 10 re
tsi!aaon. Il was this which had
feared from the first II was this
which be had chosen to hide.
AS | paced TO and fro, his craven
words rang once moro In my ears:
No. a.. for Gods sake, not thatl |
didn't all them! I swear didn't kill
them! II was an accident" And !
knew that he was lying. The very
tone OF his disclaimer convince Z me
OF his guilt. He had killed. and he
covered before the avengers.
Disgust, abhorrence, anger, all we're
mine in turn.
At length / paused before a window,
and remained there. with my back to
the room. looking down on the with.
cred garden behind the house, yet see
ing nothing but the red Of my own pas.
sion.
A touch upon my shoulder aroused
me to realization OF my surround
ings. and Informed me that was not
alone. Startled as one awakened alb
rupty from a dream, turned. and
turning. there came a revulsion. Every
surcharging emotion that had held
and bound me gave way instant.
ly to a violent self-reproach, excited
~ NAS PoNGCs VI saQ, QQe1
tioning eyes and sadder. quiverins
mouth.
My impulse was 10 take her In my
arms. and pacifying. 10 plead pardon
for what must have seemed to her an
inexcusable churlishness But the con
ditions which so recently she had se,
upon me forbidding the coveted EN-
brace, compromised on q hand-clasp
My dear child" began. earnestly
I'm sorry. But then you must know
how what We Just raw and heard dis
tressed me. think I have been mad
since We left that room. hardly
know what | have been doing. To see
him so unstrung, dementeG. raving
| To hear him"
But she would not allow me to IN
ish.
"Phiiip!" she cried. passionately
"Oh. Philip. Can't you see? DON,
you understand II IL a mistake, ar
awful nightmare OF mistake. Thai
creature over there 10 not my uncle
! am convinced that he 10 not my
Uncle Robert"