The Forrest City times. [volume] (Forrest City, Ark.) 1871-1919, 1913-02-28

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| words
But you?" I queried; for her car
was headed in TIE opposite direction.
I am going alone to Norton, l have
a hamper in the tonneau for that poor
OMalley family. ! shall he back in
time. We dine at half-past seven. you
| know. You'll Gomez"
"Of course III come" l answered
her | think she must have heard
more In my voice than the simple
words, for her lids dropped, for just
a breath, and the color famed sudden
| below her lowered lashes
But, after all. l saw very little of
her that evening. 1t is true that she
sat on my right at table, piquantly,
! youthfully beautiful in the softly tint
ed light which filtered through the
pink and silver fiigree candle-shades,
but the atmosphere of the dinner was
tinged by vague, unreasoning con-
stratnt as from some ominously brood
ing yet undefinable influence which
; overhung the three of US. And WIZ en-
the coffee and liqueurs We're served.
employing some slender pretext for
her going. she babe US goodnight. AMI
| left US, not to return.
In justice to Cameron, l must ado
that he appeared least affected by
and certainly in no wise responsible
for-the pervading infestivity. He had
been, indeed, rather less demure than
was often his wont, chatting with al
most gayety concerning Evelyn's new
role of Lady Bountiful and Of her
Norton benefciaries. As for the sub
ject upon which he desired to consult
me, 1t had not been SO much as men
toned; so in looking back, It seems
impossible that matters of which
neither Evelyn nor | was at the time
informed could have exerted an effect.
save through Camerous undetected.
subconscious inducement.
Even after his niece had with
drawn, Cameron continued for a time
to discuss with me topics of general
and public, rather than personal, i'm
port He spoke, I remember. OF a
| series of articles on The Commercial
Resources of the United States" the
publication Of which had just begun
in The Week, of which | am owner
and editor; and though I fancied at
! first that it might be in this counec-
ton he wished to consult me, very
soon discerned that he was merely
using statement contained therein
as text for certain views of his own
on the conservation and DEVELOPMENT
of the country's timber supply.
Meanwhile my curiosity grew keen
er. 1t was natural, | suppose, that I
should fancy Evelyn involved in some
way. In fact I then attributed the de
preston during dinner To- her knovl-
edge Of what her uncle and guardian
purposed to say TO ne. Likewise I
found in this conception the reason
for her sudden and unusual desertior
| Hitherto when | had dined here Eve
Ign had remained with US while we
| smoked our cigarettes, leading us at
length to the music room, where for
glad half-hour the rich melody OF
her youthful sweet contralto voice
mingled In pleasing harmony with her
own piano accompaniment
And while | vainly made effort to
imagine wherein might have laid nv
self open to the disapproval Of this
most punctilious Of guardians-for |
expected nothing less than a studious-
ly polite reference 70 some shortcom-
! ing Of which | had been unwittinglv
guilty momentarily lost track of
my hosts discourse. Emerging from
my abstraction it was with a measure
| OF relief that l heard him saying:
Il think you told me once. Clyde.
that you rather prided yourself on
your ability to get line on ones
character from his handwriting.
That's why I teIephoned for you this
afternoon. have received an anony-
nous letter"
He was leaning forward. a little
constrainedly, his left hand gripping
the arm Of his chair, the fingers Of his
right hand toying with the stem of
his goldrimmed Bohemian liqueur
glass.
San anonymous letter." I repeated,
with a deprecatory smile. ANONYMOUS
letters should be burned and forgot
ten. Surely you're not bothering about
the writer?"
l wish I could put before you an ex-
act reproduction OF Cameron's face as
| then saw it; those rugged outlines.
the heritage Of Scottish ancestry. soft
ened and refined by a brilliant intel
lectuality; the sturdy chin and square
jaw; the heavy underlip meeting the
upper in scarcely perceptible curve;
the broad, homely nose; the small
but alert, gray eyes. shining through
the round lenses OF his spectacles; the
high, broad. sloping. white brow and
the receding border of dark brown.
slightly grizzled hair. That, super
ficially. was the face But saw more
than that. In the visage OF one nat
urally brave I saw a battle waged be-
hind mask-a battle between cour.
age and fear; and I saw fear win.
Then the mask became Opaque once
Z r,1ra opd Cap1Hrav 81. rfr a.