The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-01-29
The
Sable
I.orcha
Horace Haxeltino


IL is orss thing TO have your faith
IN friend shaken. That Is serious
enough In all conscience. But your
faith may tremble. and sway and rock,
and still there Is always the POSSIBLE
fty OF Its being resteadied and made
urn again by explanation-by extenu-
alton even II Is quite another thing
To have your faith toppled headlong,
by the snatching away Of the last vest
fge OF support. the last silver Of under
pinning- That is more than serious.
IL Is calamitous; II In catastrophe; II
In tragic.
Back In the library again. I Set to
pacing the floor. I think Evelyn re-
sumed her seat in the big leathern
chair. L am sure. For a time I was
not conscious that she was In the
room. That IL was incon siderate Of
me. L admit. II was, perhaps, unpar-
donable. And yet II was not wilful.
Frankly. had forgotten her, absolute
~. Ia the stress Of the emotional tenn
pest raised by that revelation In the
darkened bedchamber.
Back and forth. I strobe from book.
case TO bookcase, over the soft, neu-
tral-tinted Persian rugs; and al, the
while there echoed those repeated de-
malls OF Camersn's that he had ever
been In China. Never nearer than
Yokohama" he had said. "Once I ate
chop suey In q Chicago Chinese restau-
rant" II have always been interested
In China and the Chinese, but I know
only what i have read" And the
words Of his quondam friend came
back to me now, too, with redoubled
emphasis: HE refused to admit what
i knew to be the truth"
Nevertheless had chosen to believe
That Cameron. should he ever return
TO us. would be able TO clarity this
turoid stream OF circumstance, and
prove the fallibility Of appearances.
The Illusion to which / had clung,
howeTer. was low In shreds. Cam
eron, returning, with body enfeebled
and brain confused, had spoken In his
unguarded delirium. The mask was
dropped. the screen thrown down, and
oarefaced and stark he stood revealed.
. woefui figure In the impartial glare
Of truth. ..,-,,,,.-
AT the moment could see no exten-
uatfon. He was liar and he was a
coward; and all the sympathy, all the
friendship i ever felt for him died ut
teriy. 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.
IL was now plain enough for the
least astute to see that at some time
he had committed an act which had
aroused certain OF the Chinese to re-
taliation. IL was this which had
reared from the first. II was this
which be had chosen TO hide.
AS l paced 10 and fro. his craven
words rang once more In my ears:
NO, no. ior Gods sake, not that! I
didn't kill them! / swear didn't kill
them! IL was an accident!" And I
Knew that he was lying. The very
tone OF his disclaimer convinced me
OF his guilt. He had killed, and he
covered before the avengers.
Disgust, adherence. anger, all were
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 n realization OF my surround
ings. and informed me that vas not
alone. Startled as one awakened abb
ruptly from dream, turned, and
turning. there came a revulslon. Every
surcharging emotion that had held
and bound me gave way Instant
ly to a violent self-reproach, excited
by the pathos Of Evelyn's sad. ques-
uoning eyes ard sadde-, quivering
mouth.
My impulse was to take her In my
arms, and pacifying, To plead pardon
Tor what must have seemed to her an
inexcusable churlishnesc. But the con-
ditions which so recently she had set
upon me forbiddlng the coveted en-
brace. compromised or a hand-clasn
MY dear child" | began, earnestly,
I'm sorry. But then you must know
how what we Just saw and heard dis
tressed me. think | have been mad
since we left that room. l hardly
know what have been doing. To see
him so unstrung. demented, raving.
To hear him"
But she would not allow me to fln-
ish.
"Phillp!" she cried. passionately.
"ok. Philip! Can't you see? Don't
you understand: II is a mistake. an
awful nightmare o. a mistake. That
creature over there is not my uncle.
I am convinced ihnI no ia nnt nv