The Ordway new era., 1913-05-09

seemingly convincing fact that tho
tragedy had occurred In the Cameron
town house. where the millionaire
was supposed to be convalescent,
gave excuse for persistent iteration
of rumor that, in order to preserve
the fame Of man regarded as above
reproach and at the same time to pro-
tect the line Of securities in which he
had been interested. the story OF
confusing likeness had been invented.
No paper in the land would have
had the temerity to print this as fact.
but again and again-silly and impos-
sible as 1t must have appeared to all
thinking persons-it was promulgated
by innuendo and embodied In more or
less weakly-worded denials.
AS result Crystal Consolidated suf-
fered. Bonds and stocks alike sloughed
fraction after fraction and point after
point. And our mouths were neces-
sarily closed upon the truth, since
that, II possible. would have been even
more damaging; for while we still
hoped. we could give no positive as
surance that Cameron was yet alive.
Strangely enough, though the whole
wretched complication had been raked
reportorially with a fine-tooth comb.
the kidnapping from the yacht had
not yet been so much as limited at. but
I lived, daily. in mortal dread that 1t
would be brought to light at the next
journalistic hand-sweep. Accurate In
formation as to Cameron's present
whereabouts was the news now most
eagerly sought not alone by the press
but by Wall street as well; our failure
to supply it-though excused by us on
the ground that In his present nerv-
GUS condition, 1t was imperatively nec-
essary to keep him sequestered from
interviewers-was not unnaturally
arousing a suspicion that we did not
possess it to supply.
II, under the strain of the tragedy
and the brutal publicity which fol-
lowed upon 1t. Evelyn Grayson had not
eventually succumbed she must have
been more than human. Bravely she
had borne up against whelming sue
cession of nerve-wrenching expert
ences, refusing to entertain fear and
fighting valiantly against discourage
ment, but heart and nerves have their
limit of endurance; and when. on the
third day, John Soy WAS gathered to
his yellow and white fathers. and a
more yellow than white evening jour
nal ventured. more boldly than had
been dared hitherto. to make the i'm
plication to which have referred.
Evelyn collapsed utterly.
As chance would have It. I myself
came upon her. lying white. limp, and
unconscious on the library floor. with
the paper still loosely held in her
right hand. The sound OF her fall had
carried to me family as I neared tho
closed door, and a misgiving born OF
intuition rather than of any more def-
mite cause had hastened my steps.
Having lifted her to a couch and
rung for her maid at once set about
doing what I could to restore her to
consciousness. But her plight vas no
ordinary momentary faintness. Stub
bornly she refused to respond to my
efforts, and those Of the maid when.
after hours it seemed. she came, were
equally unavailing.
Alarmed. called up DR.. Massey,
only to learn that he had gone to Bos-
ton for consultation. and that DR..
Thorne, his assistant. was operating
at Roosevelt Hospital. For moment.
distressed and anxious, the names OF
other physicians eluded me. In de-
spair, I opened the Telephone Direc-
tory. in hope Of suggestion, and the
name of Addison leaped at me from
the page. To my infinite relief he was
In his office; his electric was at the
door, and he would be over at once.
And 1t was not until ten minutes
later, when he came hurriedly into the
room, that / remembered. The name.
when saw 1t. had at once struck me
as familiar. l seemed to know, even.
that 1t belonged to physician OF
reputed high standing. yet 1t was only
at the instant Of his entrance, when
his penetrating steel-gray eyes drilled
into mine, that I associated 1t with the
man to whom had gone. not for any
ailment, but to learn whether my
friend. In spite Of his denials. had ever
been in China.
II the recognition was mutual. DR..
Addison gave no sign Of 1t. His pa
tient demanded and received his i'm
mediate attention. Hastily he admin
istered a stimulating hypodermic. and
then, himself assisted in carrying her
to her room.