The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-01-08

What Is it?"' she asked, sprfngine
up and coming to my side. What
have you found"
Look" I commanded, the sheet Of
paper In one upraised hand, a finger
or my other hand pointing to a. pas.
sage. Look! In 1903, your uncle Rob
ert was in Peking; and yet he gave
me his word that he had never visited
China"
I resting an arm on my shoulder and
pending forward she read for herself:
Just to think! We were in Peking
together and neither Of us was aware
or 1t until too late! What a forega III.
ering we missed. Even five minutes
chat would have been something; Tut
no sooner saw you, than the Gro vd
on Legation street swallowed you up."
Have you read it all?"
Not 10 the end" told her. Gust
the beginning and the signature.
Come" I added, well read It from
first to last, together" And I turned
back the page.
1t was written from Cairo, and bore
date Of December 7, 1903.
my dear Cameron" it began. 81
am wondering whether you are back
IN New York again. However. you
VIII probably be there for Christmas
and therefore this letter will not long
await you. We have been making a
rather leisurely tour Of the east. Ar
rived here two days ago and shall re-
main until some time in January"
The writer then gave a general out
line Of his travels. "You will prob.
ably be surprised to learn that once
you and I passed each other as ships
In the night, save only that We did not
even speak each other in passing" he
went on. "It was my last day-indeed
my last hour-in northern China.
Otherwise / should have made search
FOR you. Just to think! We were IN
Peking together, and neither of US
was aware Of 1t until too late. What
foregathering we missed! Even FIVE
minutes chat would have been some
thing; but / no sooner saw you, than
the crowd on Legation street swal-
lowed you up. Half an hour later I
was on the train for Tien-tsin."
The rest Of the letter was rather
confusingly personal in its references
to mutual friends and interests. It
was signed: Always with warm re-
gard, Addison"
DO you suppose that Is his first
name or his last?" Evelyn asked me
as we came to It,
1 refuse to suppose" I returned
smiling. It's an even chance What
Is more to the point is. how long has
Louis been your uncle's valet?"
Several years.
Several is indefinite. Too indefi-
mite. Too indefinite Suppose we
have him in here and find out ex-
actly. Possibly he knows Mr.. Addi-
son."
When Louis came, however. he
knew nothing. He had never heard Of
MT. Addison or of a Mr.. Addison
something, in all the three years and
eight months Of his service with Mr.
Cameron. So Evelyn thanked him
once more in her own gracious way
, and We continued our work, directing
our efforts especially now to unearth-
Ing further Addison-signed letters
which might prove enlightening.
Why should Uncle Robert tell Won
he had never been in China?" EVELYN
asked me, looking up suddenly and
dropping to her lap the letter she was
at that moment examining. "I can't
understand that"
Nor l." I admitted. "Tf had asked
him out Of idle curiosity he would
have been justified perhaps in mis-.
leading me; but he must have known
that 1t was in his interest I made the
inquiry"
(TO BE CONTINUED