The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1913-05-22
CHAPTER XIX.
Tho Pang Of Disllluslon.

mo Pang OF DiBllluslon.
The sick room was dark. So darn
that for little, until our eyes accus'
toned themselves to 1t, We could bare.
ly distinguish objects. But our ears
required no attuning. Even In the pas
sageway, separated by n heavy mahog.
any door. We had hint OF what was go
ing on within; and as we entered, q
hoarse TRADE smote us In the gloom,
like an assault from ambush.
To us both the tone and words were
alike unfamiliar In infection and
| meditation the voice was strange. And
| the uttered sounds were n coarse, hor.
| rid jargon. Once thought ! detected
an English oath. but was not sure.
Evelyn clutched my hand and |
could feel against me the tremble Of
her slim young body. Gladly | would
have spared her this ordeal, but had
been no less unpreparcd than she. And
now, as gradually shapes defined them
selves less dimly in the gloom, the hOr
ror grew; and. held by It. speechless
inert. stood where had paused
the quiyering girl very close beside
me-staring. listening, wondering.
It was q large room. lofty Of ceiling,
with high windows, across which
heavy curtains were drawn; and the
only Hight was that which stole be.
tween these hangings or filtered
through three dark, richly.colored,
glass medallions set in a side wall
Camcrons bed. q massive, ornatefy
carved four.poster, was hung with
fringed and embroidered velvet, and in
the dusk Of the chamber It took on tbs
somber likeness Of a catafalque. AUD.
Ing TO the ecric seeming a touch OF the
funcrcal. anonymously from the
shadowy midst OF It came that rantcd
rigmarolc OF strange words. now high
pitched, now bass. now cultural.
What had at first seemed moving
gray patch had developed by degrees
into the white, night.robed, sitting flg
urc Of the invalid. swaying eXcIfedly,
with arms extended In Ceaseless ges
lures, For a long moment this un.
canny object had held my gaze, but
presently near the beds foot, des.
cried Bryan's white uniform and the
sight brought "A measure of relief. In
response TO a reckoning head.tlt, the
nurse joined us
II though. you had better come" he
whispered. quite calmly. 81 thought
possibly you might understand what
he IL saying"
But | don't" | whispered back III
it's real language | never heard It.
What do you imagine It is?"
Il have an Idea It's Chinese" he IN.
sworod 1T sounds like tho stun you
hear at n Chinese thcatCr, and
caught two or three words Of pidgin.
English, Just before YOU" He broke
OFF suddenly. and pluckcd at my sleeve.
"There!" he murmured. Did you
hear that? Maskcc That was plain
enough. 1t means never mind A lit. !
tie while ago he was evidently trying /
to hurry som" one. 1t was chopchop |
about every other sentence"
Eyclyn's eyes shone luminous in the
gloom.
Cant you give him something to Z
quiet him." she begged. IT'S awful to /.
let him 20 on like this. It's cruel. He
seems to be in such distress"
81 can. OF course" Bryan returned .
But thought Mr. Clyde was anxious /
10 have everything he said reported. !
and"
"Oh. do give him something" she
Insisted.
Bryan left us to obey. saw him
stop at a table near the bed, and in
he half light l caught the CLINT OF
lypodermIc syringe. But, as II scent.
nH his purpose, Cameron's voice lulled
ibruptly For n second or two he was
luict, and then, before any one OF us,
think, suspected his purpose. he
urned. suddenly, swiftly, and slipped
rom beneath the bed clothes to the
loor where he stood erect. with arms
lpraIsed and tensed shouting in shrIll,
itrdent key what seemed 20 be orders.
ERECTED not at one but at a horde.
The great bed separated him from
10Th Bryan and myself, but we slirted
t IN haste. and came upon him be-
ore he mad taken more than n single
tep. As we confronted him, his arms
owercd and his clenched fists shot
onward threateningly. But far
more startling happening at this juno
ure was his abandonment OF his Jar
.on. and his adoption OF Ineligible
English.
TO BE CONTINuEpD