The Washington times., 1914-01-03

HE.fGE4 was llO NA'~AA -'o-
ard tapped at his fathers door.
He knocked again, and then
there was a movement and quer-
uloLs Come i'm
The sound of that voice was like
bucket Of icy water down EVerards 5
neck. He tried hard not to feel as he
always felt when summoned to that
room-uneasy, not quite sure OF how ne
VAS to be greeted, as If he had COM
mitted an indiscretion In tapping. .o
He went in quietly and shut the door.
'Oh. it's you. is It? You've only Kept
mo waiting twenty minutes. that an.
F,verard moved into the room. All the
excitement and hope were crushed. Inc
old antazonism surged TO the top, IN
tensified a hundred times by the harsh
ness of such a greeting at the moment
chen. for the first time, he really want
ed to open out ~
useless to enter into explanations.
His father was deep in an Armenian
one of those luxurious things Whcn
have a movable back, footrest' a Slot
in which to place a tumhieE, ana anu a
reading stand on pivot ne sHiiie"
with polite sarcasm. ..
II secmed incredible that the relation
shin of these two should nave peen lhat
! ~ father and son. They might easily
have been taken for grandfather and
rrandsCn The figure in the chair was
| limp. the hands thin and blue-Eelned.
| the bones OF the knees very sharPH
DrODouDCed The face was unpleasant
| Thr mouth was hard and sneering, the
! eyes GuIl and watery, with great
| Drnches beneath them. The skin was
| cf an ivory tint and seemed stretched
yCrv tight across his wrinkled forehead
and sunken cheeks. The DARK way
! hair was an anachromlsm
! You felt that something was wrong
that timr whose fingers had traced on
his face lines so oeep that no naSsage
could remove them, had torgOtten 10
complete its work. But II dld nor s'I heSu
| a more experienced eye Illdh SNeid'u .
| to detect the truth.
! The son made no move to shake hands
with his father. nor did the old man
seen TO expect it. He Just looked at
! Everard quiZZicaily
| ,.r,. communicative" he shifted,
That's YOUR mother coming out in you.
I suppose Haven't you any bright con-
versation at your command II.c w., can't
| Eyerard moved restlessly. You sent
for me Is there anything
Mr. evden chuckled and prOpped his
finger tips against each other. Charm
| incl'' he said Truly delightful! II |
| hadn't sent for you. you mean that you
| wouldn't have come near me, ch?'
| F;yerard made no answer. There was
! nothing to be said. but he looked curl
: ouslv and critically at the old man.
I half amused At HIi'iS'N tO4 'ISiihS N'
The tumblcr in the arm of the chair
! Was very nearly empty. Mr.. Leyden
looked at it distastefully. Ring the
heU and ioin me in IA brandy and soda. 80
! .'Thank you," Everard crossed to the
fireplace and put his finger on the cleo
I trio button.
His father beamed at him. but there
was a CyniCism behind II "hich would
| not he renrPssed. That's better he
said III you don't talk. YOU can at
least drink. eh' BY the way. is that
WHY you were sent down from oxford "
Your mother told me quite casually.
that il TO say. in her usual charming
manner. that you had been rusticdted.
but beyond that she vouchsafed me no
details. Now that you have become an
cntity-by having sufficient personality
10 get shot out of the university-it in
terests me to know something about
YOU" He settled himself comfortably.
Tell me about it