The Dickson County herald. (Dickson, Tenn.) 1907-1979, 1915-09-10
CHAPTER xvii--<,en,Inus1.

And 10 with each new arrival He
neither turned nor moved at any ones
entrance. but left II TO Dir. Black to do
the honors and make the best of sit.
uation. difficult. II not inexplicabls to
all Of them, Nor could 1t be seen that
any OF these nien--cify officials. promL
Bent citizens and old friends, reeog
niEed bis figure or suspected his
identity Beyond passing glance his
way, they betrayed neither curiosity
nor interest. being probably sufficient.
ly occupied In accounting for their
own presence In the home OF their
once reyered and now greatly ma.
IiEned compeer, Judge oStranHer. 1T.
tackled through his sen. was about to
say or do something which each aud
every one Of them secretly thought
had better be left unsaid or undone
Yet none showed any disposition TO
leave the place; and when. after a
short uneasy pause during which alt
attempts al conversation failed, they
heard slow and welghty step mp,
preaching down the hall, the suspense
was such that no one but Mr. Black
r6ttted' the quick 'Whift with which
Oliver turned himself about. nor the
look Of mortal anguish with which he
awaited the opening OF the door and
hts fathers entrance among them No
one noticed | say. until, simultaneous.
y with the appearance OF Judge Os'
,r.nder on the threshold. a loud cry
swept through the room Of Don't
dealt" and the man they had barely
D0ilced. flashed by them all. and fell
AZ the Judges feet with a smothered
repetition Of his appeal; Don't. IA
Their. don't"
Then. each man knew why he had
been summoned there, and knowing.
eaJed earnestly at these two faces,
TS Give years OF unRppeased longing,
OF smothered love. rising above doubts,
persistlng In spite OF doubts were con.
centrated into that one instant OF mu.
tuai recognition, The eye OF the ia
Their was upon that OF the son and that
OF the son upon that OF the father and
for them. CO least In this first instant
OF reunion, the years we're forgotten
and sin. sorrow and on-coming DOOR
effaeed from their mutual conscious
ness.
Then the tide OF life flowed back into
the present. and the Judge, mottoning
To his son 10 rise, observed very dis
tinctly;
Don't 10 an ambiguous word. my
son. and on your lips. at this juncture
may mlslead those whom have called
here 20 hear the truth from us and the
truth only You have heard what hap
pened here few days ago How a
hong guarded, long suppressed suspi-
cion--so guarded and so suppressed
that ! had no tntimatlon OF its OK.
isteneo even, found vent at moment
OF public indignation. and heard you.
you. Oliver Ostrandcr, accused 10 my
face OF having In some boytsh nj Of
rage struck down the man for whose
death another has long since paid the
penalty. This you bave already been
told"
"Yas,"yN~Tha word m cut, sharply
through the silence but the Are with
which the young man rose and faced
them all showed him at his best. but
surely, no person present believes Il,
No one can who knows you and the
principles Ia which have been raised.
This fellow whom | beat as n boy has
waited long to start this damnable re-
port Surely he will get no hearing
from uapreiudiced and Intelligent
men,
The police have listened to him
Mr., Andrews. who Is ono OF the gen.
tlemcn present. has heard his story
and you see that he stands here silent.
my son And that is not all Mrs.
Scoyillc, who has loved YOU Hike a
mother. longs 10 believe III your limo.
conce. and cannot"
A low cry from tho ball
II died away UNDECIDED
And Mr., Black. her husbands ccun.
sell" continued tho father. in the Arm,
low tones 81 one who for many long
DAYS and nights had sehooied himself
FOR the duty for this hour. shares her
feeling. He has tried not to; but be
does. They have found evideuces--
know them. proofs which might not
have amounted TO much had II not
been for the one mischieyous fact
which has undermined pahlic conf
denSe and given poin, to these attacks
refer 10 the life We have led and the
barriers We hare ourselves raised
against car mutual intercourse These
have updene US, To the question. Why
these barriers" | can tind no answer
but the ono which ends this struggle.
Surrounding mysGt.'l ask yon Is do SO
also. GA. az the past comes Voice
the voice Of Algernon Etheridge, de-
rnNndtng veNgeance for his untimely
end. II viii aot be gainsaId. Not sat
asfted with the toll We have both paid
IN these years Vt suffering and repres.
sioa. -cnsntndfal Of the heFmtt's lie ]
have led and OF the heart dlsapnNint'
ments you have borne. is cry for pun
ishacnt remains insistent GentIeme@
hush Oliver. II is for uSe TO cry
Don't now John Scoylile was q
guilty mana murderer ant thief
but he did act WELD the stick which
KILLED Algcrscn ESheridge Another
hard raiAs4 Nat No, do no, look vt
Ne boz. Ks y Innocent. Look here