The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1915-07-16

state of happiness for his father. In
distinctly he recognized them as essen
| tials.
Ay, he was lonely. The house was
as bleak as the steppes of Siberia He
longed for companionship, friendship,
kindness-and suddenly in the midst
of 1t all he leaped to his feet.
I'm going out, gentlemen" he ex-
claimed, breaking in upon an unappre-
ciated tale that Mr.. Riggs was relat-
ing at some length and with consider
able fierceness in view Of the fact that
Mr.. Dawes had pulled him up rather
sharply once or twice In matter of
inaccuracies. Excuse ME, please"
He left them gaping with astonish-
ment and dashed out into the hall for
his coat and hat. Even then he had
no definite notion as to what his next
move would be, save that he was going
out-somewhere, anywhere. he did not
care.
Somehow, as he rushed down the
front steps with the cool night air
blowing in his face, there surged up
within him strong, overpowering
sense Of filial duty. 1t was his duty to
make the first advances. 1t was for
him to pave the way to peace and hap
piness. Something vague but disturb
ing tormented him with the fear that
his father faced a grave peril and that
his own place was beside him and not
against him, as he had been in all
these lily directed years. He could
not put 1t away from him, this thought
that his father was in danger-in dan
ger of something that was not phys
lcal, something from which, with all
his valor, he had no adequate form Of
defense.
At the corner he paused, checked by
an irresistible impulse to look back
ward at the house he had Just left. To
his surprise there was light in the
drawing.room windows facing the
street. The shades in one Of them
had been thrown wide open and a
stream of light 6ared out across the
sidewalk,
framed in this oblong square OF
light stood the figure of a man. Slowly.
as II drawn by force he could not
resist, the young man retraced his
steps until he stood directly in front
OF the window. questioning smile
was on his lips. He was looking up
into Ranjab's shcdowy, unsmiling face,
dimly visible in the glow from the
distant street lamp. For long time
they stared at each other, no sign of
I recognition passing between them. The
Hindu's face was as rigid, as emotion
less as II carved out Of stone; his
eyes were unwavering. Frederic could
see them, even in the shadows. He
had the queer feeling that, though the
man gave no sign, he had something
he wanted to say to him, that he was
actually calling to him to come back
into the house.
Undecided, the man outside took
several hating steps toward the door
way, his gaze still fixed on the face in
the window. Then he broke the spell
1t was notion on his part, he argued
If he had been wanted his fathers
servant would have beckoned to him
He would not have stood there like
a craven image, staring out into the
night. Having convinced himself Of
this, Frederic wheeled and swung of
up the street once more, walking rap.
idly, as one who is pursued. Turning
he waved his hand at the man in the
wind He received no response
Fart-er of he looked back once more
The Hindu still was there. Long after
he was out OF sight OF the house he
cast frequent glances over his shout
der as II still expecting to see the
lighted window and its occupant,
AS he made his way to Broadway
somewhat hazily bent on following that
thoroughfare to the district where the
night glittered and the stars were
shamed, he began turning over In his
mind queer notion that had Just Bug
gested itself to him, altering through
the maze Of uncertainty in which he
had been fioundering, 1t occurred tc
him that he had been mawkishly sen
timental in respect to his father. His
attitude had not changed-he was seri
ously impressed by the feelings thai
had mastered him-but he found him
self ridiculing the idea that his father
stood in peril Of any description. Ant
suddenly, out of no particular trend o.
thought, CROPPED the sly, persistent sus
picion that he had not been altogether
responsible for the sensations of al
hour ago. Some outside influence ha(
nodded his emotions for him, some
cunning brain had been doing hi
thinking for him.
Then came the sharp recollection
Of that motionless, commanding figure
in the lighted window, and his owl
puzzling behavior on the sidewalk out
side. He recalled his impression tina
someone had called out to him jus
before he turned to look up at thu
window. 1t was all quite preposterous
he kent on saving over and over agaiI