Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-05-12
CHAPTER v11-(Continusd).

ineSS IN MS voice, II am about to ask
a great favor of YOU. Will you let
this matter rest for awhile? IL don't
know what came over me. 1t was
not like anything that ever has hap
pened to me before, not in all my life.
i seem to have gone utterly out of my
mead. Wait! Please do not speak. Lis
sen to me. i am about to confess
something to ou. When you first came
INTO this room and said that-that
Chetwynd had taken your drawing, |
aot know why l should believe this
of my own son, but-but l was no more
able to help it than it was in my pow
er to check the working of my mind.
The horrible fit of ~anger-the dread
tul language. l cannot explain. i do
not understand 1t myself. Wait. Yes, |
DO understand. 1t was because l knew
that you knew. 1t was because there
was no one. else IN whom I could vent
my rage and shame. l hated you, Eric,
IN thOSe few moments, those awful mo-
ments. You will never know how i
mated YOU. Perhaps you can under
stand why. l wanted to be proud of
shetwynd. You struck that pride u
deadly blow. You We're responsible for
my awakening. l cried out as the
sleeper does when he is rudely dis
turbed from serenity of peaceful slum-
ber-I cried out in anger against the
awakening. / wanted to kill YOU. 1t
was in my heart to do so. i love Chef
wynd. He is all that life holds for me.
Do you follow me-"
Yes, sir" said Eric still in a maze.
1T is not too late for me to save
him. He shall not go down. BY God,
ne shall be a man. j will lift him up,
' will force him up. He shall not falter
again. ! have never failed in any UNI
t3arfolrior r,i1I -nt $oi1 -, <Iie, LIZ
must be absolved. There is no all
Tentative. He must stand right with
the world, with me, and with him
self. Now. listen to me. Don't let a
word escape you. l thought it all out
as i lay there on the couch. You can
ruin him. perhaps-or at least cast dis
credit on him. 1t is my duty to pre-
vent that very thing happening. You
nave got to let this matter rest"
But, uncle" began Eric.
Mr.. Blagden came a few steps
nearer. even in the dim light Eric
could see the exalted light in his eyes.
There is no alternative. He must
while my hand is strong. while my
love is great and capable of generos-
,ty. l shall have to ask you to say
nothing about this until ] have talked
t ove with him. There may be some
mistake. l may be wrong in my con-
.ItSlOlIS. ~ hllOWS lLliI l. IOPC i ain
I would give all that I possess If
sould be sure that you have lied to
ne, if l could drive out of my mind
hat first revolving doubt. But it has
taken root. the seed of distrust is we'll
sown. l donbt my son. / can only
nope that his side of the story may
not be so dark as / fear it. There may
pc extenuating circumstances A
great hope o. root in his soul and
ne voiced it. 1T Is not improbable
chat you tried to profit by his ideas.
You may be as culpable as he is, in an
Indirect way. Stop! Do not defend
yourself. 1t isn't necessary. j am
merely theorizing. I recall that the
.wo designs, as presented, are along
the same general lines, the same
thought is expressed. ! noted a sim
'larity. He may have been justified
III keeping you from realizing on his
IDEAS and his experience. Ii he discov-
cred in any way that YOU being a bet
ter draughtsman thar he, concluded to
benefit by his ideas after coming into
possession of them, either %innocently
or maliciously-'
Eric's Indignation burst its bound
You know that isn't true. Uncle
Horace he cried out. i never saw his
design, / never talked with him about
It,"
What are o going to say if he
declares that you did take began
MIR. Blagden harshly.
But h could not deceive himself. He
DIT his lip and turned his face away for
IN instant.
mo, Eric he went on, in an altered
tone. Il won't put it that way l am
about to bare myself to you, and it is
best that we should understand each
other"
He paced back and forth across the
.oom several times, his brow knitted,
~. l,,,do olocnal TIGHTLY hohind his
oack.
Eric felt a sudden. keen sense OF
utilization. Are you going to have Mr..
Presbrey talk it over with him?' he
asked.
Mr.. Blagden stopped in his tracks
and starred at the questioner.
NO." he said. bringing his lips to-
gether in a thin line. This is not q
matter for Presbrey-at least. not at
present. Ny boy. l am desperate, quite
desperate. I Tor know why l should
believe this thing o have told me, as
] said before. but l do believe 1t. ]
am convinced that your drawing has
won the prize that goes to Chetwynd
I don't know how it all came about. He
NAV not have been wholly responsible,
but the fact remains that the drawing
is yours. l am a fair man. l grant
that it is our design. But, above all
things, 1 am a Blagden. The name has
been dragged in the by n men,
Der Of the family-your mother. That
Of course. is something you could not
have helped. But you can help me now
in the effort to keep it from being fur
ther ~dishonored. l shall expect you to
do 30. It is hard. l appreciate, for you
TO sit calmly and see the prize go to an
other under the conditions. But that my
boy, is just what you will nave to do
He spoke slowly, emphasizing each
word with a sort of swapping OF his
tongue as the breath escaped from the
confinement of his throat.
What do you mean?" asked Eric
~nrn1n~od