The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-11-05

moment He had not thought Of then {
except in their relation to completed
state of happiness for his father In
distinctly he recognized them as essen
tails.
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 it all he leaped to his feet.
Pm 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 a 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 a strong, oVerpoWerlne
sense of flial 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 nut it away from him, this thought
that his father was in danger-in dan
ger of something that was not phys
ical, something from which, with all
his vaIor 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 a light in the
, drawing-room windows facing the
street. The shades In one of them
r had been thrown wide open and a
5 stream of light flared out across the
sidewalk,
'' Framed in this oblong square Of
= light stood the figure of q man. Slowly
o as if drawn by a force he could no
resist, the young man retraced hi
l. steps until he stood directly in from
Of the window. A questioning smile
o was on his lips He was looking u
70 into Ranjab's shadowy, unsmiling face
st dimly visible in the glow from tn
n distant street lamp. For a long tim
T. they stared at each other, no sign 9
1t recognition passing between them. IN
W Hindu's face was as rigid, as emotion
1t less as if carved out Of stone; III
or eyes were unwavering. Frederic coui
It. see them, even in the shadows. n
le had the queer feeling that, though ID
Id man gave no sign, he had somethln
ed he wanted to say to him, that he wa
be actually calling to him to come bac
py into the house,
To- Undecided, the man outside toe
several hating steps toward the doc
A way, his gaze still fixed on the face
ed the window. Then he broke the spe
of It was notion on his part, he argue
no If he had been wanted his father
He servant would have beckOned to hi
ng He would not have stood there Ii
cit craven image, staring out into t
EN- night. Having convinced himself
,as this, Frederic wheeled and swung
of I'D the street once more, walking re
yht idly, as one who is pursued. Turnil
of he waved his hand at the man in t
window. He received no respon
Farther off he looked back once mo
The Hindu still was there. Long at
he was out Of sight of the house
cast frequent glances over his she
der as if still expecting to see
lighted window and its occupant
AS he made his way to Broadw
somewhat hazily bent on following Il
II thoroughfare to the district where
\ \ night glittered and the stars W
i Il shamed, he began turning over in
Il mind queer notion that had just S
II i gested itself to him, filtering thro'
|lN the maze Of uncertainty in which
IN had been foundering. 1t occurred
Hi him that he had been mawkishly
IIH timental in respect to. his father.
mn attitude had not changed-he was
ously impressed by the feelings I
= had mastered him--but he found
| " self ridiculing the idea that his fat
Y stood in peril Of any description.
e suddenly, out of no particular tren
thought, groped the sly, persistent
u picion that he had not been altoget
Z responsible for the sensations OF
hour ago. Some outside influence
nodded his emotions for him, s
cunning brain had been doing
Y thinking for him.
Then came the sharp recollec
h of that motionless, commanding fl
4, ~. Hrb&od Tuipdou aDd hia