The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1915-05-13
I'M I'M MI
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CHAPTER VII-(Continued).

Eric" he "a at last. abject wear
mess in his voice, Il am about to ask
q great favor OF you. Will you let
this matter rest for awhile? IL don't
know what came over me. Y was
not hR anything that ever has hap
pened to me before, not in all my life.
l seem to have gone utterly out OF my
head. Wait! Please do not speak. LIS
ten to me. l am about to confess
something to When you first came
into this room and said that--that
Chetwynd had taken your drawing, l
felt that you spoke h truth. / do
not know why l should believe this
OF my own son, but-but ! was no more
able to help 1t than it was In my pow
er to check the working of my mind.
The horrible fit of ~anger-the dread
full language, l cannot explain. l do
no understand II myself. Wait. Yes, l
do understand. 1t was because / knew
that you knew. 1t was there
was no one else on whom I could vent
my rage and shame. / hated you, Eric
In those few moments, those awful mo-
ments. You will never know how I
hated you. Perhaps you can under
stand why. / wanted to be proud Of
Chetwynd. You struck hat pride a
deadly blow. You were responsible for
my awakening. l cried out as the
sleeper does when he Is rudely dis
III q " oSAOAAIy vi PNoNSAdA ~
ber-I cried out in anger against the
awakening. 1 wanted to kill o 1t
was In my heart to do so. 1 love Chef
wynd. He is all that life holds for me.
Do you follow me?"
Yes, sir" said Eric still in a maze.
TT is not too late for me to save
him. He shall not go down. BY God,
he shall be a man. 1 will lift him up.
I will force him up. He shall not falter
again. / have never failed in any I'M
d~ertaking. l will not fail in this. He
must be absolved. There is no al
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. I thought 1t all out
| rs 1 lay there on the couch. You can
ruin him, ~perhaps-or at least cast dis
credit or 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
be spared, so that I may help him
while my hand is strong, while my
love is great and capable Of generos-
Ity. / shall have to ask you to say
aothing about this until l have talked
1t over with him. There may be some
mistake. l nay be wrong in my con-
cIusions. God knows that 1 hope 1 am.
I would give all that I possess IL l
could be sure that you have lied to
me, II 1 could drive out Of my mind
that first revolving doubt. But it has
taken root, the seed of distrust is well
Uown. I doubt my son. 1 can only
hope that his side of h story may
not be so dark as 1 fear 1t. There may
be ex%tenuating circumstances" A
great hope took DOT in his u and
he voiced II. Tt is not improbable
that 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. I am
merely theorizing. 1 recall hat the
two designs, as presented, are along
the same general lines, the same
thought is expressed. I noted a sim
llarity. He may have been justified
IN keeping you from realizing on his
ideas and his experience. II he discov-
cred in any way. that you, being a bet
ter draughtsman than he, concluded to
benefit by his ideas after coming into
possession Of them, either innocently
pr ma~liciously-"
Eric's indignation burst its bounds.
You know that isn't true, Uncle
Horace he cried out. L never saw his
design. I never talked with him about
it."
What are you going to say II he
declares that you did take" began
Mr.. Blagden harshly.
But he could not deceive himself. He
bit his lip and turned his face away for
an instant.
mo, Eric" he went on, in an altered
tone. II won't put II that way. l am
about to bare myself to you, n II Is
best that We should understand each
other"
He paced back and forth across the
Ranwn aoyoraI ffn0Ao hia hrNuy Knitted
his hands clasped tightly behind his
back.
Eric felt a sudden, keen sense OF
tubiliation. Are you going to have Mr..
Presbrey talk 1t over with him?" he
Mr. Blagden stopped in his tracks,
and starred at the questioner.
NO." he said, bringing his lips to-
Rether in a thin line. This Is not a
matter for Presbrey-at least, not at
present. My boy, I am desperate, quite
desperate. I don't know why / should
believe this thing you have told me. as
I said before, but I do believe II. I
am convinced that your drawing has
won the prize that goes to Chetwynd.
I don't know how Ii all came about. He
nay not have been wholly responsible,
but the fact remains that the drawing
is yours. I am a fair man. I grant
that 1t Is your design. But, above all
LnlukB, i dIIl a olu6uCAs II AAuAAlC AACS
been dragged in the dust by one 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 1t from being fur
ther dishonored. 1 shall expect you TO
do 30. 1t 10 hard, 1 appreciate, for you
to sit calmly n see the prize go to an
other under the conditions. But that my
boy, In Just what o will have 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 o mean" asked Eric,
p~erplexed.
as II is. You have nothing to lose,
while l, your aunt, even Chetwynd-ah,
we have so much to lose. But three
people know OF this, 1 fancy-we three.
Unless-ah, but ! am sure o could
not have been such a fool as to say
anything to Mr.. Porter before consult
ing me. I cal see by your face that
you did go SO far as that.
You mean," sale Eric, In low, IN
even tones. that I am to let Chetwynd
have the prize without a word for my
self"
was That and nothing else"