Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-09-12

| He laid the pistol softly on the desk,
and with one hand touching her elbow
led her back to the couch. There was
girl seemed stunned.
"A moment, please" He went into
the next room and returned with
glass of water.
She drank it gratefully. How did
you know that?" she asked, and
pitiful defeat was in her voice.
"A little reasoning and a touch
of your ring finger" he explained.
IT know you took it off," he said, as
she was about to say the words, put
the newly made circle in the flesh
was unmstakable to fingers such as
mine"
"He - won't come to any harm?"
she asked pleadingly.
You are feminine, aren't your He
was very gentle. ITO faint at the sight
of a piece of bloodstained wineglass.
then to run any risk when only your
own safety was at stake, and hnally,
to be terror-stricken with fear for a
loved one. I didn't want to talk like
that. girl, but I wanted you to real
iZe the full seriousness of the thing.
What l said regarding the murder is
true. Listen, girl" His voice was
wonderfully soft. Your father was
murdered"
There was no passionate denial this
time. "He died." she said, and her
voice was as quiet as his own. HE
died" She repeated it as though she
was trying to convince very dull
person of a well-known fact. Il know
it, because I have known all my life
that my father was going to die at
seven o'clock last night.
Only the words themselves were
startling. The tone of the girl was
strangely matter of fact. She SEEM
ed to be telling thing of which there
had never been a doubt; thing as
inevitable as the tides and the march
of time. Yet she was speaking of her
fathers death his murder!
You have known the date of your
fathers death all your life?"
Since l knew anything. Father
knew it thirty years ago." To the
blind man 1t seemed as though child
was speaking. And few minutes be-
fore 1t had been a woman who fought
like tigress to escape from every
trap he had laid.
HE knew 1t because it had been
prophesied?" The way the blind man
put it made a statement rather than
a question. The strange, almost un-
beleivable theoretical foundation for
the case that Thornley, Colton's intui- |
tive reasoning had formed was being
proven correct Half a dozen times 1T
had been shaken; the stones above
had come tumbling down, but the
problemist had been right!
Yes, a thousand years ago! oh! I
know you won't believe it," she added.
But you didn't know my father u
my wonderful wonderful father"
Never before had Cotton heard such
alteration in the voice of a human
being. People who didn't under
stand him said that he was queer; the
ignorant called him crazy. But he
was the most profound student of
Egyptology in the world. He knew
steps of your house. He lived in them,
think To him the world was very
young, the pyramids were building,
the first Pharaohs were mighty pow
ers. Perhaps you have heard of him. |
He was John Melton" +
"Neilton!'' Colton's wonderful
memory came to his aid. Thirty |
years ago he was conceded to be the
greatest Psychologist and archaeolo-
gist in the world!"
YES" Pride was in her voice. |
Then he found the thing he had been
searching for all his life - the Sais-
eogyus Stone of the Cycles of Life. Do
you believe in reincarnation ?"
II have thought of it," Cotton
answered seriously.
Father proved it," Again the girls |
tone was that of one who states an in
controvertible fact. "He figured his
own lives back to the First Dynasty. |
He knew when this cycle would end.
I have known all my life, for he
taught me that death is but a transit
ton"
Cotton understood. then, the girls |
strange lack of emotion when speak
ing of her fathers death. From the
cradle she had been taught that dy-
ing was only passing to a higher
plane of existence. False or true, 1t |
was as deeply ingrained as mans be-
lief in God, that is learned at his
mothers knee. A curious girl, who
had led curious life with the father
she adored, and who had been taught |
to believe as he believed. 1t had only |
been the blind mans talk of murder
that had unnerved her.
She was speaking again. my aunt
and he We're fellow students for years;
she is older, much older. and she was
his guide and philosopher
You mean Silver Sandals?" put in
the blind man.
YES his sister, But father was
covered would have made him the
greatest of all men; for it was the
long-sought secret of the universe He
know it was too great a thing to be
given into the hands of an ignorant
world. My aunt loved fame and adul- |
alton"
She was Sarah Melton, who de-
ciphered the Rosetta stone?" exclaim-
ed Cotton.
The girl nodded. THAT was the
beginning of the estrangement be-
tween my father and my aunt There
was something Of the charlatan in her
nature, l think. The translation was
proved to be wrong, you know She
thought it easier to deceive, and hurry
a deciphering before the world, than
to spend the years necessary for cor
rect results. My father married, then,
and my aunt went away, angry.
swearing that she would never enter
the house again. Perhaps it was
jealousy of my mother; but she never
entered the house. though mother
died when / was born.
There was a terrible scene when
Aunt Sarah went away. Father ac-
cused her of going to tell the world
the great thing of which she had
learned parts by watching him. But
she was a strange woman, terrible
sometimes. She swore that she would
never speak another word as long as
he lived" She paused.
In his minds eye, Cotton could see
the old, old woman going silent
| through the wears kp0wipr potbipo