The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1916-09-22
"Are you listening, Mr.. Lowe?"


sion was his tragedy. He would have
made an admirable company promoter.
| but the task of being an honest gen.
| tleman was too much for him. You say
he has committed suicide. Have you
come all this way to tell me of poor
| Sewers more or less providential es-
| cape, Mr.. Preston?"
The young man crimsoned, but an
swered steadily.
"You were his friend"
A faint ironical smile crept over
loves suffering features.
Il was Sewers partner" he said
| quietly "You were Farquhar'S friend.
! , You chose to act with us against bim
of your own free will. There was a
compact. an understanding. The whole
scene that night was farce. little
play-acting with you as an unconscious
actor. Farquhar interYened. He blum
dered recklessly, but he spoiled our
plans"
You scoundrel"
"Yes, / am a scoundrel," Lowe said
simply: "but do not trouble to murder
me. That would get you into Difficult
| ties. and it is not necessary" He
| touched himself lightly on the chest.
Il have something here which will fin
| ish me off in a month or two-less
pleasantly than you would do. That
| is why l care not at all how much or
how little you know. The partnership
is ended-and am going out of busi-
| ness" He laughed sardonically and
turned back to the window. The crowd
beneath had broken up and fallen back
on either side beneath the trees of the
avenue, and from the distance there
sounded a dull rhythmic beat and the
ominous rattle of drums. THE Legion
| has returned" Lowe said quietly. do
you want to see the saddest sight on
earth, Mr.. Preston?"
The young man drew nearer, re-
luctant yet fascinated. His hands were
no longer clenched. He was looking at
the gaunt figure leaning negligently
against the window edge as at some
thing monstrous, incredible.
Have you no conscience-no re-
| morse?" he said.
"Oh, yes, Mr.. Preston. a great deal"
'Then pity my remorse. For Gods
sake-if you know-tell me why Far
quhar did that thing-help me to un-
| derstand."
The boyish passionate pleading
caused Lowe to turn moment. He
sEdGed, and that faint glimmer of half
T Compassionate understanding was a
light falling deep into turgid stream
revealing many sunken, forgotten
things.
"Farquhar sacrificed himself" he
said. "He resigned because Sower
wished it. That seems incredible. But
Sower held the reins. There was an
old tragedy which he used for his own
ends-the tragedy of his fathers death
and of. Captain Farquhar's disappear
ance."
The roll Of drums was close at hand,
and a woman's note of laughter f1ut-
tered up birdlike from the somber-fow-
| ing tide of sound.
Lowe turned back to the window.
You see, Sower miscalculated," he
| went on. "He was a Jew from God
knows where, and he lost his sense of
patriotism He did not understand
| this red-hot love of ones birthplace.
He did not understand the reckless
temperament Of the man with whom
he was dealing. Are you beginning to
\ Mr. Drocfon ~
Eyes, l am beginning to under
stand,'' Preston said duly. "And then p
"Then history repeated itself-not
in incident. but in character. Robert
| Sower tried to be the honorable gen
| tleman; he tried even. strange as II
| may seem, to gain Farquhar's friend.
ship. He failed, and then-you re.
member that scene at the card tables
| That decided him. Blood and instinct
were too strong. He turned and used
his power"
Lowe stepped out on to the balcony
and bent forward with his elbows OF
the rail. watching the dense company
of chausseurs force their way through
the restless crowd. The clash of the
band was already fainter. The chas-
seurs rode now in silence, and once
more the dull moHotonous tread pre-
dominated. strangely, persistently
ominous. "You know where Farquhal
is?" Preston said imperatively. You
know what has become of him."
"Perhaps-I aR not sure"
1
to atone" Preston said hoarsely.
"a scoundrel, at the end o, his days
work, has much to atone for" was the
| distracted answer. 81 have choser
my atonement Mr.. Preston. All atone
ment is inadequate. but mine shall be
ever cost" He broke off. 'The LIE
gion," he said quietly.
Preston did not speak. sllencet
against his will by the scene beneath
him. The dancers from the hotel hat
swarmed up to the long lines of hang
ing lanterns at the edge of the garden
A clown climbed upon the stone gate
post and was beating wildly, hilarious
~ on the heads of the crowd with his
bladder, shouting a witticism at eacl
laughing victim. But beyond a thi1
dark stream flowed from the darkness:
into the light and from light back int
darkness They were grotesque fig
ures-hideous. pftiable. These alst
were figures of carnival-but different
They marched four deep-a hundred O
them. Their heads were bowed. Be
meath the flare of lights each mai
seemed to shrink, to cover closer t
his neighbor. like herded terrified