Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1917-10-17
Copyright by Chas. S%cribner's Sons
CHAPTER Xli-Continued.

SIiliLIs especially lii ILLS IdleI lICdI-
nation which had 50 radically changed
aim, believed as little in the psychic as
any hardheaded young business icOno-
clast of an agnOstic century could. But
on this particular evening when he
was smoking his aftar-dinner pipe on
the fiagstoned porch with Corona for
his companion, there were phenomena
apparently unexplainable on any pure
" material hypothesis.
"E am sure [ have much less than
nalf Of the curiosity that women are
said to have, but, really, I do want to
know what dreadful thing has hap
pened to you since we met you in the
High Line offices this morning
mamma and l." was the way in which
one of the phenomena was made to oc-
eur; and Smith started so %nervously
shat he dropped his pipe.
"You can be the most unexpected
person, when you try" he laughed, but
Che laugh scarcely rang true. "What
makes you think that anything has
happened?"
81 don't think-I know" the small
seeress went on with calm assurance.
FYou'xe been telling US in all sorts Of
dumb ways that you've had an upset
ting shock of 4 kind; and l don't
believe it's another lawsuit. Am l
right, so far?"
Il believe you are a witch, and it's a
mighty good thing you didn't live in
she Salem period he rejoined. 'They
would have hanged you to u dead
moral certainty"
'"Then there was something's" she
Queried: adding, jubilantly: 81 knew
itr"
go on" said the to whom 1t had
happened ego on and tell ne the rest
Of it."
sob, that isn't fair; even a profess
sional ciairvoyant has to be told the
color Of her eyes and hair"
"Wha-wIlat!" the ejaculation was
fairly Jared out Of him and for the
moment he fancied he could feel q cool
breeze blowing up the back Of his neck,
The clairvoyant who did not claim to
De a professional was laughing softly.
"You told me once that q w0ma
was adorable in the exact degree in
which she could afford to be visibly
Transparent; yes, you said afford and
I've been holding it against you. Now
I'm going TO pay you back. You are
the transparent one, this time. You
have as good as admitted that the hap
pening' thing isn't a man; 'Wha-What
always means that, you know; SO it
must be a woman Is it the Miss Rich
lander you were telling me about not
long ago?'
There are times when any mere
man ma be shocked into telling the
truth, and Smith had come face to face
with one of them. "It u.s." he said.
"She is in BreWster?"
eyes. She came this evening""
"And you ran away? That was hor-
Tiblv unkind, don't you think-after
she had como 81 far"
Hold on" he broke in. "Don't let's
&c so fast. I didn't ask her to ONE.
And, besides, she didn't come to see
ne"
"Did she tell you that?"
u have taken precious good care
that she shouldn't nave the chance. I
sew her name-and her father's-on
the hotel register; and just about that
time I remembered that I could prob
ably get 8 bite to eat out here"
"You are queer! All men are a little
queer, I think-always excepting colo
~nel-daddy. DON'T you want to see herT'
"Indeed, don't!"
Not ever for old tines sake?"
"No; not even for old tines sake.
Gte given you the wrong Impression
completely, if you think there is any
obligation on my part. It might have
drifted on to the other things in the
course of time, simply because neither
of Us might have known any better
than to let it drift. But that's all a
heck number, now"
Just the same, her coming shocked
you.'
ut certainly did" he confessed sober
": and then: "Have you forgotten
what I told you about the circumstances
saader which | left homer"
tEOh" she murmured, and as once
before there was q little gasp to go
with the WORD. Then: "She wouldn't
she wouldn't"
"No," he answered; "she wouldn't;
cut her father would"
$50 her father wanted her to marry
tlye other man, did hep"
Smiths laugh was an easing of
strains. "You;ye pumped me dry" he
returned, the sardonic humor reassert-
ing itself.
A motorcar was coming up the drive
way. It was high time that an inter-
s"uption of some sort was breaking in,
md when the colonel appeared and
f4i~.ught StilIings with him to the loung-
,ng end CT the porch, q business confer
nee began witch gave Miss Corona an
z~sse to disappear, and which ac-
..>r&toI nacit7 Eos tho ? QJpoindap of the