Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-08-21
By TARICK VANARDY
Author Of "The Two Faced Man."
alias the Night Wind" etc


that I refer to has died out. I-er-
assisted at the ast-er-function, so TO
speak. He was named Cranshaw Bel
ding. He-er-was hung"
Were you the hangman?"
The senator ignored the insolence of
the question; possibly he did not notice
it. He answered quietly:
''No. l sentenced him. I was on the
bench, then. He murdered the mother
of his child--a woman who was not his
wife, although she believed that she
was-but who nevertheless, had been his
good angel, or had tried to be. He--er
escaped with the boy, after he had
killed the mother, and was not caught
till two years later. After his trial,
after sentence was passed upon him, he
announced that he had killed the boy
also. | have always-en-hoped that
he did not, although l didn't believe
him at the time. That boy would be
let me see-thirty five or so, by now,
if be is living" The senator seemed
to be reminiscing rather than addressing
Belknap. Thinking aloud, rather than
talking.
Belknap was plainly frowning. He
had ceased to watch the approaches to
the house or its entrances. He was
standing very still, staring straight
ahead of him without motion, apparent
ly without the flicker of an eyelash.
His lips were drawn tightly together
over his teeth, in a straight line; a
la, 10
was straining every effort in his power
for self control-as, indeed, he was.
He spoke, after moment, in a low,
monotonous tone, devoid of anger, but
nevertheless coldly ominous.
Your remarks, Senator Maxwilton,
are capable of unpleasant inference. Am
| to assume that you so intended them,
sir?'
"God bless my soul, no Forgive me,
Mr.. Belknap. l was dreaming-remem
bering-harking back into the past.
hated--I disliked that man greatly"
IT see. The girl, also, doubtless
the mother of the boy"
"No. l honored and esteemed her.
She did not know chat she was not a
wife. 1t was because she discovered
the truth that Cranshaw Belding killed
her. She was a-she belonged to one of
our oldest and best families"
Very slowly Belknap withdrew his
gaze from the distance-distanCe is the
precise word for it In this case, for the
senator's remarks hao expelled from his
thoughts all immediate recollection OF
the expected messenger, and of Kathe
rine Although he seemed to continue
to stare at the house, he was visualizinG
other things.
Senator" he said. and his voice
seemd to carry a chill with it, "if thu
idea were not preposterous l might eas
lily infer that you are seeking to con
meet me, in some remote way, with
your retrospective remarks. Such G
| thing would be absurd, naturally-par
ticuarly so, since it is not even fan
cied resemblance that brought back the
memories. You called it trait--I sup
pose you meant mannerism, didn'
you? What was it, pray, that brough
to mind the memory of your friend, thu
wife killer? For, if the woman hon
estly believed herself to be n wife, she
was one. No lack of priests or proper
ritual, no absence of prescribed sacra
ment, could deny that sanctity to her
What was the mannerism, SENATOR"
The senator, like many Kentuckians
was tall and straight. Age had no
bent his soldierly figure, nor wasted 1t
He carried his years without a sug
gestion of them, and one found it only
in his wealth of snow white hair.
He met Belknap's gaze calmly, look
ing upon the man from his create
height, and said, with slow emphasis
and quiet dignity:
IT have offered my apology, Mr.. Bel
KNAPP"
"Quite so, sir; and I have accepted
it as offered. Also, have ventured t.
ask you a question: natural one undel
the circumstances. If l am addicted t.
mannerism which suggests memor!
of man who was hung for murder,
would like to know what it is, so
may avoid it IN the future"
The senator shrugged. Then h
smiled.
"Do you recall" he asked, "tha
you gave me the impression that 20,
had lost something, or that you wer,
| impatiently awaiting the coming o
another person? 1 had been observing
you from the window. The mannerisn
If you insist upon that word, although
it Is a much stronger one than woult
apply to twas in the way you moved
, your head and eyes as you glanced alon,
the paths and toward the house; it wa
your impatience Of restraint; your re
preston of eagerness; your attitude o
commingled expectancy and apprehen
sion. / was eminded-without a rea
son in the world, Of course-of the maj
whose name I have spoken-of hi
demeanor throughout his trial. Pra.
forget it,
What reply Belknap might have mad
may not be known, for at that instan
Bingham Harvard came out of tn
house, sprang lightly over the rail O
the veranda, and approached then
swiftly along the path, moving, a
Belknap could not help but notice, wit
that feline, leopardike grace of alert
ness and power that had SO frequentl
been described in the'newspapers In tn
days of alias the Night Wind"
Belknap was startled in spite of hi
outward calm.