Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-09
CHAPTER Y

H .tsAo u - AeAA
turn. From where he stood he could
see Gregson bending over tho table,
already at work OH the picture. Tic
confessed that the sketch had startled
him. lie knew that IL had sent the
hot blood rushing TO his face, and that
unly through n fortunate circumstance
had Gregson ascribed its effect upon
him to something that was wide Of the
truth. Miss Brokaw was a Thousand
or more miles WAY. At this moment
she was somewhere i'll the North At
}antic, il their ship had left I|TalifaI.
She had never been in the north. More
than that, he knew that Grosson Il
never seen Miss BrokaW, II had
: heard of her only through himself and
the society columns of the newspapers.
How could he explain his possession
of the sketch?
He drew a step or two uearcr 70 tie
open door, and stopped again. If lie
returned TO question Grcgson il would
draw him ~perilously near to cNplarit.
tons which he did not care 10 maks,
10 Tic OIlC StCItl N4lA'I ~ Nl7iatAA W
guard from his friends knowledge.
After all, the picture was only n ro-
semblance. 1t could be nothing but i
resemblance, even though II was SO
striking and unusual that it had
thrown him off his guard at first.
E Nyhen he returned later and looked "a
1again he would no dorbt be able to
9e his error.
We walked Oh through the spruce
I,a Y rvs and up Il narrow trail that
leo q, the bald knob Of the ridge, ,
eee, q his way viii his night hano
err. Shim when the dcnscness Of the
-eIt shut out the light Of the stars
and the moon. until at last lie stood
out strong and clear under the glow
Of the skies, with tho world sweep
ing out i'll black and gray mystery
around him.. Ito the north was the
hay, reaching away like Il vast black
plain. Half q mile distant two or
three lights We're burning over Fort
Churchill, red eyes pccriug cut OF
the deep pool Of darkness; 20 the
south and west there swept the graz,
starlit distances which lay between
him and civilization.
lie leaned against a greet. rock,
resting his elbows in 4 carpet of moss,
and his eyes turned into the myatcry
Of those distances. Tic sea- Of sprur'-
tops that rose out Of +uc ragged VA.
ley at his feet whispered softly in -"
night wind: from out % taolr depths
|. trembled the low hoot Of IN o"I; owe"
1the vaster dosolatiOu beyond loNerC.
It \weird and unbrokeu silence. More
thai once the spirit OF this world had
co1nc to him in the night and had
T8used him from his s!umh"r "a III
alone out under the stars. Imagining
all that il might tell hin # he could
read the voice Of il in the Whispering
Of the trees; II he could but under
stand it as he Ionged 10 understand i.
and could find in il the peace which
he knew that it all but held f.. MIN.
The spirit Of it had never been
nearer TO him than tonight, II" felt
IL close 70 him, SO near that i seemed
like the warm, vibrant touch # a."
presence at his side, something Nhtoa
had come TO him in q yoiccloss loMc'!.
ness as great as his own, watching
and listening with hin beside the
rock. 1t seemed nearer to him since
he had seen and talked with tiv"gSou.
1t was much nearer 10 him since q
few minutes ago, when y had looked
,non what he had first Snough. 90 loo
the face of Eileen BrokaW.
And his was the world-r!ie sy.I4l
that had changed him, lie Won
dered If Gregson had seen the change
which he tried so hard 20 conceal.
He wondered if Miss BroAaw would
see il when she came, and II her
soft, gray eyes would read to the bot
tom of him as they had tathomcd
him once before upon n time
which seemed years and wears ago.
Thoughts like these troubled him,
twice that day he had found stealing
over him a feeling that was almost
physical pain, and yet he knew that
this pain was but the gnaNlng OF u
great loneliness in his heart. In these
moments he had been sorry that he
had brought Gregson back into Ills
life. And with Gregson he was bring
ing back Eileen Brokaw. lie Was
more than sorry for that. The
thought Of it made him grow warm
and uncomfortable, though the night
Afr from off the bay was filled with
the chill tang Of the northern ice.
bergs. Again his thoughts brought
him face to face with the old pic
lures. the old life. With them came
haunting memories of a Philip Whit.
iemore who had once lived, n who
had died; and with these ghosts or
the past there surged upon him the
loneliness which seemed TO crush and
stine him. Like one in a dream he
was swept back. over the black
spruce A. his feet. Ear into the gray,