Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1920-12-03
Lat present enjoys" /"

Lat present enjoys."
After another silence:
"Well?'' inquired Miss quest
lis there anything more that wor-
ries you, Mr.. Grismer?"
'Worrie me, Madame? I am
not disturbed in the slightest de-
gree"
"Oh, yes you are. You are not
disturbed over any possible scan
dal that might effect my niece.
but you are horribly afraid Of any
disgrace to yourself. And that is
why you come into this house. of
death while your friend of many
years is still lying in his coffin!
That is why you come prowling to
find out whether l am as much a
lady in my way as he was gem
tleman in his. That's all that
disturbs you!"
"Madame--''
"Or, to put in palmer yes want
to know whether you have to de-
fend an action, civil perhaps, pos
sibly criminal, charging you with
NAL administration and illegal con
version of trust funds. That's all
that worries you, isn't it? Well
worry then" she. added venemous-
1y.
DO l understand-''
mo, you don't understand, MIR.
Grismer. And that's another thing
for you to worry over. You don't
know what I'm going to do, or
whether | am going to- DO any
thing at ALL You may find out
in week-you may not find out
for years. And it is going to wor-
ry you every minute of your life.
She marched to the staircase
hall:
'Meacham ?"
.'Ma'am?"
"Mr. Grisner's hat!'r
Jim, seated beside the bed where
hay in the darkened
room, her tear-marred face buried
in her pillow heard the front door
close. Then silence reigned again
in the twilight of the house of
Cleland.
Miss Quest peeped into the room,
then withdrew. If the young fell
low heard her at all he made no
so still, SO intent had
he been since his fathers death in
striving to visualize the familiar
face And found to his astonish-
ment and grief that he could not
summon his fathers i'm
age before his eyes-could not
flog the shocked brain to evoke
the beloved features. The very
effort was becoming an agony to
aim. l4S.
1t began to rain about four o.
clock. It rained hard all night |
long on the resounding scuttle and
roof overhead. Toward dawn the
rain ceased and the dark world
grew noisy. There was a cat-fight
on the back fence. The car wheels
On Madison avenue seemed un-
usually dissonant. Very far away,
foggy river whistles saluted the
dawn of another day.
There were a great many people
1t the funeral. God knows the
lead are indifferent to such at
macabre, but it seems
o satisfy some morbit require
nent in the living-friends, a
priest, and a passing bell.
"Hoc erat in more majorum:
aodie tibi; cras mihi." ,
The family-Jim, Stephanie sand'
Miss Quest-sat together as is
customary. The church was bath
ID in tinted sunlight streaming
through stained glass and falling
,ver casket and flowers in glow
ng hues. The dyed splendour
painted pew and chancel and stain
d Stephanie's black veil with
crimson. Behind them discreet {
tut interminable string Of many
PEOPLE continued.
When the first creeping note of
he organ, onlinous and low,5 grew y
tut of the silence, young Cleland
elt Stephanie sway little and
emain resting against his shoul-
Ter. After moment he realized
hat the girl had lost conscious
less; and he quietly passed his
rm around her, holding her firm
until she revived and moved
gain.
AS for himself, what was pas
ing before him seemed like
hadow scene enacted behind
arkened glass. There was
othing real about it, nothing that
eemed to appertain in any way
. this dead father who had been
comrade and beloved friend. He