Evening star., 1921-05-27
Continued from Yesterdays Starr
CHAPTER V.
ON THE TELEPHONE.


CHAPTER V.
ON THE TELEPHONE
IT was a little hard even for the
colonel to keep up his affectation OF
cheerfulness when he found himself
alone with the man whom he had
come to visit. His experience of life
had been large and varied. but he had
never yet seen so remarkable a
four hours. There were deep black
lines under his eyes, his cheeks were
ColorleSS, every now and then his
features twitched nervously. as though
he were suffering from an attack of
St. Nitus' dance. His hand, which had
cold as ice. although there was a
roaring fire in the room. He had ad-
nl:tted the colonel himself. and almost
dragged him inside the door.
upon the stairs?" he asked feverishly
colonel answered 'There was a man
lighting his pipe in the doorway"
Wrayson shivered as he turned
away.
Watching me-" he declared There
are two of them, They are watching
me all the time"
The colonel took off his coat The
room seemed to him like a furnace
Then he stretched out his hands and
laid them upon Wraysons shoulders
What if they are?" he declared
cheerfully. They won't eat you
Besides. it is very likely the dead
They followed me home from the
Inquest" Wrayson muttered.
The colonel laughed
And if I'd been living here" he re-
marked. they'd have followed me
my young friend" he continued. sit
down and tell me all about it like a
man. You're in bit of trouble, of
course. underneath all this. Let's
out"
The coloners figure was dominant:
his presence alone seemed to dispel
that unreal army of ghosts and fan
cies which a few moments before had
room like a padded cell of lunatic
: asylum. His tone. too. had just
enough sympathy to make it's cheer
fulness reassuring. Wrayson began
to feel glimmerings of common sense.
Yes" he said. I've something to
tell you. That's. why 1 telephoned"
The colonel rose again to his feet
and began fumbling in the pocket of
his overcoat.
God bless my soul, 1 almost for
=
would make me bring it. We guessed
how you were feeling-much better
to have come up and dined with US.
Here We are. Get some glasses,
there's a good chap
A gold -foiled bottle appeared and
packet of hastily cut sandwiches
Wrayson found himself mechanically
eating and drinking before he knew
the sandwiches had become delicious
and the wine was rushing through
his veins like a new elixir of life He
was himself again. the banging of
anvils in his head had ceased; he was
shaken perhaps. but sane man. His
eyes filled with tears. and he gripped
the colonel by the hand.
Colonel. you're-you're God knows
what you are he murmured. "All
the ordinary things sound common
place. 1 believe 1 was going mad
The colonel leaned back and
laughed as though the idea tickled
Not you" he declared. Bless you,
] know what nerves are, Out in
India. thirty-five years ago. I've had
to relieve men on frontier posts who
hadn't seen a soul to speak to for six
months! Weird places some of them,
them sometimes, Now light up that
cigar" he added, throwing one across,
"and let's hear the trouble"
Wrayson lit his cigar with fingers
"nlCH SCdFCcly SHOOK. he thFe" tne
match away and smoked for a
moment in silence.
It's about this Morris Barnes af-
fair" he said abruptly I've kept
something back, and l am a clumsy
hand at telling story that doesn't
contain all the truth, The conse-
quence is, of course. that I'm sus-
myself"
The coloners manner had for a
moment i'm M erfenfihlv rh ;pe
had come out in his face which were
not usually visible. his upper lip had
stlnened- One could fancy that he
might have led his men into battle
looking something like this.
What is it that you know" he
asked
There was another person in the
fats that night who was interested in
Morris Barnes. who visited his rooms
him dead"
The colonel shaded his face with his
hand The heat from the fire was
intense.
why have you kept back this
knowledge" he asked
"Because-it was woman. and
am fool" Wrayson answered.
There was silence Then the
dabbed his forehead with his hand
kerchief The room was certainly
hot. and the handkerchief was wet
Tell me about it,, he said quietly
Il expected something of the sort"
On that morning." Wrayson began
Il returned home about II O'Clock, le,
myself IN with my own latchkey. and
found a woman standing before m.
open desk going through my papers
fr!end?'' the colonel asked.
"A complete stranger" Wrayson
answered Her surprise at seeing
me was at least equal to my own.
gathered that she had believed her.
n n n
which is the corresponding one
above"
What did you do?" the colonel
asked.
What should have done am no,
sure. Wrayson answered, but while
was talking to her the telephone
bell rang. ard received that message
which ] spoke abou, at the inouest
II was a mysterious sort of business
i can hear that voice now was
interested. and while ! stood there
she slipped away"
rs that allo" the colonel asked
NO. WraySon answered with q
froan. Il wish TO God i, was"
The colonel moved his position a
little. The cigar had burnt out b.
tween his fingers. but, he made nc
effort to light it
Go on he said Tell me the rest
Yell me what happened afterward"
Il wrote down the message FOR
Barnes and left il in his letter-box
There seemed then to be no light in
his nat Afterwards lit Il pipe, Ief,
my door open. and sat down, with the
intention OF waiting till Barnes came