The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1922-08-09

nave you uiScOVSreu q IancleO re- 3
semblance?" :
mo. Not a resemblance-not a :
facial one, certainly"
Belknap made no comment. The
senator continued:
81 should call the resemblance, if
there is one-a reminder, would be a
more appropriate word5tempera-
mental; a trait, rather than a like ;
ness. l am-er-pleased to know !
that you are not a kin to the Belongs
of my acquaintance, sir"
THANK you. ] assume that you
are not favorably disposed toward
them"
"Was not. The branch of the fam
lily that I refer to has died out. I
er-assisted at the last-er-function,
SO to speak. He was named Gran
shaw Bedding. 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:
mo. 1 sentenced him. / was on
the bench then. He murdered the
| mother of his child-a woman who +,
was not his wife, although she be-
lieved that she was-but who never
theless 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 wa passed on him, he an
, ~nounced that he had killed the boy
? also. l have .always-er-hoped that
/ he did not, although l didn't believe
] him at the time. That boy would be
i let me see-thirty-five Or so, by
= now, if he is living" The senator
e seemed to- be reminiscing rather than
p addressing Belknap. Thinking aloud,
e rather than talking.
Belknap was plainly frowning. He
t had ceased to watch the approaches to
/ the house or it's entrances. He was
e standing very still, staring straight
/ ahead of him without motion, appar-
emily without the flicker of an eye
p lash.
His lips were drawn tightly togeth-
,e er over his teeth, in a straight line; a
physiognomist would have said that he
It was straining every effort in his pow
id er for self-control-as, indeed, he was.
e He spoke, after a moment, in a low,
" monotonous tone, devoid of anger,
but nevertheless coldly ominous.
"Your remarks, Senator MaXwilton.
re are capable Of unpleasant inference.
ut an l TO assume that you intended
I'd them, sir?"
God bless my soul, no! Forgive
me, Mr.. Belknap. l was dreaming
ed Observation-Disclosures back into the
past. l hated-I disliked that mar
n greatly"
ad 81 see. The girl, also, doubtless
the mother of the boy"
,is "No. I IGNORED and esteemed her
ed She did not know that she was not
,ct wife. 1t was because she discovers
MS the truth that Cranshaw Beldinl
killed her. She was a she belonge,
20 to one Of our oldest and best families.
rs Very slowly Belknap withdrew hi
"a gaze from the distance-distance i
the precise word for it in this case
for the senator's remarks had expelle
cd from his thoughts all immediate rcool
lection of the expected nce-5cIcc-, an
:; of Katherine. Although he see~'ed
o. continue to stare. at the house, h
1a was vizualizing other things.
on Senator" he said, and his voic
: seemed to carry a chill in it, eff tn
os idea were not preposterous | migf
+he easily infer that you are seeking I
i'm. connect me, in some remote way, wit
ORC your retrospective remarks. Such
thing would be absurd, naturally
particularly so, since it is not even
oor fancied resemblance that brougl
back the memories. You called it
trait suppose you meant a manne
ism, didn't you2 What was it, pra
that brought to mind the memory
49, your friend, the wife-killer. For,
the woman honestly believed herse
to be a wife, she was one. No lack
priests of proper ritual, no absence
" prescribed sacrament, could deny tn
y sanctity to her. What was the ma
nerism, senator?"
The senator, like many KentuC
aad ians, vas tall and straight. Age n
anu not bent his soldierly figure, n
E wasted it. He carried his years wit
JIG out a suggestion of them, and o
~ found it only in his wealth of sno
.ne white hair.
ing He met Belknap's gaze calm
u, looking upon the man from his gre'
Del er height, and said, with slow empl
aDie sis and quiet dignity:
olng 81 have offered my apology, \
oseq Belknap."
bout "Quite so, sir; and / have accept
it as offered. Also, / have ventul
ed to ask you a question: natural {
nave undes the circumstances. If /
dow. addicted to a mannerism which 81
lost uests mesnoArv of a man who was hu
for murder, [ would like to know WI
it is. so I may avoid 1t in the futur
are The senator shrugged. Then
smiled.
"Do you recall" he asked, 81
the you gave me the impression that
} the had lost something. or that you W
your impatiently awaiting the coming
lying another person2 / had been observ
ntry. you from the Windows. The nan
ride ism-if you insist upon that VIZ
about although it is a much stronger
than I would apply TO twas in
r way you moved your head and e
this as you glanced along the paths