Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-11-04

Sd he prayed silently for this unfortunasc
mar to see the father as the son saW n'.'
The pressing silence compelled the ears 70
invent sounds. and, as he watched. Eancro1t
imagined footsteps. creaking stars s'ens.
softly closing doors; but his gaze never ca
Kennedy's hands.
Kennedy read on. AT last ne reac"eu -.
end; his hands fell away from the closely
written sheets: his body seemed 70 eas ~
Then one of the hands wentto his eyes, -"
attitude which suggested that OF q man
\ coming out of q dungeon into the suniieh.'
suddenly, to find himself partially bnnoeo:
without warning, Kennedy flung h'mse!t
face downward on the table. and mmeui.
ately Bancroft witnessed what *he never
wanted to7see asain: the rending. tearing
grief of a strong and virile man.
He, too. felt himself being torn. ne
longed to go to the stricken man, to put a
hand on his shoulder, but he knew mat the
time had not yet come for that. so ne
$ waited for the grief to spend itself. when II
presently did. and there were only sighs' out
even these were dreadful to hear.
II killed him!" said Kennedy, in a mut.
fed but TRACE whisper. ~ killed Silas!
"No, no! He never knew, sir. How
should he have known? He saw only the
miraculous return of the man he loved. 1t
would have been the same had you entered
at the door: he could not have sustained the
shock. unprepared. You mustn't let thai
thought get hold Of you. sir"
Kennedy slowly raised his head and sat
back, his hands still resting before him IN
the. table. The gas Jet began to whistle
again., but this time it appeared that Ken
nedy did not hear it. Something in a dark
= ened corner held his gaze; perhaps a specter.
Bancroft sat perfectly still, fascinated.
What would this tortured soul do next?
How would it express itself, now that the
sustaining thought Of vengeance was sud
denly bereft Of the thing it had fed upon:
Cold touched the young mans spine. He
must not. leave this man alone tonight: Ken
needy might do violence to himself.
HE was always strongest in spirit" said
Kennedy, without turning his head. II
could beat him physically, but he always
dominated me, at work or at play"
Bancroft's body grew warm again. There
was hope. II the man could offer this bit OF
"Reminiscences out of his agony.
II was wild and untamable, and he ran
with me more as a check than as o sharer
Of my wildness. Silas." The lean fingers
came together and shook with the tensity
Of the power thrown into them. II was al.
ways more or less violent in temper, but my
RACES never went beyond shutdown. / was al
ways sorry. That was the flaw in my make
up. And I wouldn't give him even the bene-
fit Of a doubt! Without working patiently to
gather all the facts, 1 sought at once to kill
him! My loyalty wasn't worth a damn!
But to come home and find everything gone,
my wife in her grave, my child vanished!
Who knows? I have been mad all these
years, absolutely mad. One day I happened
to remember that your mother had been
born in that village. I found Sllas, followed
him into town, to the law office. Then I
walked out on to the fire. escape. O, /
\ killed him!"r Kennedy's head sank. I'd
" Will not have it that way, sir. 1t was
the shock of seeing you. How could he
dream what your intentions were? He
might have read all about your accidental
killing of that policeman, the trial; but the
name Stewart would have meant nothing.
What he never could understand was yoar
total disappearance after the ship landed.
From that hour on-nothing. 1, my fathers
. son, do not believe that you caused his
death save indirectly, as I might have caused
1T had l rushed in from camp unexpectedly.
You Will r%ecollect in hat letter he speaks Of
my going to camp and his doubt that I
should ever see him alive again. He sur
vived the shock of my DEPARTURE; but a
sudden return would have been disastrous"
forgiven"
Dear God, why not? I understand, sir,
l can visualize your stupendous misfortunes
and I have nothing but pity for you. More"
Bancroft added, with infnit wisdom, II
want 20 take the place my father once had In
4 your lie. We have both lost something
my boyhood and you your best years, You
will take Of my youth and I will take Of
your wisdom. I know my father will 1ook
down with happiness upon such a union
)" You're a good lad" said Kennedy. tnrn,
Ing and Offering that singular smile Bancroft
had seen once before. OF what did 1t remind
him? but. no. Through my insane VIC.
lence have killed a man. 1 didn't mean
to; but there the deed it, before God and
man. l am an ex-convict. My photograph
and my thumb prints are in the police
arcniVes. Until the governor interfered IN
c%asionally to the police"
"As Stewart, yes. But Stewart van,shos
forever this night, and Kennedy returns
The bitter long lane comes to its turning !,
Bancrofts tones were thrilling with eaper.
ness. s"e
How easily youth can throw of. tbe.c
things! You have hopes, dreams: T hav.
only tragic recollections. MY friendshin
would only embarrass you. / am alyavs
meeting some one who was up there whon
I was. u ""e
n.te "nlle, sir, all this will become
as a bad dream" 7 o~~'
An old fashioned boy, this, with his s,r,
Kennedy sensed a strange yearnine. warm
ing him as he had not been warmad j.
many years. silas'. boy, Offering his hand
to the man who, given the chance wo,iG
ave Killed the fatf1er! Madness: all tha..
years he had been cunningly- mad ana hof
not known it. But, had sanity actuailv 20
turned? Was he still Stewart. ~ u,ss ~ :.
once more Kennedy? He gathered IN -.
loose sheets of the letter, refolded ana ~
turned them to the envelope. silas ha,
been in prison, too; but for silas thera has
been no reprieve: he had died behind "a.
bars. To have loved this boy. ana n.n !,
to have touched him! Kennedy,s head ha
gan to ache; his eyes became leaden in tha,,
sockets. - 'neil
Thus the two formed a tableau o, sevo.,
mtTiutes' duration, and the marin.e,
sounds returned to disquiet' Bancroft,. 80"
somswher above Nancy was was sobbine Ate
MAY keep this letter for,,a few i, ,s ;,
asked Kennedy, turning. :. -
Of course. Read II. over. and ove. -.
way ! have done !. HIS son, doubted Mn,
too. Remember that. But I ,rish nun
would listen to me, sir. I haven't anyha yot
Why not accept me as q SOM I vii r 10y
yo1E interest in lfe."A 49, s sA
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