Evening star., 1926-06-20
The Law of the Talon
neg. U.o-
Patent 0meA

or Cumberland collie with all the bone
and hardihood of the best sledge dogs
of the Northwest.
1t was generous of John to enter
that long explanation. which gave
time for the flush of annoyance TO
fade from Col. Grants face. Ihe
older man. however, was not mlnoeu
to spare himself.
1T was l, then, and not my gilile,
who behaved foolishly," he cried, with
the honest bitterness of one VINO
knew that an assumption of superior
knowledge at an unfortunate moment
had wrecked Johns well laid plan for
the capture of a malefactor.
Sheldon struck in then. lie was
the least talkative man who ever
shared in the secrets Of Scotland YARD
but it was well known among his IN
Inmates that he believed implicitly III
the existence of an active ana most
potent evil force in the human cos
mos. This discussion stirred him out
of his usual reticence.
"No," he said earnestly. please
do not think that. sir. Mr.. Panton,
perhaps unconsciously, hit on the
right solution. Puppets he called
us. What else are we? And how can
we be sure that at certain moments
for good, and they generally predoml-
nate. do not give place to those which
make for evil? There's a modern
jargon which prates Of subconsclous
impulses and tries to classify them IN
a scientific way by phychoanalysis. |
prefer the downright language of the
Bible Christ cast out devils from un-
happy people suffering from demonlac
possession. We don't like the phrase
today, but 1t may well be the more
accurate Of the two"
What beats me- said F'rensham.
'1s why Connington should want to
kill Alstair Panton. who. by the. way,
is something more than a mere name
to me, because. although We never
met, l wrote to him after things hap
pened in France. ]. for one, never
believed John was given square deal.
But I'd better steer clear of that bust
ness just now. What I'd likesto have
is a reason for the deadly feud be-
tween the two men,"
Possibly. ! can supply it," said
Lord Oban speaking with an intent
ness which caught every ear IN
stantly. This morning a gentleman
whom many of you doubtless know.
but Of whom l had never heard until
certain proceedings in the law courts
were reported in the newspapers, Mr..
David Leslie, a London solicitor,
wrote me a quite Illuminating letter.
That is to say, it was written early
yesterday, and received by me today.
Being a lawyer, he was cautious. l
have no doubt he kept ever before
his eyes the many pitfalls which be-
set a well meaning person who risks
prosecution for criminal libel. But,
while avoiding personalities and spe-
cific statements, he certainly sue
case cried aloud for revision. | adj
cannot call 1t definite suspicion-was
leavening my own thoughts. Ger
tain circumstances had, of late, been
disturbing, to put it mildly. Then
came this quite mastery exposition
Of the way in which my son might
have been treated justly by those
who. like myself, tried to put the laws
Of honor before all other considera
tons. SO I said not a word to any
other living person about Mr.. Leslie $
letter. / resolved TO give it most care
full and dispassionate thought. There
are those now under this roof who
would have hailed it with joy as bear
ing out their contentious. The man
now lying dead within a few yards
of us could not have failed to use
every vile and strategy to disprove
its seemingly logical conclusions.
Therefore, for once in my life, | de
cided not to act in haste
Copyright. 1926. by Louis Tracy
Continued tomorrow