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Show I lie Lord of 1 hunder date By SIDNEY HERSCHEL SMALL (Copyright by The Bobbs-Menitl Co.) CHAPTER XVIII Continued. 21 Wells paused. Recollection shook him. The needlessness of It all, the utter pnln of the soul and body which had followed a girl's selfish thoughtlessness thought-lessness and a man's equally selfish carelessness. Ilis finger naila bit against the arras on which they rested. Had the hands been exposed all would have seen his ngitation ; at it was. uo sign was visible ; Wells' voice was steady, monotonously cadenced, his eyes blank of expression. Each of the listeners sensed that this handsome Japanese was withholding withhold-ing something. All were silent. Alberta Al-berta shivered. Williams' eyes blinked uneasily, then opened wide with satisfaction. satis-faction. The Japanese was furnishing testimony even as Williams had testified testi-fied as to Wells' downfall. Sanderson made no motion ; It was as If he heard nothing. Ellen's eyes were carefully veiled from Wells she thought of a lonely man, and was almost fure that she knew who that man was. "It Is a dreary tale, but If it Is permitted per-mitted I will continue. The man was sorrowful, but how do you say? unrepentant. 'I was thrown out like a poodle sent to capture a fox,' he told me. 'They must have known "hut would become of me.' " "God help me, so I should, so I should," Sanderson muttered. "My poor lonely lad." One of Wells' finger nails, more brittle than the rest, snapped with the sudden pressure. " 'Here Is my name,' he said to me, giving me a bit of ffier. 'In this envelope en-velope I received a message from the girl I was to marry. She told me that she never wished to see me again.' That envelope I have already sent you." Sanderson's heavy brows drew closer to his eyes. 'Berta wrote that and yet he had kept the damning photograph from her. She couldn't have known why, then he turned toward her: "You didn't tell me you had written Bob," he accused. "Or that you had heard from him, although al-though I asked. You should have told me." "It Is doubtless a matter of small Importance," Wells Interrupted slowly. slow-ly. He could feel the palms of his hands moist against his arms, and hoped that his forehead was not beaded also. "It Is a great tiling that the man died." ."How did you have him buried? A missionary of his own faith?" Sanderson Sander-son asked. "I buried him with full ceremonies. Every honor was given him. As I considered con-sidered that he had suffered much, and wished recompense for him, I recited the holy prayer, only used In my family for those certain to reach the heavAis: 'Suite yuke toya. Ano ya wo saite.' That, honored sir, says, 'Go forward, straight to the place thou seest before thee.' It is to be hoped that the place which the dead man-soul man-soul saw was not heated, as your missionaries mis-sionaries say! Yoh! the village still speak of these honors, and marvel at them. Never was a white man given such honor." This was also true. Wells thought. "There was the great funeral procession," he thought of the two servants and himself climbing t lie dim Road of the Aged Men, "which wound Its way up the cemetery-crested cemetery-crested hill by the light of paper lanterns. Look I I show you the wan. dead gleam like the shimmer of glowworms glow-worms on black leaves! The long train of white-hooded women, of white-robbed, white girdled priests. A troop of ghosts. A procession of souls. If the dead man did not attain happiness happi-ness aTter that, what hope would there have been even if I had summoned sum-moned missionaries?" There was pain In Sanderson's eyes. Visible pain. Very gently. Wells added an afterthought. after-thought. "Some day later three missionaries mis-sionaries entered my village," (true again!) "and came to see me. I spoke to them of the mutter, not telling tell-ing them any details, since it Is well known that missionaries do not understand under-stand worldly affairs. Doubtless they made Incantation over the grave." "You have been very kind." Sanderson Sander-son told him tunelessly. "He Hob, my nephew would have done the same for you. He was a gentle lad. before ..." "So. After the ceremonies hud been completed, I returned to my house. My honored father, now happy at the seat of the sun. had many papers which I had not investigated since becoming be-coming his successor. I did so now. There were many rolls of paper to examine. I found two thlnu-s which amazed me, since I had heard from the white man that he had been an engineer at Fusliiki. So amazed was I that I must do honor to his grave again, by decking it with the white flower of the shikinii, and placing upon It sections of bamboo filled with sea-water, sea-water, since the man had come from across the sea." He paused. Oriental enough. Now for unadorned facts again. "Where was I?" He drew his hrows together, simulating forgetfulness. "Aa ! I remember. Or my father's papers." Wells took from the sleeve of his kimono two rice-paper docu ments and spread them slowly on the table, caressing the crackling folds. "In going over my papers," Wells continued, his hand flat upon the papers pa-pers he referred to, "I discovered an amazing tiling. It seemed that this man Wells had been unfaithful to his employer." Williams settled back into li Is seat. For a moment he had been frightened. Sanderson would never forgive that. The names were similar as to letters: each had a "w," two "l's" and an "s." Old Marakito must have mixed the names up, or this Japanese had been confused. "With all Bob did, I never expected that of him," Alberta murmured. "That he should stoop so low, after all you've done for him, Dncle Sandy !" Wells patted his finger-tips together. to-gether. "1 had forgotten one thing else, that I must mention before continuing. He told me a story of a girl whom he had loved, and who so he said, I am certain cer-tain would love him no matter what he did. He laughed about this. He found It amusing." "Aren't you glad we found him out?" Alberta said to Sanderson. "I I knew it all along. That's why, when Ray wanted me . . ." - "This man said," Wells went on, "that the girl loved him because . . ." Alberta sat erect: could Bob have guessed? "because he had a way with him that women could not resist." Alberta cuddled back in her chair. The Japanese Kayama had given her an instant's fright. "Shameful !" Williams ejaculated. Ellen found In Wells in Kayama-San Kayama-San something that made her skin move and prickle ; he was purring always, al-ways, but, so she felt intuitively, had claws sharpened to scratch from behind be-hind their padded sheaths. She did not see to what purpose he was driving. driv-ing. It was not clear. She strove for hidden meaning in his words, but was unable to discern any. Wells could see that he had relieved re-lieved any tenseness in Williams and Alberta. He had been unable to resist re-sist causing them a moment's uneasiness. uneasi-ness. Now, well He turned to Williams. "To return to the papers. Here," holding one of them up, "here Is a receipt. It Is with exceeding regret f li w mm 1 ill 4 Each of the Listeners Sensed That This Handsome Japanese Was Withholding With-holding Something. that I continue." he said to Williams. "The thought of bringing you even a petal-weight of displeasure is extreme ly distressing to me. For. it seems that I was mistaken in the names. Yoh ! I will read the papers, translating trans-lating them without comment." He was lighting harder and harder to keep his voice controlled. "A receipt, written in perfect form. It says that my honorable father paid many yen to the Conservative society, through Marakito-San of Fusliiki. for the purpose of halting the construction of a great system of bridges. This is not to he condemned. My father wished that Japanese work he done by Japanese men, and with Japanese money. No fault can be found with that. Tiiere Is now the other paper." Williams shifted uneasily in his scat. "This is from Marakito-San. asking for money I regret the n: ed to con tintie, Mr. Williams, believe nie for it seems that the work at Fusliiki could only be delayed by the payment to Raymond Williams of many irold dollars, and that this Raymond Wil Mains would assist In sacrificing flic other engineer the name is not given but this is what confused me the initials are R. W. to the Wine (hid since he could not be bribed " Williams jumped to his feet ami irruhhed the sheets out of Wells' hnnd "T.ook at ilictn!" he shouted to San derson. "A hntch of hon scratches! It's just another damnable plot. Tli :n:in has already admitled that he and his outfit lave been plotting against as. Who'd felicve him after tiiat? It's outlandish! Would you believe a yellow Jap against me, whom you've known for years and years?" Wells' muscles tensed. For a moment mo-ment it seemed as if he couldn't keep ids fingers off the swine. But there was more to be told. - Very quietly: "The man who Is now dead said that you permitted him to become the guest of Marakito. These papers show that It was, as you say, a plot. It Is all nothing to me. I was asked for a tale, and tell it, grieving again that a portion por-tion of It causes you displeasure. I felt that this dead man was a victim, and that, since my father had assisted assist-ed unwittingly In causing his disgrace dis-grace and death, it remained for my father's son to right the wrong committed. com-mitted. This man whose body I have brought back traveled strange paths, and before him ran, as a herald runs, the Spirit of Misfortune. All through no fault of his." "It's a lie ! Bob did It of his own accord. He was everything that a man shouldn't be " "Hush, Ray," Alberta saw danger signals In her uncle's eye, which were speedily dispersed by grief. "Perhaps you are right, Ray," Sanderson San-derson said brokenly. "Here," he fumbled in opening a locked drawer of the table, "I received this picture of my nephew and a dancing-woman " Alberta craned for a view of the picture. "Oh, horrible," she said. "I always knew " "Guessed, you should say," her uncle reminded her. Wells blew airily upon his fingers. Lord, but he'd like to interview Marakito Mara-kito ajone! So this was why Uncle Jim haM been so angered. "It is nothing," noth-ing," he said with an ease that he was far from feeling. "A common entertainment. Your nephew is showing show-ing his ability to maintain a pose without with-out moving a muscle, In which the Japanese are adept. The geisha, who is a dancing girl, but no more, directs him. There is nothing- wrong about it." Williams choked with anger. "If Wells were here, I'd soon get the truth out of him instead of these lies," he stuttered. "I would enjoy seeing the meeting," Wells admitted gravely. ("And I," grunted the Thunder God, who was fond of fighting.) "Remember that Mr. Kayama Is our guest, Ray," Sanderson said slowly, painfully. "I I do not understand it all. Alberta, If this story is true, you have cost me my boy. Ray, If you sold your soul for money I pity you if the story is true but If you let my Bob go to the devil," his- old hands became be-came fists, "If you did out of this house and out of my life, both of you and yet," he faltered, "I see but one thing. Bob's gone, the only one who could tell us. Bob's dead." "You don't know that he is !" Williams Wil-liams snapped. "This fellow wants the reward. He has a cock-and-bull story, without a shred of proof. That envelope; he might have taken it from Boh, or found it. The cuff links he probably saw on Bob. And the stuff he brings to prove that Bob was abused by Alberta and me! It's silly and Idiotic. He hasn't presented a bit of proof. Not a shred. Nothing. He probably wrote the thing himself! If Bob's dead, you," to Wells, "where's the body? I don't believe you have it. And what you say about me Is a d d rotten lie," Wells rocked back on his heels. Every Instinct said, "Smash him 1" Why wait longer? His eyes swept' about the room, half unconsciously, lit upon Ellen. If he did, if the climax cli-max were now, she would know now. and he wanted to tell her many things when they were alone. He had played a part for months. He could hold It for a minute more- Williams would feel his fist soon enough. "If only Boh were back." Sanderson muttered again. "If I had his word for all this, just his own word for It" "I have brought his word, Mr Sanders! San-ders! n." Wells said, lifting his shoulders shoul-ders in a gesture that said plainly that all of this was amusing to him Hut lacking In Interest. "You lie again." Williams shouted "If you have such a paper. It's a forgery." forg-ery." (TO EE CONTIN't'ED.) |