Argosy, Vol. 123, No. 1 — page 138: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

128 The district attorney, a thin, scholarly person whom I instinctively disliked, began his inquisition. “Your name, please? Age and occupa- tion?” ‘“‘ Barbour—Clayton S. Barbour, ” T cor- rected myself. “I am— ‘Just a moment. Your full name for the record, please, Mr. Barbour.” Clemens, who would reserve any attempt to ‘“‘rattle”’ me for my appearance in the rebuttal, was politeness itself. ‘“‘ Clayton—Serapton Barbour!” I forced out. Then I cursed myself for not having substituted ‘“ Samuel,” or left out the initial. . “ There’s power in a name.” Once I would have laughed at that statement, but not new. Not with my recent memories. And as God is my witness, I sat there and saw the district attorney’s hatchet-face change, blend, grow smoot and loathsomely pleasant. Clemens continued his sepropet ons: but I spoke to another than he when I an- swered them. The living bound by the dead! CHAPTER XVIII. A LETTER FROM ALICIA. 3 May 15. Mr. C. S. BaRBouR. Sm: IF am writing to you because my guides advise it. Otherwise I should not do so. I have returned to my eld home in Vir- ginia. The newspapers were very cruel to me, aS you know, and every one unkind and harsh and disbelieving. James understoodne. H he had found out about the cabinet, he would have been an- noyed, but he would only have taken more pains after that te see that all the phenomena were genuine. I can’t help doing such things. It is a part of my nature. James said I was very complex. In a measure, it is your fault that he left me. I am not vengeful, however, and I do not hold it against you, because I ean well guess at what you had to contend with. For some cause that has not been revealed to me —some cause within yourself, I fear—you were and still are peculiarly open to the attack of one we know of. Were yours an ordinary case of obsession, I might have helped. As it is, I can only offer THE ARGOSY. warning. Whatever there is in you that an- swers to him, choke it—crush it back—give it no headway. Above all, do not obey him. Hf, — as I suspect, you have obeyed in the past, cease now. -It is not yet too late. But if June g finds you under his domination you will never be free again. You may wonder why [I was silent at the trial. You may have thought that I was ignorant of the truth. This is not se, though I did not. tell even Sabina. ‘Fo bring the greater criminal to justice was impossible. For the rest, it was between you and your friend. Understand, I will not interfere between you and your friend. My guides say that this is net for me to do. That I must not. That if one of you wills to sacrifice and the other to accept, not even God will interfere between you. But I write particularly to give you this Mortal life is cheap, and mortal death an illusion. Beyond and deeper are Life and Death Eternal. Be careful which you choose. Axrcta Moore. CHAPTER XIX. A CONVERSATION. * PLAIN life and death are the only reali- ties. Life eternal—death eternal! For you and me, those are words, my boy— just words!” It was dusk in my room. I sat on the edge of the bed, chin in hands, staring at the inevitable companion of my solitude. At my feet lay the scattered sheets of Alicia’s letter, scrawled over in a large, childish hand. The outside world was Dright with an afterglow of the departed sun. But gray dusk was in my room. “‘ Just words,” repeated the face. “ Just words,” I said after him dully. Then, at a thought, I roused a trifle. “He won’t go through with it. Even Nils Ber- quist can’t be willing to die without a pro- test—and for such a crawling puppy as would let him do it!” “ He will die, but not entirely for your sake,” the presence retorted. ‘What do you mean?” “You haven’t guessed? Well, it is rather amusing from one view-point. Your friend is not only in jail; he’s in love!” “Nils? Nonsense! Besides, if he were in leve he would wish to live, not die!” 8 Arcosy comiclooolx C©