The Argosy — page 347: what you’re looking at

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

326 The Mystery of Allan Grale. ‘“He’s my boy too,” he said, “and I’m ashamed of him, and that’s why I’d not tell you what I ought to tell. If he is ever to come back at all, the least said now will be the soonest mended then.” “Oh, Richard, won’t you have pity on me? I’m sure you know something ; what is it 2?” “YT know that he has gone off—decamped—without saying any- thing to you or to me, Mary. And I think you may feel pretty sure that some disgraceful matter or other, which he could not stay at home to face, has sent him. Debt, to begin with, [ll lay.” Mrs. Grale tried to reflect. She did not much think so. She felt sure that Alny all day yesterday, when she last saw him, had no more intention of decamping than she had. But—it might be that some liability had come suddenly pressing upon him unawares, and that he had gone away for a day or two to gain time. Perhaps her husband knew of this? ‘Was it in that way, Richard?” she said, speaking out her thoughts. “It might have seemed to him, poor fellow, the best thing to be done—to go out of the worry for just a day or two. The more fuss there is made when anything goes wrong, the harder it is to get it to come night.” Mr. Grale caught at her words: he hated a scene and wanted it ended. ‘Yes, yes, we know Alny’s all right,” he said impatiently. ‘‘ Let people think, if they ask about him, that he is gone away on a matter of business.” “But zs he all nght?” she cried again, the old frantic feeling of doubt and of loss overtaking her. ‘‘ Why need he have gone away without speaking to me ? without one single word!” “Tt is to his credit that he did so,” said Mr. Grale, rising to his feet, and putting her hand from him, ‘‘if he knew that he was in any disgraceful predicament. Why should he have stayed here to work upon your feelings, got you to take his part, and make discord between us? Fathers and mothers are different, Polly. Mothers seem to be satisfied to have their children with them whatever they ‘may be—or do. Fathers would rather never see them again, unless they can be proud of them.” If Mrs. Grale had been in a fit state to observe, she might have noticed that he ground his heel into the carpet as he spoke. Whether Mr. Grale had cause to suspect his son of ill-doing, or whether he only feared he had, he was feeling deeply. His wife had taken the last words as a reproach to her own weakness and wanted to defend herself. “Tt is not the going away that’s trying me,” she said. ‘I wanted you to let Alny go into the army, you know, Richard, and he’d have always been away then. But that would have been different. It’s the going without a word: as if he didn’t feel there was a creature who cared for him, or whether-he went or stayed.” ‘You will soon be hearing from him,” remarked Mr. Grale. COMMICOOOKS EO)