Oswald Langdon

OSWALD LANGDON
Or, Pierre and Paul Lanier.
A Romance of
1894-1898
By Carson Jay Lee
CHICAGO
THE LAKESIDE PRESS
1901

COPYRIGHT, 1900
BY
N. B. HAMILTON
IN
The United States of America and Great Britain.
Printed in Chicago, U. S. A.
FIFTH EDITION

TO ONE,
"STANDING WITH RELUCTANT FEET, WHERE THE BROOK AND RIVER MEET."

CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
1
The Double Scare.--The Old Man's Arrest.--Little Jack's "Sprint."
CHAPTER II
4
The Storm.--"Bill of Particulars" not Demanded.--Sage Assurance of an Oxford Graduate.--The Dream.
CHAPTER III
11
An Interesting Meeting.--A Barrier and Siege.--At the Parish Church.--Strange Sense of Familiarity at First Sight.--Esther's Friend from London.--Alice Webster as an Interloper.--Alice's Infatuation.--Visit of Paul Lanier.--Lake Excursion.--Two Proposals.
CHAPTER IV
46
A London Conference.--The Lawsuit.--The Lake Tragedy.--Paul's Fright.--Trip to London.--Investigations of Sir Donald and the Solicitors.--The Hyde Park Confidence.--Thames Boat-Ride.--An Embarrassing Situation.--Splash of Two Bodies.--At House of Jack Bray.--A Mysterious Drive.
CHAPTER V
67
Parental "Air Castles."--An Unexpected Call.--Hurried Departure.--Southampton Wharf Toughs and Bullying Official.--Sledge-Hammer Blows of Drooping Pedestrian.--Aboard Ship.--An "Ishmaelite" Finding "Casus Belli" in Fate.--Tempest on Bay of Biscay.
CHAPTER VI
73
Return from Opera.--Esther Piqued at Alice's Conduct.--Search for Oswald and Alice.--Finding of Hat and Handkerchief.--Harassed by Reporters and Detectives.--Sleuths Employed by Sir Donald.--An Optimist Turned Nemesis.--Esther's Clouded Vision.--Sir Donald's Bluff.--The Conspirators Quit London.--Sir Donald and Esther Leave for Paris.
CHAPTER VII
85
Oswald in India.--Calcutta too Cosmopolitan.--Seeking Employment.--Trip to the Himalayas.
CHAPTER VIII
89
Pierre and Paul in Bombay.--A Rich Englishman and his Niece.--The Laniers Dine with Sir Charles Chesterton.--Mutual Infatuation of Paul and Agnes.--Paul's Proposal.--Sir Charles Demands Pedigree and Inventory.--Sir Charles and Pierre Vie in Villainous Recitals.--Matrimonial Decision Postponed.--Sir Charles and Pierre Sail for Calcutta.--Paul's Growing Infatuation.--Agnes' Caprices.--Thursday Evening Call.--The Tableau. "Eugene Aram" Dream Lines Recital.--Chesterton Rooms Vacated.
CHAPTER IX
101
Interest in Paris Poor.--Losing Zeal for Man-Capture.--The Hospital Confession.--The Convalescent's Mysterious Departure--The Trip to Calcutta.
CHAPTER X
132
At Himalaya Camp.--"Lion" and "Bear."--"For Good of Kaiser and Tsar."--Tippoo Kalidasa.--Claude Leslie.--Camp Discussions.--"Citizen of the World."--Doctrine of "Merger."--New York's "Four Hundred."--The Four Bandits.--Decorating Graves of the Robbers.--"Vot Sendimendals!"
CHAPTER XI
155
Paul Haunted.--That Grewsome Drapery of Seaweed.--The Sunday Call.--Chesterton Rooms Vacant.--Pierre's Letter.--"Josiah Peters" Sails from Bombay.
CHAPTER XII
160
Search for Dodge Family.--Sir Donald and Esther "Shadowed."--The Metamorphosed Stranger.--Mrs. McLaren Locates Mrs. Dodge.--Visit of Sir Donald.--The Plot.--Arrest of the Conspirators.--Dodge's Confession.--Release of the Laniers.
CHAPTER XIII
186
Survey Expedition Disbanded.--The Star.--Oswald Sees Pierre and Paul.--Meets Esther and Sir Donald.--The Call.--Esther's Changed Manners.--Sir Donald's Tactics.
CHAPTER XIV
201
The Laniers Puzzled at Their Release.--Tentacles of the Octopus Contracting.--Sir Donald and His Detectives Mystified.--Flight of Pierre and Paul.
CHAPTER XV
210
The Retrospect.--Acquiesces in Fate's Opening Seals.
CHAPTER XVI
212
The Fugitives Disguised in London.--Paul's Caprices.--Advises Pierre to "Avoid River Fogs."--Changed Shifts.
CHAPTER XVII
219
Back at Northfield.--Esther's Musings.--The Boat-Ride.--Repetition of "Eugene Aram" Dream Lines.
CHAPTER XVIII
225
On the "Tramp" Steamer.--Odd Conceits.--The Handsome Stranger.--The Consumptive.--"Ermine" Function.--It will be All Right with Mother.--The Image Reflection.--The Stuttering German.--Human Transfiguration.--Promethean Myth.--White Heat of Life's Crucible.--Mother Left Out.--Arrival at New York.
CHAPTER XIX
237
Thames Pantomimes.--Pierre Discovers Paul's Craze.--Seeks to Elude Pursuer.--A Long Swoon.--Paul's Vigils.--The Pose and Threat.
CHAPTER XX
247
Rasping Paradoxes.--Becoming Pessimistic.--Conference with Chief Detective.--Charles at Home.--Criticises Oswald Langdon.--"A Daniel Come to Judgment."
CHAPTER XXI
261
Studies Paul's Crazed Peculiarities.--Paul Missing.--His Return.--The New Dagger.--The Alarm Clock.--Sleeps on his Father's Arm.--Tragic Awakening.--The Arrests.
CHAPTER XXII
268
The "Corpus Delicti."--Sir Donald's Queer "Find."--Bessie "Bottled."--"Cometh without Observation."--Charles and the Interesting Strangers.--Visit of Veiled Woman.--Night Trip to Northfield.--An Upturned Bloody Face.--Paul in Esther's Room.--Call at Detective Headquarters.--A Misunderstanding.--Learns of the Arrests.--A Recognition.--Mute Benediction.
CHAPTER XXIII
302 A Strange Story.
CHAPTER XXIV
363
At the Threshold of a New World's View.--The "Modus Vivendi."--Letters to Sir Donald.--Oswald and the Newsboy.--Escorted to "Old Slip."--The Arraignment.--"Turn Your Kidnaper Loose."--Diplomatic Man-Catcher.--Oswald Attends Church.--"Overcoming the World."--Meets Claude Leslie in Central Park.--Enigma to Social Belles.--Claude Leaves for the West.--Marco Salvini.--At Saint Vincent's.--The Delirium.--"The Star! The Star! Mother!"--Inverted Spike-Prints.--Mystic Whisperings--The Letter.
CHAPTER XXV
387
The Evening's Meeting.--Angles of Cross-Purpose.--Sir Donald's Letter to Oswald.--Paul Committed as a Madman.--Pierre's Odd Ethical Caprices.--"Do Equity."--Esther Inspects Postmarks and Consults Ship Schedules.--An Expected Proposal.--A Sad Home-Coming.--A Northfield Reunion.--Ingenuous Assurance.--Puzzling Interrogatory.--Wordless Betrothal.--Pierre's Release.--Double Wedding.--Hopefully "Shadowed."

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE "THE STAR! THE STAR! MOTHER!" Frontispiece
"THERE WAS A FLASH OF STEEL, A BLOW AND THRUST, FOLLOWED BY THE SPLASH OF TWO BODIES" 60
"WITH UPLIFTED HAND THE APPARITION SLOWLY ADVANCED TOWARD THE COWERING PAUL, AS IF TO STRIKE" 98
"WHEN WITHIN ABOUT A HALF-MILE, THE FOUR RAISED THEIR WEAPONS" 149
"RAPTLY GAZING AT THE CHILD'S INNOCENT FACE, PAUL SOFTLY CROONS SOME CRADLE MELODY" 283
"PO' SICK CHILE! YO' WHITE FACE 'MINDS ME OF MY OWN MANDY CAROLINE JUST 'FO' SHE DIED!" 306
"THEN BEHOLDING PIERRE IRONED AND HELPLESS, PAUL BURST OUT IN A HYSTERICAL LAUGH" 359
"THIS SAGE REPLY IS HEARD BY THE EAVESDROPPING BESSIE" 407

PREFACE
Though to explain incurs a risk, the author accepts the hazard of a word in advance.
While the novelist's license has been so used that there is need neither to resent an innuendo nor to prove an "alibi," yet, substantially, the incidents narrated occurred within the time stated, and nearly all the actors are still upon life's "boards."
The conscientious tourist in search of that "beautiful country-seat" and "wood-fringed lake" is advised to defer his visit. Perhaps the exact locations are intended to be in doubt. Even that "station" might be hard to find in an English train schedule.
Geographical accuracy may not be always essential. One noted writer has told