The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-07-19

varuHunry thsDlaak debris Jay upon the

waruEonIy ShsDiaak debris Hay upon the
hearth.
BuS the words 1hsd 'Beea1sfTitSan, and &c
were impressed ilpon IraukR mind. Al
he lay In bed, Hwake, Sntsrmi
nable, might his brain thHsbbfng -anN con.
figting eInotfens schsaEing and chasing
away each inkefnits fhsantaaasrhs could
repeat whole pafasraphs, and the ides
which had frst attracted nov possessed
him, becoming too tas6nasing TO resist,
Before daylight he was I'D and writing
agsinst time, no 1ongeF on unconBidered
impulse, but with q cruel determination
expressed in the rigid preasurs Of his lips
and cold light shining In Che eyes which
the night before had been elcqnent.of IN
fsisned pity. Attassaii, sghat was it be
had sscTifcsds--a=sass3sss friendship, q
strained poiutrof honor. More- precious
things than tkasa.are cast daity before the
car Of JnggesnalihN as t. pazseson IN re-
morsaleSs disregard Of what it brushes.
And the sacrifice was. not In vain. AS
Tembs had predicted. the story was a sue
cess, and talked Of In quarters where no
ttce was az practical worth. A fair field
was opened to hfm~and it depended on
himself whether he won the race, every
thing bang In his favor now that he had
emerged hom The great sea of mediocrity
In which so many are hopelessly engulfed.
He found himself quite celebrity in a
small way, and among other courtesies
which were suddsnly thrust upon him he
received an invitation to q literary con-
versazione, which, from polite reasons, he
accepted.
The rooms were crowded when he ar
rived, but the editor of Mayfair CHANGED to
be standing near the doorway, and meet
Ing him with warmth made him ac-
quainted with several people, who declare
they had been dying to know him" since
they had read his powerful story" So it
happened that Tombs was the center of an
admiring circle, and his thin face was
flushed with triumphant pride, when some
one else entered and paused on the thresh-
old of the door. 1t may have been animal
magnetism or an accident eXplainable by
natural causes that made Tombs involun-
taualy turn his eyes in that direction. Then
he faltered in his speech and turned so
white that some one asked him If he were
i'll, receiving no reply. The man heard
nothing and saw no one save him he had
injured, who was come probably to accuse
him of treachery and convict him before
this crowd. The very air refused to sepa-
rate them, seeming to fall apart like a
divided curtain; the forms around him
wavered and assumed grotesque proper
tons before fading into nothingness, and
they two were quite alone-judge and ad-
judged.
He never moved as his friend advanced
straight through the throng, as though for
him, toe, it had no existence; but he
WINGED when hand fell heavily on his
shoulder and a voice said, firmly: 81 con-
graduate you, old fellow. 1t was great
success" while the face that confronted
him was quivering with agony
What followed Tombs scarcely knew.
To have gone out and hanged himself
would have been neither punishment nor
pain compared to the slow torture he en-
dured before he found himself at last free,
with the cool night air blowing on his
forehead, walking through the streets
until forced from pure exhaustion to de-
sist. and hating the man who had been his
friend as we only can hate those we have
irreparably injured.-New York Com
mercial Advertiser.