Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-09

SIS he going to die on the spo,?" thought
| Spurstow. Then aloud, GAN right, my son.
Come back to bed and tell me all about it.
| the nonsense?"
"a place. place down there" said Hum
| mil, with simple sincerity. The drug was act
| ing on him by waves, and he was flung from
the fear of q strong man 20 the fright of a child
as his nerves gathered sense or were dniied,
months past, Spurstow. 1t has made every
night he'll to me. and yet Tin not conscious of
having done anything wrong"
BE still and III give you another dose.
idiotr
Yea; but you must give me so much that
can't get away. You must make me quite
sleepy-nos just little sleepy. It's so hard to
run then"
Il know it; know it. I've felt it myself
| The symptoms are exactly you describe"
| "Oh, don't Taught at me. confound you! Be-
| fore this awful sleeplessness came to me
I've tried to rest on my elbow and put spur
in the bed to sting me when 1 fell back.
| Lookr'
| by Jove! the man has been roweled like a
horse! Ridden by the nightmare with a
vengeance! And we all thought him sensible
enough. Heaven send us understanding You
| like to talk, don't you. old man?'
! Yes, sometimes Not when I'm frightened
| Then want to run. Don't you?'
Always. Before 1 give you your second
dose try and tell me exactly what your trouble
! is"
| Hummil spoke in broken whispers for nearly
| ten minutes, while Spurstow looked into the
pupils OF his eyes and passed his hands before
| them once twice.
At the end Of the narrative the silver
cigarette case was produced, and the last words
| that Humml said he fell back for the
| second time were, put me quite to sleep, for
If I'm caught die-I die"
Yes, yes; We all do that sooner or later
| thank heaven who has set term to our mser-
les" said Spurstow, settling the cushions under
| the head. 1T occurs to me that unless drink
something shall go out before my time. I've
| stopped sweating, and wear a 17-inch collar"
And he brewed himself scslding hot tea which
| IL An excellent remedy against heat apoplexy
II you take three or four cups of it in time.
Then he watched the sleeper.
| "A blind face that cries and can't wipe its
eyes. HIN! Decidedly Hummil ought to go
| on leave as soon as posi- bic, and sane other
wise he undoubtedly did rovel himself most
cruelty. Well, heaven send Us understand
ing!"
IMPROVEMENT.
| At midday Hummil rose with an evil taste
| in his mouth, but an unclouded eye and a Joy
full heart.
II was pretty bad last night, wasn't II" said
| he.
II have seen healthier men. You must have
! Hdu IOuCU VI TIE SUN. LOOK mere: III L Wrlte
you a swinging medical certificate will you
apply for leave on the spot?"
| No"
"Why not? You wantit"
Eyes, but 1 can hold on till the weather's
| little cooler"
why should you, if you could get relieved
| on the spot?"
"Burkett is the only man who could be sent,
| and he's a born tool"
| 'Oh, never mind about the line. You aren't
so important as all that. Wire for leave, if
necessary"
Hummil looked very uncomfortable.
Il can hold on till the rains" he said eva
siveiy."
You can't Wire to headquarters for Bur-
kett"
Il won't. If you wan, to know whv particu-
tcularly. Burkett Is married and his wife's Just
had kid and she's up at Simia in the cool and
Burkett has a very nice billet that takes him
| into SImla from Saturday to Monday That
little woman isn't at all we'll If Burkett was
| transferred she'd try to follow him. Ii she left
the baby behind she fret herself to DEATH If
she came-and Burketts one Of those selfish
| little beasts who are always talking about a
wite's place being with her husband-shed die.
IT'S murder to bring woman here just now.
Burkett has got the physique OF a rat. ii no
came here he'd go out and l know she hasn't
any money and IN pretty sure she'd go out
| too. I'm sailed in sort of way and I'm not
married. Wait till the rains and then Burkett
can get thin down here. It'll do him heaps of
| good"
DO you mean to say that you intend to face
what you have faced for the next fifty-s
nights?'
''Oh, it won't be SO bad, now YOU have shown
me way out Of it. l can always wire to you
| Besides, now I've once got into the way of
sieeping, 1t IL be all right Anyhow, l shan't
put in for leave. That's the long and snort
| OF it"
My great Scott thought all that sort of
| thing was dead and done with"
| "BoSh! You d do the same yourself. feel a
new man, thanks to the cigarette case. You're
going over to camp now, aren't you?"
Yes, but I'll try to look you up every other
day il / can"
I'm not bad enough for that. don't want
you to bother. Give the coolies gin and
ketchup."
Then you feel all right?'
| Fit to fight for my life. but not to stand out
In the sun talking to you. Go along, old man,
| and bless yOui"
Hummil turned on his heel to face the
echong desolation of his bungalow and the
! first thing he saw standing in the veranda was
| the ii cure OF himself He had met similar
apparItlon once before, when he was suffering
from overwork and the strain of the hot
| weather.
This is bad-already," he said rubbing his
eyes. IF the thing slides away from me ali
| in one piece, like ghost shall know that it
| Is only my eyes and stomach that are out of
| order. Ii 1t walks l shall know that my head
| Is going"
| He walked to the figure. which naturally
| kept AT an uuvarying distance from him, as Is
| the use OF all specters that bonn of over
work. 1t slid through the house and dissolved
into swimming specks within the eyeball AZ
soon as it reached the burning light of the
garden. HummIl went about his business TIL
| evening When lie came into dinner he found
| himself sitting at the table. The thing rose
and walked out hastily.
| No living man knows what that week held
for HummlL. An increase of the epIde mic
Kept SpurstOw In camp among the coolies, and
| all he could do WAS to telegraph to Mottram
bidding him 60 to the bungalow and slice D
| there. But Mottram was forty miles away from
the nearest telegraph and knew nothing of
anything save the needs of the survey till he
met early on SUNDAY morning Lowndes and
Spurstow heading towards Hummils for the
weekly gathering.
Hope the poor chaps in a better temper"
said the former. swinging himself off his horse
at the door. Il suppose ne isn't up vet"
IN just have IL look at him." said the doc
tor. III he's asleep there's no need to wake
him."
And instant later by the tone of Spurs
| tows voice calling upon them to enter. the
men knew what had happened.
The punkah was still being pulled over the
bed, but Hummil had departed this life at least
| three hours before.
The body lay on its back, hands clinched by
the side. as Spurstow had seen it lying seven