The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-03-14

are peculiarly placed. We both own e.
tstes which we shall probably never part
with during our lifetimes. On either of
these there is q family vault. The
chances of one of us being buried in each
Of those vaults must be excessively
strong"
I'm the name of everything un-
earthly" said Gerald, as his friend
paused, what Tan you be driving att"
''Simply this" replied Louis, whose
manner AMI one were now us calm as If
he had been passing Judgment on some
very ordinary and prcsaic question; lit
would give me great satisfaction il you
would make IL compact with me, and
the compact to which | allude has been
one whose most minute detail l have
carefully thought out" He went on
speaking for some little time after this,
and, MS he finally paused, Gerald gave an
exclamation of acute surprise.
will ! agree rang his words. why,
Lou. its altogether too crazy a kind Of
scheme! just imagine my going alone
ut midnight into the vault where you're
lying dead"
II somehow haven't beer imagining
that" returned Louis, with "a quaint
little motion Of the head. 1--we the
fancy, Gerald, that l shall survive you
and perhaps by anumber Of years. You
see, I'm not especially strong of consti-
tuition, yet ] live a quiet life and put no
ak upon my forces of endurance. You,
however. who are as strong rs an OK,
pay very little heed to your physical
powers. You're like u man who draws
thoughtlessly on a large bank account,
and who may wake up some morning
to find his check politely returned by the
paying teller. |, on the other hand, am
like a man with a small deposit. yet who
treats it in Il most economic spirit. and
hence makes no mistake about the sur.
plus that he might rely upon in case of
any sudden embarrassment"
Gerald gave one Of his loud. joyous
laughs. and got up from his chair, going
to a window and staring out of it. with
both hands thrust into his pockets. .
~ see, Lou," he said, 'you calculate
confidently on my dying before you do"
Viz NV 'VuLlucItlN. Dul
YES, ] understand. Well. this com
pact could be carried out by the survi-
o of course. and in absolute solitude,
as you say. You could receive from me
a key to our vault. | from you u key to
yours. Say that ! died before you did.
On the first night following my death
you could steal to the vault, unlock it
and wait inside with a lighted candle
for the space of three hours. after hav-
ing removed the lid of my coffin, SO as
to make my face and part of my form
clearly visible. Then you could en-
deavor by every possible effort of will to
receive soine sign from me that ! was
aware of your vigil. All this, as you
propose it, my boy, might be perfectly
practicable-that is, provided l were not
lost at sea. buried abroad, hanged for
murder and afterward claimed by the
physicians Or
"Oh, now you're laughing at me-"
struck in Louis. with a hurt information.
"No, I'm not" protested Gerald. 81
merely want Ia remind You that. although
such extravagances as these can be played
in real life, discovery subjects those con-
cerned in them to Il good deal Of severe
ridicule.'
But he soon saw that any attempt at
arguing Louis out of his fad" would
lie wholly futile. As far as feeling ter
ror or dread of carrying out such a
CHASTITY compact. Gerald could regard
the prospect of doing so with entire
calinne>>. Indeed, us an act that would
supposedly involve nerve and pluck, its
po>sihl" undertaking rather amused him
than otherwise. Still, he would perhaps
have disc"nnt-nanced the entire project
AS both frivolous and sensational but for
II Thought that now came to him, born of
his loyal friendship. What if he should
huinor this whim of Louis, in the hope
that by ST doing the persistent mood of
melancholy might be dissipated:
II was "A matter of modification to him.
several hours later, when he reflected
upon what he had done. The terms Of
the compact into which he had now en-
tered will Louis pledged him to abso-
lutte secrecy, otherwise he might have
informed his mother of the strangely
acqniesccnt part that he had played. To
obtain a duplicate key of the family
vault was Il more difficult task for him
than for Louis, since in one case the
master of Shadyshore needed but to en-
ploy u locksmith. and in the other it was
necessary for Gerald to hunt through
closets and odd corners, and always with
a sense of ultimate failure. But sud
denly morning he found the object
Of his search. and to make the desired
exchange with Louis wa thenceforth
easy enough.
There were % but a few days left
Gerald before his return to college, and
during that time he failed to notice
much change in his friend. Perhaps,
however, the attention which he paid
Louis was in a n molested and
thwarted by semi-farewell meetings and
talks with Brenda. Gerald found him
self p%erpetually quarreling with the girl
he had now grown to adore. 1t some.