The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1891-06-04
CHAPTER TX.

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CHAPTER TX.
The lark viii make her hymn to God,
The partridge call her brood,
While / forgot the heath troa,
The fields wherein ! stood,
IT'S dule to know not hight from morn,
But deeper due to know
] can but near the hunters horn
That once / used to blow
1t was the third day after Torpenhow's re-
turn, and his heart was heavy.
SDo you mean to tell me that you can't see
without whisky? It's generally the other
way about"
'sCan drunkard swear on his honor"
said Dick
Yes, if he has been as good a man as
you"
''Then I give my word Of honor" said
Dick, speaking hurriedly through parched
lips. ''Old man, I can hardly see your face
now You've kept me sober for two days
if ever was drunk, I've done no
work Don't keep me back any more
don't know when my eyes may give out.
The spots and dots and the pains and things
are croWding worse than ever swear I
can see all right when Pm-when Pm
moderately screwed, as you say. Give me
three more sittings from Bessie and all the
STUFF I want, and the picture will be done.
I can't kill myself III three days. 1t only
means a touch of d. r. at the worst"
''If ] give you three days more will you
promise me to stop work and-the other
thing, whether the pictures finished or not?"
81 can't You don't know what that
picture means TO me. But surely you could
get the Nilghai 20 he.p ron. an6 znnc;c KS
down and tie me up. shouldn't fight for
the whisky, but | should for the work"
GO on, then. give you three days: but
you're nearly breaking my heart"
Dick returned to his work, toiling as one
possessed; and the yellow devil of whisky
stood by him and chased away the spots in
his eyes. The Melancolia was nearly
finished, and was all or nearly all that he
hoped she would be- Dick TESTED with
Bessie, who reminded him that he was "a
drunken BEAST" but the reproof did not
move him.
''You can't understand, Bess. We are in
sight of land now, and soon we shall lie
back and thinS about what we've done. pll
give you three months pay when the
pictures finished, and next time have any
work in hand-but that doesn't matter
Won't three months pay make you hate me
less?"
mo, it won't! hate you, and I'll go on
hating you. Mr.. Torpenhow won't speak to
me any more He's always looking at map
things and red backed books"
Bessie did not say that she had again laid
siege to Torpenhow, or that he had at the
end Of her passionate pleading picked her up,
given her a kiss, and put her outside the
door with a recommendation not to be a
little fool. He spent most of his time in the
company of the Nilghai, and their talk was
of war in the near future, the hiring of tran
sports, and secret preparations among the
dock yards. He did not care to see Dick
till the picture was finished.
Hes doing first-class work." he SAID to
the Nilghai, ''and it's quite c,lt of his regu-
lar line. But, for the matter of that, SOS
his Internal drinking"
''Never mind. Leave him alone When
he has come to his senses again We'll carry
him off from this place and let him breathe
clean air Poor Dick 1 don't envy you,
Torp, when his eyes fall
eyes, it will be case of God help the
man who's chained to our Davie The
worst is that we don't know when it will
happen; and [ believe the uncertainty and
the waiting have sent Dick to the whisky
more than anything else"
Glow the Arab who cut his head open
would grin if he knew?"
''He's at perfect liberty to grin if he can
He's dead. That's poor consolation now"
In the afternoon of the third day Torpen-
how heard Dick calling for him CAL
finished p he shouted. 1--WE done it, Come
inl Isn't she a beauty? Isn't she darling?
I've been down to hell to get her: but
isn't she worth it!"
Torpenhow looked at the head of a woman
who laughed from out of the canvas as Dick
he'd intended she should.
8 "Who taught you how to do it," said Tor
penhow. s'The touch and notion have moth
ing TO do with your regular work What face
it is What eyes and what insolence!" I'm
consciously he threw back his head and
laughed with her. She's seen the game
played out dom think she had a good
time of it-and now she doesn't care. Isn't
that the idea?"
Exactly"
'Where did you get the mouth and chin
from! They don't belong to Bess."
''They 're-some one else's. But isn't it
good? Isn't it laundering good? Wasn't it
worth the whisky? did it. Alone 1 did it:
and it's the best can do" He drew his
breath sharply and whispered: Just God I!
what could I not do ten years hence, if I can
do this now! BY the way, what do you
think of it. Bess?"
The girl was biting her lips. She loathed
Torpenhow because he had taken no notice of
her
81 think it's just the horridest, beastliest
thing 1 ever saw, she answered, and turned
away.
''More than you will be of that way Of
thinking, young woman. Dick, there's a
sort of murderous, viperine suggestion in
the poise of the head that I don't under
stand, " said Torpenhow.
''Tnat's trick work, said Dick chuckling
with delight of being completely under
stood. Il could't resist one little bit of
!. sheer swagger. It's French trick, and
you wouldn't understand, but it's got at by
Slowing round the head trifle. and tiny,
tiny forshortening of one side of the face
from the angle of the chin to the top of the