The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-09-16


His secret went with him everywhere.
When after q months hurried prepara-
Ition the play, rechristened "In the Name
of the Gar" was put before the public,
and be knew again the intoxication Of
praise and applause, his secret had much
TO say to him Of confidential and con-
temptuous nature:
IF these people only knew the TRUTH
Can't you fancy how the friendly hand
clasp would grow startled, cold, and the
fingers leave yours as If they had touched
something unclean? You have the arena
all to yourself. The plaudits are all
yours. They do not know. But do; I
do"
He listened with growing equanimity
TO these whisperings. He saw the phi
losophy OF getting on the friendliest
terms with his secret. since it would
never leave him. Besides he possessed
it absolutely. He never considered that
some day it might possess him.
It was now early in December. The
theaters had just deluged Broadway
with thousands of matinee goers. The
evening was slushy, the air damp and
warm. Rose leaf tints flecked the smoky
vapor Of the sky. At the perspective of
the crowded street, crawling like a
luminous cleft between vast masses Of
rock, the humidity had heaped itself in
to . low hanging pink cloud.
/ Tom came out Of the stage entrance,
paused to light cigar and strolled to-
ward Broadway. He had not risen
until 3 o'clock. The day was just begin
ming for him. His face had the Opaque
Iwhiteness debauchery leaves, and warm
though it was the occasional dsbs Of
damp air struck through him, carrying
= depressing chill.
/ As he turned the corner the currents
'of people eddied around him. His wan
|dering glance alighted with butterfly
bwiftness on the trifles that sway
crowd, then darkened, dilated, fastened
upon one face.
! One face--it seemed to leap up from
the sea Of other faces to meet him, the
leyes strained, piteous, dark with an ar
fragment, q challenge.
4 Toms jaded heart suddenly livened
with an awful fear. But he did not
pause. The streets swayed around him
las he walked ON. Once he turned as il
ito glance at some flowers in florists
shop, and he saw the pale lamplight and
the gray dusk casting weird radiance
sover the face. He was being followed.
He seemed to hear those dogging steps
above the multitude Of footballs on
every side.
81 A hanson stood idle at q corner. He
|sprang into 1t, telling the man to drive
|fast, and sank back, feeling bewildered,
|stunned, sick.
Felix Dawson, the man he had de-
branded, was alive.
Il had been 90 easy for Tom with the
|comfortable suppleness of his nature to
Iassume that this mans long silence had
!meant his death and gradually to as
!similate this supposition until it became
- surety. He had never realized the
tnormity of his act before. Felix Daw-
son had been but shadowy memory to
him, name. He had taken his play,
isnd by tortuous, sophistical vein Of
reasoning this fact had grown to seem
lscarcely worse than If he had only de-
'Stroyed it, since no one was injured.
IL was 30 different now that he knew
Felix Dawson was not dead-no longer
> memory, but man, following him, his
heart fred by this wrong; a man with
eyes TO scorch and voice to be raised In
condemnation; IN opponent TO face, to
lfear.
His ca ming meant ruin, disgrace be-
fore the world, but IL meant also sud-
den, sickening awakening to the nature
hnd consequences Of his act, a shame
Ind hatred Of himself. He was a thief
IN the commonest sense.
When the horse was pulled mp at the
curb before his door, II was almost a
shock BE had been sitting upright, his
hands grasping the apron Of the hanson,
booking straight ahead, but blind, not
sven aware that it had commenced 10
.rajn.
Delatole called TO him az he went
own the hall. He paid no heed, and
tnteripg bis study flung himsen into q