The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-08-25

in charge of their New York Office, but
my position was in jeopardy because
of my habits, and my salary was over
I drawn and squandered. I borrowed
that money off one of my customers,
Andy Gleason. You know him He
sai1 that he wanted to talk business
Andy cannot talk business comfort
ably except in a liquor saloon. The
demon inside me welcomed him as a
friend. Here was certainly an excuse.
Il was matter OF business to preserve
my friendly relations with Andy.
THE next thing l remember dis
tinctly is opening my eyes in total
darkness. l Thought at first that 1 was
blind. How long it took me to dis
cover where l was 1 am unable to say.
In reality was lying in the little ves-
tibule of my Office. Igot upon my feet,
opened the inner door and turned on
the electric light. My watch had
stopped, but from the window l could
see the illuminated dial in the tower
of City hall. It was nearly midnight.
But what midnight? had no idea
"llCbiiCl i 1-e1Nl pCCh UlilcC
days or month. My mind was so
stupefied that could not ascertain the
date of any of the ways which would
have suggested themselves to me in
my normal condition. There was a
newspaper on my desk. My eyes
rested upon it without intent, but, at
least, one word seemed to detach itself
from the page. 1t was the day of the
week in the date line Of the paper. and
that was Friday; then it was already
too late.
There was pistol in drawer of
my desk and, somehow, though my
hands trembled SO that l could hardly
hold key, / managed to open the lock
and at last to secure the weapon. Yet
it seemed an idle and cowardly thing
to do, to die without a struggle, to &C
cept the consequences of my fall as
final. put the pistol into my pocket
and fastened from the Office. But one
thought was in nv mind, to learn the
worst at once. She would forgive me
certainly. Even brother can claim
seventy times seven, and I with a far
more potent right would plead again.
This fall should be my last.
1T seemed l was at home as if by
magic. The key turned in the street
door. I climbed the dark stairs and
came to the third landing breathless
with my haste. The small key
turned in the lock but the door did
not open. There was nothing alarm
ing about that; Alice often used the
second lock to make herself more Sc
cure.
"'Alicer I called, and shook the
door. There was no response. 1 lis
tened. Surely there was a confused
sound within, a murmur as of the
weeping Of one who is exhausted with
the shedding of tears. 1t was almost
q relief TO find that she was there. We
had no friends to whom she could go
in IN emergency. but if the rooms
were bare she might have taken ref
uge even with comparative strangers.
! spoke her name again. 1t seemed as
if the noise within ceased. / thought
that she was coming to the door, but
she did not. Certainly she had heard
nc.
Did she deliberately exclude me?
Had she learned of my debauch? Had
l been guilty of something more dis
graceful than drunkenness? In the
darkness which concealed the last
three days what madness and folly lay,
forgotten but irrevocably written, in
my past? But perhaps she was asleep
I l.. l. =
as dared. fearing to let the other in
mates IN the house know of my dis
grace. There was no answer.
Confused, alarmed and utterly sick
at heart, / sank down upon the floor
and sat there leaning against the wall,
do not know how long. At times I
felt resentment against her, and then
/ excused my own fault with weak ar
guments: again, I fell into abject
pleading, with my lips almost against
the door. And then, in desperation,
thought of the weapon in my pocket.
and was on the brink of death. Yet
through it al one idea grew stronger
as the others faded: logged TO sec her
again. Pledges rose to my lips which
no man could utter and then violate,
which no woman could hear, unmovcd,
from one she loved.
1T came into my mind TO burst the
door, and | had got upon my feet TO
0ake the effort, when l was aware Of