The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1894-08-11

as we think"
Not if he lives" he replied, shaking his
head sadly and looking nervously about
him. But fear Jack is on the verge
of dissolution feel So faint now that
l believe-I believe it is nearly all over.
He staggered slightly as he spoke and
would have fallen if | had not caught
him by the arm.
Brace up, my dear boy" l cried.
Don't make scene here. Come. Get
into this cab and we'll ride down to my
| rooms"
He was so limp by this time that !
bundled him almost head over heels into
a convenient hackney, and giving the
driver directions as to where to 60 fol
lowed and sat down beside him He lay
back against the cushions, his eyes
closed, his lips quivering like childs
under punishment. To an ordinary OBJ
server it would have seemed as il Mars
den had taken too much strong drink
| to me, who knew that he did not drink.
| his condition was understandable. Moved
we both We're by the imminent death Of
u dear friend. but the emotion Of Mars
| den was out OF all proportion to the stu
alton.
Suddenly he grasped me by the arm
and sat up stitfiy and groaned.
Air he sighed in moment. Il
thought it was all over then By heavens,
Hartly" he shouted as he turned hi.
eyes to me-eyes big. bullying and seen-
ingly full of some terrible dread. How
can You sit there SO unmovei: How can
you-how can you-how can YOU
His tone by this time had risen to
shrek. and | became convinced tina,
Marsden and could not go ON to Balti-
more that night unless | was willing IL
constitute myself the guardian OF d ina
MAC.
II am quite as upset. Tom" | ~
piled. Quite as deeply grieveI over
the possibility Of Jacks death"
Don't speak Of it-dout speak Of it"
he shuddered, covering back into the
corner Of the cab and hiding his face
with his hands.
"Hartly, ! don't believe You under,
stand" he added. sravely, after a minute
or two of silence. DO you understand
that 1t means oblivion? DO you com
prehend that 1t means absolute annihila
ton. destruction. a blotting out forever;
Do you-do you realize that"
He fairly shook mo with his grip on
my arm as he gasped this out
No. DO not, | answered shortly. Il
believe. as YOU used to believe, in a God
in heaven. and have not changed, and
| knAN that Naa-.rS.,,, h..
fear death. His soul is the pures,"--
Il am not thinking Of Masterson." he
cried, and then. his voice sinking into
whisper, he muttered Il refer 10 our,
selves. We shall vanish. we shall b.
blotted out. Mastersons soul Is all
right, but ours-we have no souls With
his death We are plunged into furtnl,--s-
ness-we become zerus"-
My dear Marsdeu." said. trying
hard to conceal my perturbation. for |
was now convinced that be- was NAL.
my dear Tom. don't talk that way.
Keep quiet. All will 20 well. ALI
1t cannot he retorted. II Jack Mas
terson dies. II Jack MAsterson dies We
Hartly. do you realize what you are
what am, |, with all my hopes. all my
ambitions, my loves, my hates, every
thing. am but Pigment in tho brain o.
Jack Masterson. You are the same, |
know. have studded have seen
When that mind ceases To work and
that imagination to fancy you and l.
John Hartly. cease to be-"
As Marsden spoke the cab stopp.L at
my door and We entered the house. |
was simply appalled, at the horror of
Marsden's hallucination and at the new
responsibility for his welfare that hal
temporarily devolved upon me. He wa.
mad; but how mad. Was it curabl, or
not! feared. felt that but one thina /.
was needed to upset his mind altogether /
and that was Mastersons death. No /
had any hope that that was a blow 10 .
be averted. What to do was the cues
ton, and my own feelings were that un
less that question were speedily solved
| should myself stand in mental peril
we went to my apartments, AMI
showed under the door found a ,ele-
gram awaiting me To open it was tn.
work OF a moment, and then Mars.len.
feeling that it must be from Baltimore
it from me and tried to read II,
but fortunately he could not, his eve,
were so filled with the tears Of fear.
Read it, he cried. trembling with
excitement. Read it.
took 1t, and casting my eyes over the
ine saw the announcement Of tho fatal
Of Jacks illness. Jack
lied at o'clock tins afternoon" it said