The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1894-10-06

go to the devil!" You see, I was
getting up a reputation for rudeness
as we'll as for immortality for Dusen-
berry, and now I had precipitated him
into : lawsuit.
Presently 1 found that I was growing
tired, for Dusenberry must have been
up late on the night before. And it
seemed to me then that I had enough
of my present form. I began to think
strongly of home, of my comfortable
bed, Of my bath, Of my cool. fresh lin
en- in the locker. Yes, I would 60 there
but first I would so to the hotel, get
myself and leave Dusenberry asleep
the boot room.
I entered the hotel looked at the regis
ter and requested to be taken to room
"a.
That's where Mr.. Ferguson was put,
isn't it," .~l@
Yes"
"Well, he's gone
WHAT"
He sobered up just a little while
ago"
How dare you say that he has Sob
cred up? He was no more drunk than
1 am"
Excuse me, but you are quite sure
that your breath-however-"
The cordials the fatigue! Had I been
getting Dusenberry drunk?
You are sure he has gomez"
II saw him leave half an hour ago."
Good night" And l strobe from
that place in an agitation of soul that
ought to have turned Dusenberry's
hair gray. I had left that place un-
guarded. I was now, most likely,
walking around the streets of that
city, perhaps in the vilest slums, a
prey to villainy and accident, a crea.
ture without a mind, deaf, blind, un.
feeling! What would-what had-be.
come Of me? Suppose / were at the
bottom of the river at this moment,
and should be doomed to occupy the
interior body that l lived in at pres.
ent. Despair! Suppose that Dusen-
berry's personality and suppose that
while. I was asleep he should succeed
in doing it. Again, despair! I might
be MANNED or crushed; my clothes
might at this moment be in the pos
SESSION of a gang of corner loafers who
would pawn them on the morrow for
beer, obliging me to lie perdu in the
friendly screen Of a coal yard until
night iell again, and i was enabled
to steal home without exciting COM
ment. I rushed aimlessly from street
to street, making Dusenberry pun as
I did so, for ONE minutes before I
could form any plan OF action, the
dread of being permanently locked In
with Dusenberry, in his now hated
form, driving me almost mad. / went
to the nearest police station and in
CURED IL anything had been seen Of q
tall, good-looking man OF 81, dressed
In excellent taste and OF polished de-
meanor, who had left the D. hotel
while suffering from the effects Of a
sanstroke.
well, we amt seen ncthin' Of i'm.
Seey'
i left the place in a new frenzy. On
reaching a dark and lonely street /
sat on the curbstOne and tried to weep,
but th re were no tears In Dusenberry,
and I had to give it up. All this time
I had a vague ems OF relation to my
old self that kept from utter loss Of
hope. I rendered that during my
ardent wish to be at home 4 vivid pic
ture. almost like a sensation, Of my
self going In that direction, acompan-
led the thought. How II. after all, /
had retained enough power over my
unconscious self to u it to make
the journey? I rushed away in the dt-
rection of my fat, and arrived at the
door In a bewilderment of hope and
fear. The clock struck 3, as l turned
the corner. What a night it had been!
/ felt In my pocket for. my key. Chump
that I was! I had only Dusenberry's
key. / knew that II I broke into the
house I was liable to get Dusenberry
shot and also arrested, and I did not
want to go as far as that with him, so
I resolved on al expedient hardly less
bold; I rang.
Somebody was up and moving about
the place. Oh. Ii 1T could only be--if !
dare hope-I bent all my thought to
1T. In three minutes the knob ratified;
the door swung open. Dim as the light
wassthere was no installing the figure
that stood there. II was myself.
Saints be praisedI he cried. Il did
get there ahead Of myself, after all"
The figure In the doorway stood still
gazing straight into the dark with
fshy, unseeing eyes, and breathing
heavily, like nj sidewalks In his
sleep Listening at the stair foot ]
could hear no sound except the snoring
OF the man on the third floor. The ar
rival ~ this automaton Of myself had
not been known 10 anybody. NY wife
was asleep. The bell had been mn
heard, ana only my win had brought
the figure - the ioor. SEEKING III !
drew ~ passiyely ont s6losed the door
softly behind A. md gled ID up the street
ia where the shadowSofa tall maple