The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-08

4 gested the officer who had assisted at th'
useless rescue.
What" asked Loveland IN bewildsr
ment
| He was staring up the river into tbs
! CULTS OF bright mist He had forgotten,
/ but when his companion spoke he looked
down at the thing recalled to him and re-
membered more quickly than he had for
gotten. Why, IL was his touch on this
mans dead arm that had set the pulses of
million Aprils beating in his brain.
! Death, nfc-did they, then, mean the
same? He looked up the river again into
springs of all the years that had ever beeH
lived by nen-farther, farther, farther,
int all OF these other springs, blooming,
dying. beyond the senile memories of
time. 1t was as IL he had once been a god
and poet among gods, as II he had once
created the springtime with the utterance
Of one enGlessly echoing word, word as
fatal as fame, as elusive as water, as beau
tiful as the unkissed lips of n girl. IL was
Is if he had now come III some Pr7tean
disguise to tell of the thing he had created
TO the deaf ana dumb and blind peoples OF
the world
Guess you'll get pretty scoop on Tho
Asteroid, - the officer congratulated him.
LovelaEd started. Ills face got back its
color The glow sank down 10 gray ashes
in his gray eyes Is he took out his pad and
began to make copy. IL had just occurred
to him that at this particular time, on
this particular planet, his role of reporter
must be carried out He would write the
story when nc got time. Meanwhile there
was the scoop.
September came, but he had never had
the time. All through the summer the
story had beokoned him, allured him,
mastered his Imagination with its beauty
and viriiity, with its exquisite strange
ness, its yet more exquisite familiarity IL
seemed to him that he knew each word,
each paragraph, as 1t would look on pa
per. Eighteen hours after is hours OF the
daily routine his tired eyes inwhrdly ca
ressed pi nntqsmal phrases, bis lips muir
INJURED words that were the souls OF words
but he never found time TO write the story
out because OF the hack work which al
lowed him TO live by bread alone.
Sometimes, indeed, on Monday morning
holidays he took thought Of giving it tan
gible form, but his mood and his holiday
never chlmed. Often, however, down at
the Office when the rush was most breath
less and the yell for copy most msddening,
Loveland suddenly felt himself in apsO-
lutte tune with the story. IF l could only
write il now!" he used 10 say 20 himself
at such moments. The futility Of the re-
Election enraged him one evening as ne
bent above his proofs, trying to make
them out by the swelteriDg lights Of nat
ural gas.
II was scarcely an hour after ono OF
these periods that he stood in his room
with the mood upon him. IL gripped him.
It forced him. lie fought 1T back and
hurried with his dressing. There were two
men TO interview, he told himself There
was the city council 10 report, benefit 10
look in at, 90 other things, but the mood
did not retreat even when confronted with
these facts. The rather 10 insisted. Even
as Loyeland put bis hand upon the door 10
20 he stopped short and stared out OF the
window. Perhaps IL was morning 10 him
and the veil Of tine mist was divided again.
At least he did not 20 back to the office.
Instead. he flung himself across his bed
anu began TO write.
About l O'Clock his roommate, Cresset,
tumbIed up the stairs and IN at the door.
What lie gasped He paled peroep-
tibly as be half way appreciated the situa-
tion. The boss j. down there" 10 whis-
pcred. awestricken THE whole gang Ia
cussing you out What are you doing
bercs ] only looked In here as q last
chance"
Loyeland lifted himself Of sudden and
rested his eyes On Cresset, twisting his
pencil ~ bis crainped fingers as he I'D 50.
Not that be knew thcy were cIaDlped-
''ViIl you get outs" inquired Logelsnd
evenly ard innoiiteiy. His brow wore \
new aspect Of sovereignty under his light
oisordeTed hair; his lips took OF new curves
&C command; a large ininted indignation
blazed in his eyes asd voice. Bat Cresset
was net impressed. lie was not scCus-
tened 70 IL impressed ~ anything cIcept
the boss, and Bcsiccs in bis minds eye
be bcheld al Office full OF swearing men
Certainly, said lie, / viii 20: out
and ~ viii ycu.''
i as daylight when Lovelsnd stepped
writing lie gathered the sheets CT the
manuscript Up, and taxing them over u
the open window read them by the light
In the eyes Of the pale dawn, who looked
marveline over his shoulder
Il vas one of the moments that make
eternity seem worth while. The story was
written. lie bed e n his hand, tie beau
tfui, perfect thing that expressed, a. .
flower 81 sead, tire conception tina. had
land SUMMIT long II his heart IL he
heart Why. be knew IL had laid wzliing
million years "a the hear .. the tai
verse lie looked around the din roorn
with tie eyes q god -lt;iug az table IN
hiRh heaven. ah<s.e SIC ana fate ard Tins
and TIE iEDClIle hungsrs q men
As b TUNED 20 srset Tie Ike lock q /
the kidding Gswa Crcssef o-aggd he |
.ired bocy into tie room. re GrcPped /
down ca the bid, kicking OF hss sboes AID |
tying 70 catch Lovei.LG's klsros belors 1
be spike Al i.ss LoT@lssr moved stoai, I
hunting ca. d fresh table: from among ths i
81 asso-ted ocEtsuis e hts eesks 0Cs be 1
tock 20 notice = Crlssct- ard when as to i