Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1895-03-02
Ten Minutes to TW6IV6.
By N. G.. MCLELLAND.


Cling through the shutters with the gray
pallor peculiar to winter dawn. The
great hotel and the streets around it
We're as still as the heart of a desert.
Royal dressed himself and went to the
window. All along the street, in places,
shadows lay, as sharply defined as sill
=, houettes by the electric glare, which
i deals little in the soft shading and witch
cry of the moonlight which it Stimulates.
1t was too early even for the rafting Of
milk carts or the matutinal billingsgato
of sparrows; but away III the distance,
beyond the volceless thoroughfares and
expressiOnless houses, the sky was family
coloring for joy in coming good.
Royal drew q chair to the window,
and grappled anew with the situation,
taking it externally, and as apart from
himself, after the manner of Il man of
action whose intuitive position relative
to circumstances is that of an extra
neous, coercivc force, rather than one
which is inherent and insensibly, regu-
lative.
1t did not take him many moments to
decide that disclosure of the true state
of the case was inevitable, and must les
made as speedily as possible. In spite
of the intimate connection with the af
fairs of the dead man which had been
thrust upon him, he knew next to Moth
ing of his family relations or circum-
stances He might have brothers ans
sisters, even parents, living with WHOM
it would be necessary to communicate
at once by letter or telegram. There
would be funeral arrangements to make
and explanations of some sort to give ia
the curious. A man dying amid hOtel
full of people cannot be carried to !
cemetery, and incontinently buried
without further cognizance being taker
of the MATTER than such as would be
involved in the settlement of hotel ano
undertaker's charges. None knew bet
ter than Royal the impossibility OF
avoidance or escape from the omnipres
ence Of human curiosity.
The question in point was, to whom
should the story first be told? Under
ordinary circumstances it would have
seemed to him most fitting that the per
son most nearly concerned in an affair
should be the one earliest made intimate
WIFI lUS IdulluCdUlOIlS, DuO CuC pINoOh
circumstances were anything but ordl
nary, and the communication he was
called upon to make might easily be
reckoned unprecedented. Royals in
stincts revolted from the straightfor
ward method; it seemed to him rougl
and brutal. He still hoped, in some AZ
yet misty and mysterious manner, to be
able to spare Phyllis a little, or at least
to soften things for her. knowledge OF
her afflction had aroused his interest il
way totally apart from, and yet
strangely commingled with, the interest
awakened by the popularity of his OWL
position toward her.
To this last, indeed, he gave littl
ethought, for in his mind she was still TOT
closely associated with John Royal tt
admit of Identification in any way with
himself. He was simply conscious as :
man of an infinite pity for her and al
a physician of the fact that here was
case which would require delicate han
ding.
His thought lowered around Mrs. Har
with an ever increasing sense of relief anC
satisfaction. Here was beacon amt
the rough waters for them. He had beef
brought too frequently into juxtaposi
ton with the creature feminine under
various and trying circumstances not tC
recognize a sensible and helpful woman
whenever he beheld one. If there should
be worse breakers ahead she would In
dictate their presence and also show hiIr
how to shape his course so as to avoid
more damage than would be imperative
OF his own unaided efforts in this matter
he had come to feel profound distrust.
The event proved that he had not
reckOned without his host, for when the
natural CONSERVATION and bewilderment
incident to an upheaval of accepted CON
ditions had passed away Mrs. Hart rallied
to his assistance with all the gallan try
of large natured woman. Her ac-
quaintance with John Royal had been
so slight that her regret for his death
was without the pOignancy of person al
bereavement, while her admiration, sym
apathy and comprehension of his motiv ct
1and character rendered the process 10y
which she set him aport and exalted
him into a chevalier sans peur ct sans
reproche simple evolution of senti.
ment.
:. Her most active and dominant thought
IN the matter was for Phyllis.
After some moments given to med tia.
ton, during which Royal watched her,
conscious Of naught so much as the re.
lief of divided responsibility, she turned
troubled face toward him.
Its positively awful, this happening
just now" she declared. Il mean it's