Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1896-10-24

this, " he cried. "You must give me some
answer to these horrible charges that are
made against you. II you tell me that they
are absolutely untrue from beginning TO
end, l will believe you. Deny them. Dorian.
deny them! Can't you see what / am GO
ing through! My God! don't tell me that
you are Infamous! :"
Dorian Gray smiled. There was O curl Of
contempt in hi; lips. Come upstairs,
Basil, " he said, quietly. II keep a diary Of
my life from day to day, and IL never leaves
the room in which 1t Is written. Twill show
it to you II you come with me"
II win come with you, Dorian, II you wish
II. | see | have missed my train. That
makes no matter. | can 40 tomorrow.
But don't ask me TO read anything tonight.
AL ] want is q plain answer 10 my question. 4"
THAT will be given 10 you upstairs. !
could not give 1t here. You won't have TO
read long. DoNt keep Inc waiting"
CHAPTER xf.
lie passed out Of the room, and began the
ascent, Basil Hallward following close be-
mind. They walked softly, as men instinct
lively do at night. The lamp east fantastic
shadows on the wall and staircase. A rising
wind made some of the windows rattle.
When they reached the top landing,
Dorian set the lamp down on the floor, and
taking out the key turned IL in the lock.
''You insist on knowing, Basil !" be asked,
In a low voice.
YES
IL am delighted" he murmured. smiling.
Then he added. somewhat bitterly: You
are the one man in the world who Is en-
titled 10 know everything about me. You
have had more 10 do with my life than
you think" And, taking up the lamp. he
opened the door and went IN. A cold cur
rent Of air passed them, and the light shot
up for a moment in "a flame OF murky orange
He shuddered. Shut the door behind
you, he said as he placed the lamp On the
table.
Hallward glanced around him, with a
puzzled expression. The room looked as il
it had not been lived in for years. A faded
Flemish tapestry, a curtaincd picture, and
old Italian cdssOnc, and an almost empty
book-case-that was all il seemed 10 contain.
beside a chair and a table. AS Dorian Gray
was lighting a half-burned candle that was
standing on the mantel-shelf. he saw that
the whole place was covered with dust, and
NhaN NhS '"A1|A "NR III hNA'Hs - hARt@@ '"'
scufiing behind the wainscoting. There
was a damp dor Of mildew.
$50 you think hat il is only God who sees
the soul. Basil. Draw the curtain back,
and you will see mine!n
The voice that spoke was cold and cruel.
"You are mad, Dorian, or playing a part"
muttered Hallward, frowning.
"You won't, Then I must do IL myself"
said the young man and he tore the curtain
from its rod, and flung il on the ground
An exclamation OF horror broke from
Hallward's lips as he saw in the dim light
the hideous thing on the canvas leering at
him. There was something in its expression
that filed him with disgust and loathinp.
Good heavens IL was Dorian Gray's w
face. The horror. whatever il was.
had not yet entirely marrcd hat mar
yelous beauty. There was still some gold
IN the thinning hair and soine scarlet on the
sensual lips. The sodden eyes had kept
something Of the loneliness Of their blue,
the noble curves had not vet passed entire
ly away from chiseled n~ostrils and from the
plastic throat. Yes, it was Dorian himself.
But who had lone III He seemed to recog-
nize his own brush-work. and the frame
"oP us " o1pfkh- ftt0 was ftfRh
strous. yet he felt afraid. He seized the
lighted candle, and held il to the picture.
In the left-hand corner was his own name,
traced in long red letters OF bright ver-
milton.
II was some foul parody, some infamous,
ignoble satire. He had never done that.
Still it was his own picture. He knew it,
and he felt as il his blood had changed from
fire to sluggish ice in a moment. His own
picture! What did it means Why had il
alteredi He turned, and looked at Dorian
Gray with the eyes of a sick man. His
mouth t~witched, and his parchcd tongue
seemed unable 10 articulate. lie passed his
hand across his forehead. 1t was dank with
clammy sweat.
The young man was leaning against the
mantel-shelf, watching him with that ex-
preston that is on the faces of those who
are absorbed in a play when a real artist is
acting. There was neither real sorrow in il
nor real Joy. There was simply the passion
of the spectator. with perhaps a flicker OF
triumph in the eyes. He had taken the
flower out Of his coat, and was smelling it,
or pretending To do so.
What does this mean." cried Hallward
at last. His own voice sounded shrill and
curious ia his ears.
Years ago when i was a boy said
Dorian Gray, ''you met me, devoted your.
self to me, fiattered me. and taught me to
be vain of my good looks. One day you In.
troduced me to a friend Of yours, who ex.
planned to me the wonder of youth, and you
finished a portrait of me that revealed TO Inc
the wonder OF beauty. In a mad moment,
that i don't know, even now, whether | re.
greet or not, l made a wish. Perhaps you
call it q prayer"
II remember ii. Oh, how well l remem-
Der it! No; the thing is possible. The room is
damp. Tue mildew has got into the canvas.
The paints 1 used had some wretched
mineral poison In them. l tell YOU the thing
is impossible"
"Ah, what Is impossible." murmured the
young man, going over TO the window, and
leaning his forehead against the cold, mist
stained glass.
'You told me you had destroyed it."
II was wrong. 1t has destroyed me-"
81 don't believe il is my picture"
'Can't you see your romance in i'll" said
Dorian, bitterly.
my romance, as YOU call it"
"As YOU called it,"
''There was nothing evil in il, nothing
shameful. This is the face Of satyr."
ut is the face of my soul"
.'God what a thing I must have worship
cd! This has the eyes OF a devil"
Each Of US has heaven and hell In him,
Basil" cried Dorian, with a wild gesture OF
despair.
Hallward turned again To the portrait,
and gazed at IL. my God il it is true" he
exclaimed, and this is what you have done
with your life, why, you must be worse
sven than those who talk against you fancy
you to be-" He held the light up again 10
the canvas, and examined it. The surface
seemed TO be quite undisturbed. and as he
bad left 1t. 1t was from within, apparently.
that the foulncss and horror had come.
Through some strange quickening of inner
life the leprosies OF sin were slowly eating
the thing away. The rotting Of a corpse in
Q watery grave was not so fearful,
His hand shook, aud the candle fell from
its socket on the floor, and lay there sputter-
irg. He placed his foot on 1t and put 1t out
Then he flung himself into the rickety chair
that was standing by the table and buried
his face in his hands.
Good God, Dorian, what o lesson. what
an awful lesson" There was no answer,
but he could hear the young man sobbing at