The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-03-09
IN ERROR.

rule; so there must DO an exception 10
prove it. Moriarty's case was that ex-
ception.
He was civil engineer, and tho gov
ernment very kindly put him quite by
himself in an out district, with nobody
but natives to talk to and great deal
of work TO do. He did his work we'll in
tho four years ho was utterly alone, but
ho picked up tho vico of secret and soil
tary drinking. and came up out Of the
wilderness more old and worn and hag-
gard than the dead alive life had any
right to mako him. You know tho say
ing that man who has been alone in
tho jungle for more than a year is never
quito sane all his life after. People
credited Moriarty's quoerness Of manner
and moody ways TO tho solitude, and
said that it showed how government
spoiled the futures Of its best men.
Moriarty had built himself the plinth Of
q very good reputation in tho bridge
dam girder line. But no knew, every
night of tho week, that he was taking
steps TO undermine that reputation with
l.. l.. /. and "Christopher" and little
nips of liqueurs and filth Of that kind.
He had o Eound constitution and q g,cat
brain, or else he wCuld havo hrolcn
down and died like sick camel III he
district, az better men have done before
him.
Government ordered him TO Simla
after he had come ont Of the desert, and
lie went up meaning TO Try for post
then vacant. That season, Mrs. Reiver
perhaps you Will remember hor-was
il the height Of her power. and many
men lay under her yoke. Lyoly;hing
bad that could be said has already been
said about Mrs. Reiver in another tale
Moriarty was heavily built and hand
some, very quiet and nervouslY anxious
TO please his neighbors, when lie wasn't
sunk in a brown study. lie started a
good deal at sudden noises on if spoken
10 without warning; and, when you
watched him drinking his glass of wa
ter at dinner, you could SEQ the hand
shake little. But all this was Put
down TO nervousness, and the quiet,
steady "sip-sip-sip, fill and sip-sip-sip
again" that Went On in his own room
when no was by himself was never
known, which was miraculous, seeing
how everything in n mans private life
is public property out here.
Moriarty was drawn, not into Mrs.
Reivor's set, because they were not his
sort, but into tho power Of hrs. Reiyer,
and ho fell down in front Of her and
uado Il goddess of her. This was due TO
his coming fresh out tho jungle 10 big
town. He could not scale things proper
ly or zee who was what.
because Mrs. Reiyor was cold and
hard. he said sho was stately and digni-
fed. Because she had no brains, and
could not talk cloyorly, he said she was
reserved and shy Mrs. Reiver shy !
Because she was unworthy Of honor CT
reverence from any one, he reve1enced
her from distance and lowered her
with all the virtues i'll the Bible and
most of those in Shakespeare.
This big, dark, distracted man who
was so nervous when a pony cantered
behind him used TO moon in tho train
Of Mrs. Reiver, blushing with pleasure
when she threw a word or two his way.
His admiration was strictly platonio--
even ether women saw and admitted
this. lie did not move out in Simla. so
he heard nothing against his idol, which
was satisfactory Mrs. Roiver took no
fpecial notice Of him, beyond seeing that
no was added to her list Of admirers,
and going for walk with him now and
then, Just to show that he was her
IL, l. e.,,I, NTavfi s.t.fx,
must havo done most Of the talking, for
Mrs. Reiver couldn't talk much to n
man Of his stamp, and the little she said
could not have been profitable. What
Moriarty believed in, as he bad good
reason 20, was Mrs. Reiver's influence
over him, and, in that belief, set him.
self seriously to Try 10 do away with the
vice that only be himself knew Of.
His experiences while he was fighting
with il must have been peculiar, but he
never described them. Sometimes he
! would hold eff from everything except
water for week. Then, on rainy
night, when TO one had asked him out
to dinner, and there was big fire in
! his room, and everything comfortable,
be would sit down and make a big night
Of it by adding little nip TO little nip,
planning big schemes Of reformation
meanwhile, until hc threw himself on
his bed hopelessly drunk. 10 suffered
next morning.
One nighs tho big crash camo. Eo
was troubled in his own mind over bis
attempts to make himself worthy Of
tho friendship'' of Mrs. Reivcr. The
past ten days had been very bad ones,
and tho end Ct il all was that he re-
ceived Ito arrears Of 925 years Of sip-
ping ia one attack Of delirium tremeus
Of tho sIbdued kind; beginning with
7 suicidal depression, going on to fits and
starts and hy@oria, aud ending with
downright Iaving. As he sat IN a chair
in front Of the fire, or walked up and
down the room picking a handkerchief
! TO pieces, you heard what poor morarTy
! really thought of Mrs. Reivor, fer h'
raved about her and his own fall for tho
most part. though no raveled some p
w. ID. accounts into the same skoin o.
thought. lie talked, and talked ans
talked in low, dry whisper to himself
and there was no stopping him. III
seemed to know that there was some
thing wrong, and twice tried 90 pull
himself together and confer reiiopall,
with tho doctor. lat his Mini ran on
Of control ct once. and be fell back TO
whisper and the story Of his troubles. !
is terrible 10 hear big man babblinl
like child Of all that q man usual.
locks up and puts away in the deep o