Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1897-05-27
Of FATE.I
TRANSLATED FROM THE DUTCH.

By LOUIS COUPERUS.

~ hfNHF E-#HhH MH"MHHEWF 8 H&
I features we're distorted to Q hideors
expression OF maligna ncy, with rage at
his own Impotence. aud he strobe up
and down, up and down. like a beast
in a cage. clenching his fists. Then 1t
was for this that he had elaborated his
tastes, had sharpened and polished all
his natural gifts, and had directed all
| the powers Of his mind like a battery
charged with some. mysterious fluid, on
the secrets of q girls love and life.
A single letter, a few pages OF tender
words, and the whole work would be
destroyed. For now in his wrath, he
suddenly saw and prided himself on
the fact; he saw that he-yery GER
tainly he-had guided events to sever
Frank anr Eva. How could he even
for a moment have doubted 1t!
Ard it was all to come to nought.
| Never, never. No; a thousand times.
no. Awful, aud infinitely far as the
horizon, the perspective OF life yawned
before him-the dead Ieel of poverty,
the barren desert in which he must
pine and perish of hunger. And in his
horror of treading that wilderness
| every slnew of his lax resolve seemed
strained to the verge Of Swapping.
He must take steps forthwith. An
idea flashed through his brain like the
| zigzag of forked lightning. Yes; that
was his only coi,rse; the simplest ana
most obvious means, a mere stroke OF
~illiany-as conentionality would term
il. No need here for any elabo-
rate psychological pros and cons; they
| were ne.er of any use; they got entan-
gled In their own complications. SIM
ply a theatrical coup.
He took his hat and crept quietly out
| OF the house, with a sneer of contempt,
Of scorn for himself that he should have
| fallen so low. 1t was half-past ten. He
| hailed a cab, and laughed TO hear the
melodramatic sound OF his wi voice
as he gave the driver Sir Archibald's
address-the voice OF a stage-traitor.
Then he shrank into a corner OF the We
hicle, his shoulders up TO his ears, his
! eyes half-closed and gazing out through
the dim mystery of the night. Deadly
| melancholy lurked at the bottom of his
soul.
He got near to Sir Archibald's house.
walked a few yards to the door, and
rang-and the minutes he waited In the
darkness before the closed house
seemed an eteIi ity of intolerablc mis-
cry of horror, aversion, loathing of
himself. His lips were pinched into a
grimace OF disgust.
A man-servant opened the door with
q look of surprise, which gave way to
an impcrtinent stare when he saw that
Van Maeren was alone, without West
hove. He bowed with insolent irony,
and held the door wide open with exag-
gerated servility. for BERTHE Il enter.
81 must speak with you at once" said
BERTHE, coolly, '.at once and alone"
The man looked at him but said moth
irg.
"Yon can do me a service. / need
your assistance-pressingly. Can L say
two words to you without being seen
by %anyoneg'
snow? - said the servant.
Eyes, now; without delay
Twill you come in-into the servants
hall?"
$40, no. Come out and walk UP and
down with me. And speak low
II carnot leave the house yet. The
old man will be going to bed in an hour
or so. and then / can join you In the
street"
ssThen 7 will wait for you: opposite.
by the Park ratings You will be sure
to come? l will make 1t worth Your
while" The footman laughed. a loud.
b.azen laugh, which ran through the
hall. filling BERTHE with alarm.
"Then you are a gentlem \. now?
And pretty flush. eh?"
EYES," said Van Maeren, hoarsely.
Then you will Gomez
"Yes. yes. In an hour or more: fully
an hour. Wait for me. But If I am to
do anything for You, you will have to
fork out, you know; and fork out hand
somely. too"
"All right, all right said Rertie.
ssPnt 1 hope you will not fail me-. j
count en- your coming. mind"
"The door was ruthlessly shut. He
walked up and down for a very long
time in the cold and damp. The chill
pierced to his very marrow. while the
twinkling gas-lamps stared at him
through the gray mist like watery eyes.
He waited, paced the pavement for an
hour-an hour end n half-perishing OF
fatigue and cold. like a beggar without
a shelter. Still he waited. shivering as
he walked, his hands In his pockets,
his eyes dull with self-contempt, star
ing out of his white face at the dark
square Of the door, which still re-
mained shut.