The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-04-10

marching up and down of the patient
between two sturdy durwans, and the
watching of a woman with great sore
heart and eyes that were too dry and
hot for tears
And the other, the one that had sat
night after night by Herkcmer's bed.
came and sat there just in the center
of the veranda- Herkomer would not
let the durwans move the chair Don't
disturb him." he said; ''let him sit
| there.
"Huzoor. it is but an empty chair
said one of them. No one sits there.
sahib.'
But still he told them not to move the
chair-they could walk around il. He
won't have long to wait now" he NUT
tered.
Surely the poison was making the
sahib little mad" the durwan
! thought
At first Herkomer felt strangely elat-
ed. 1t was like new wine-he was drunk
on it; it was good to be bitten by CO.
bras. If he could only get over it he
would like to try it again-it was like
opium.
And then came the poppy sleep. He
begged them to let him lie down and
rest.
IF you sleep you die" the professor
yelled in his ear.
The voice was far off. it was like a
dream. II was the murmuring of the
breakers far away on the coral reefs.
and required too much energy 20 listen
to il. Besides he was so tired and
sleepy. This ceaseless walking up and
down was like counting sheep, il made
his head heavy
Up and down, up and down the hard
floor of the Veranda, re-echoing to the
clap, clap of the durwans' loose slip
pers as they marched one on either
side of him.
1t was a terrible race, and life was
the stake.
But as the torturing hours chased
each other through the long Burmese
night and the gray began to steal mp
behind the tapering spire of the golden
pagoda in the east and the major still
lived, still walked up and down between
his relays of Punjabis, the professor
knew that he had won-had robbed the
hooded fiend of his victim
And the man who had come back out
of the jaws of death. when he was told
that he might sleep. went deep down
into the rest world and lay for hours in
a sleep that was first cousin TO death.
When he awolxe the figure sitting be-
side his couch had changed-it was
Minora; she who had sat there hour
after hour watching that the light did
not go quite out-that the sleep did not
become of closer kin to death
Very confusedly the questioning eyes
looked at her when they opened.
When he had grown a little stronger
she told him this. told him the tale
that she had tried to tell that night
when he had stopped her.
Father inoculated me with the cobra
virus. partly as an experiment. and
partly for my own safety, as his cobras
were always about.
AS il seemed to be harmless and to
make it sure. he performed the opera
ton several times. But he, learned as
he is, did not foresee the result. 1t
acted on me like morphine acts on
those who have it injected into their
veins-it became necessary to my life.
The eXhilaration you felt would he
mine for days. then depression followed
as d natural law"
But why go into detail?" she added
with faint wan smile, without 1t |
was dead. AT last l became so that
the bite from the cobra was only equal
to the dose my father used. This was
the simplest plan.
When you first came into my life 1
thought that l should overcome ii, for
love is blind.
THE night you were bitten 1 meant
to tell you all. but to fortify myself to
the love which was so great and strong.
1 had asked Count Rubitine To bring a
cobra from my fathers box.
That is all; it is not pleasant" and
she smiled again wanly. l should not
have allowed this love to conquer me-
but now it has conquered. it has tri-
umphed over all, l will not marry you
because ! love you"
1t was the best that way: Because
| love you | will not marry YOU