The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-03-12
The riendIy Foe.
"a wierd story by Miss Coleridge. From
Cornhilfs. In Six Parts.)
PART IL

Il have the greatest pleasure in accept
ing your generous proposal he replied,
| more especially as L am quite convinced
that no one could study this question for
nine hours without answering is as 1 my
self have been taught to answer ii. As
for the method of study, that of course
must be left to yourself. The 'Phaidon' of
1 Plato?'
No" I said carelessly. moving away
from the door to let him pass My
tastes are not philosophical. 1 shall sit
! by the fire for three hours, and think
| it over in my own way. q dare not en-
gage that my mind will not wander TO
other subjects. La Girouette danced ador-
ably in the ballet last night) Then, if
you have no objection, l shall dine out
and go to a ball, the invitation for which
| l accepted some time ago, so that my 40
sence would be remarked; and when the
| clock strikes eleven, / shall betake myself
to my confessor. If serious reflection, if
! the sight Of the vanities of this world, If
| the consultations of religion, all put to-
| gether. can not persuade be TO believe
in the Immortality of the soul, it will
be hopeless affair indeed; for l am sure
nothing else would
The Count sighed.
1T is a strange way to take" he said;
but let no man Judge for another! 1 my
self was led to believe by a series of
events which, to any other than myself,
would appear almost incredible. l pray
that you may be rightly directed. In the
meantime 1 wish you goodnight 1 shall
retire to rest before two o'clock" He
bowed again and went out.
When he was gone l threw myself down
in the chair which he had occupied, that
might enjoy 10 the full the luxury of
l. - !
become hiGeous oppression to me during
the last quarter of an hour. 1 had felt
as if he would never go-as if he were
a nightmare, as if he were the Old Man
Of the Sea, as if he were a whole crowd
of people in himself, and made the room
stuffy. 1 ran to the window and flung it
open; the wind rushed in and pulled the
curtains out and rioted among my books
and papers, bathing me, body and soul,
in freedom. l heaped up fagot after fagot
and stirred them into a blaze that might
have set the chimney on fire. Then, be-
tween wind and flame, down sat, accord
ing to contract, to consider that part Of
myself which was more subtle than either.
l found it to the full as difficult as 1 had
expected. The old arguments were no
newer. We should like to go on living
very much. Therefore, we think we shall.
die till the last possible moment They
came TO little more than that, so it seem
ed. AS I was without this strong prepos-
session in favor of life, / failed to recog-
nize their cogency. Besides, to have that
man going on forever? I had a strong
prepossession in favor of his extinction,
even if it necessarily included my own.
loved myself less than l hated him.
Not that l had any reason to hate him.
He was everything which he should be.
which gave a sort of zest to my abhor-
renee, reduced it to a fine art-made it es-
sential, not a mere accident. Our natures
were antagonistic. could not have for
given another for numbering me more
easily than l could forgive him the fact
Of his existence in the same universe with
myself He Jared upon my every nerve
My eyes rebelled at the sight of his face
my ears at the sound of his voice, the
touch of his hand caused an electric shiv- |
er of repulsion. He annihilated all but
the animal part of me; when he was in |
the room l knew his dog had more of |
soul than I. And, by the strangest freak |
of fancy, il was this man who, more than
any one l ever met, had the faculty of |
conjuring anything like it out of me, who |
insisted not only on my believing it was |
there but that it would go on being there |
for ever and ever.
mo, Count" 1 said, as I watched the |
sparks go up the chimney, Keep your i'm |
to ourself! l would not share it |
with you for the asking" and through |
my mind there flashed the old emblems |
of the transformers of life-the dream, |
the shadow, the morning mist, the snow
fake, the flower of the grass, the bird |
flying out of the darkness through the |
lighted hall, into the darkness again I
was treasured concerning its momentary
character. And yet" 1 said to myself,
the Count has very strong will. If any
man had the power to insist on living
in defiance Of all the rules of nature,
that man would be the Count Perhaps
it is his excessive vitality which is bur-
1ensome to ephemeral creatures like my
self. 1t is as if he absorbed their proper
part whenever he came near them"
SO thinking, l took out my pistols and
cleaned them, not without a certain pleas
IRE. 1 had had enough of my own society
by the time the clock struck eight and
was we'll inclined to seek that of others.
The dinner to which l was invited was
given by Princess X, who lived in an
lpartment on the third floor of the Hotel
z. She was going to dance that night
he same that L meant to attendant the |
party beforehand would be, she inform
/
# myself and a few intimates. 1t so hap
Dened that l was rather late. Seeing the
loor of the elevator open. got in. Dark
less had prevented me from noticing that
n one corner there was already something
hat looked like a downy ball of white,
With a very small head coming out of L.
would fain have beaten a retreat, but
t was too late; the porter stepped in after
ne. and we began to ascend.
OH said the little lady with a gasp,
,utting out a small white hand to catch
lold of me. 1 am afraid that did not
lttempt to reassure her. 1t was all over
n a minute.
The lift stopped. I made way for her to
ret out. She turned round to me, smil-
ng and blushing.
L beg your pardon" she said. st never
lave been in one before 1t is so unlike
nything else-when you are not accus-
omed. 1 suppose you also are going 10
inc with Marraine?"
Il have not the pleasure OF calling the |
Princess y. Marianne" 1 replied, but !
{ she has the pleasure of calling YOU her
od-child, we are bound for one destina-
ion. Allow me to ring the belI"'
As she passed into the hall, the clearer
ght shone, for a moment, on her soft t
rown curls. and glanced, reflected in her {
lirthful eyes. l
We entered the drawing-room almost at
he same moment. As the Princess rose {
0 make us acquainted, she laughed again !
nd said quickly:
NO. no Marianne. it is too late I was I
Introduced by the lift, as the greatest COW :
I'd this gentleman has ever known, quite g
lree minutes ago" :
The Princess took her hand {
well, well" she said was there ever 5
UGH q naughty debutante? II is nirv