Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-11-21

the RUNNERS. There were Hsaturss and
lancing, and the injecting of the pro
fessor's antidote, and the ceaseless
marching up and down of the patient
between two sturdy durwans, and the
watching of 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 Herkomer's bed,
came and sat there, just in the center
of the yeranda. Herkomer would not
let the durwans move the chair. Don't
disturb him." he said "Let him ait
there"
"Huzoor, 1t is but an empty chair"
said one of them. mo one ats there,
sahib."
But still he told them not to move
the chair-they could walk around It.
"He won't have long to wait now" he
muttered.
"Surely the poison is making the
sahib little mad," the durwan
| thought.
AT first Herkomer felt strangely elat-
ed. 1t was like new wine-he was
drunk on 1t; it was good to be bitten by
cobras. II he could only get over 1t, he
would like to try 1t again-it was like
opium.
And then came the poppy sleep. He
begged them to let him lie down. and
rest. - ~
"If you sleep. youidie, !, the professor
| yelled in his ear.
The voice was far on, 1t was like a
dream, 1t was the murmuring of the
breakers far away on the coral reefs.
and required too much energy to listen
to it. Besides, he was SO tired and
sleepy. This ceaseless walking up and
down was like counting sheep; 1t 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.
It was terrible race, and life was
the stake.
i But rs the torturing hours chased
each other through the long Burmese
night and the gray began to steal up
behind the tapering spire Of the golden
pagoda in the east, and the major still
lived, still walked up and down be-
tween his relays Of Punjabis. the pro
lessor knew that he had won-had rob-
bed the hooded fiend of his victim.
And the man who came 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 awoke, the figure sitting be
side his couch had changed. 1t was
Minora, she who had sat there houl
after hour watching that the light die
not 60 quite out, that the sleep did moi
become Of closer kin to death
Very confusedly the questioning eye.
looked at her when they opened.
When he had grown little stronger
she told him this, told him the tai.
that she had tried to tell that nigh
when he had stopped her:
Father inoculated me with the cobri
virus, partly as an experiment. ant
partly for my own safety, as his cobra.
We're always about.
, "As it seemed to be harmless, and t.
make it sure, he performed the opera
, ton several times. But he, learned al
, he is, did not foresee the result. L
, acted on me like morphine acts OF
those who have 1t injected into theil
/ veins--it became necessary to my life
The exhilaration you felt would b.
mine for days; then depression follow
+ ed as a natural law.
"But why go into detailT' she added
with faint, wan smile. without 1t
was dead. At last became SO tina
the bite from the cobra was only equa
!, to the dose my father used. This wa
the simplest plan.
when you first came into my life,
, thought that should overcome 1t, To-
!, love is blind.
, 1.-THE night you were bitten mean
! to tell you all, but to fortify myself, t,
, summon up the moral courage t,
drown the love which was SO great an,
!. strong, had asked Count Rubitino t
! bring cobra from my fathers box.
"That is all; it is not pleasant" an,
abe smiled again wanly. ~ should no
4 have allowed this love to conquer me
!. but now 1t has conquered, it has trl
umphed over all. will not marry you
: because love you"
1t was the best that way, "Becaus
d love you will not marry you"