The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-04
. CHAPTER xxx.

ID
| stretched In lazy enjoyment Of the still
ness and the soft featherSbed upon which
| he slept. Finding himself too wide awake
| for more sleep, he went over to the little
gable window and looked out. The unfer-
mented wine of another spring day came
! to his eager nostrils. The little ball had
made another turn. Its cheek was coming
! once more into the light Already the
east was flushing with a wondrous vague
/ pink The little animals in the city over
| there. he thought would soon be tumbling
out of their beds to begin another of their
l funny, serious days of trial and failure;
| to make ready for another night of forget
| fulness. when their absurd little ant-hill
| should turn again away from the big blaz-
ing star. He sat a long time at the win
! dow, looking out to the east, where the
light was showing; meditating on many
| idle, little matters, but conscious all the
time of great power within himself He
! felt ready now for any conflict. The need
for some great immediate action pressed
upon him. He did not identify it. Some
thing he must do-he must have action
, and that at once. He was glad to think
how Uncle Peter would begin to rejoice in
him-secretly at first and then to praise
him. He was equal to any work. He
could not begin it quickly enough That
| queer need to do something at once was
still pressing, still unidentified.
By five he was down stairs. The girl,
| fresh as a dew-sprayed rose in the garden
outside, brought him breakfast of fruit.
bacon and eggs, coffee and waffles. He
ate with relish, delghting meantime in
the girls florid freshness, and even in the
assertive. triumphant whistle Of the youth
busy at his tasks outside.
| When he set out he meant to reach the
car and go back to town at once. Yet
when he came to the road over which he
had loitered the day before, he turned off
upon 1t with slower steps. There was a
confusing whirl of ideas in his brain,
chaos that required all his energy to feed
1t, so that the spring went from his step.
Then. all at once, newborn world
cohered out of the nebula. and the sight of
it's measured, orderly whirling dazed him.
He had been seized with wish-almost
an intention, so stunning in its audacity
that he all but reeled under the shock. 1t
seemed to him that the thing must
have been terminated in his mind
w t h out his knowledge; it
rested, now to burst forth and dazzle him
with it's shine. All that undimmed fresh
ness of longing he had felt the day before
all the unnamed, unidentified, nameless
desires-had flooded back upon him, but
/ now no longer a Unless. They were acutely
definite. He wanted Avice Milbrey-
wanted her with an intensity as unreason-
ing as it was resistless. This was the
new world he had watched swimming out
I of the chaos in his mind, taking its allot-
ted orbit in a planetary system of possible,
rational, matter of-course proceedings
And Avlce Milbrey was to marry Shep-
Ter. the triumphant money king.
He sat down by the roadside, we'll nigh
helpless, surrendering all his forces to the
want. % f7e 81"
Then there came upon him to reinforce
this want a burning sense of defeat. He
4 remembered Uncle Peters first warnings
\ in the mine about cupboard love-; the
gossip of Higbee: IF you were broke
she'd have about as much use for you
all the talk he had listened to so long
4 about marriage for money; and. at the
last, Shepler's words to Uncle Peter: 81
was uncertain until copper went to 81
d Those were three wise old men who haG
\ talked, men who knew something of wo-
men and much of the world. And they
j were so irritating in their certainty. What
4 a fine play to fool them all!
d The sense of defeat burned into him
more deeply. He had been vanquished
Il cheated, scorned. shamefully flouted. Thu
money was gone-all of Uncle Peter
complaints and biting sarcasms came bacl
81 to him with renewed bitterness; but hi
revenge on Uncle Peter would be in show
ing him big man at work, with no non
n sense about him. But Shepler who wa
Il now certain and Hgbee who had Away
81 been enthusiastically Shepler, with hi
+ easy sense of superiority with woman
over any poor man. That was a differen
4 matter There was thing to think about
= And he wanted Avice Milbrey. He coul
4 not, he decided, go back without her
Il Something of the old lawless spirit Q
81 adventure that had spurred on his rockies
n with him. She didn't love him. He woul
n take her in spite Of that; overpower her
IA force her to go. 1t was revenge of SUI
81 perb audacty. Shepler had not been sur
n of her until now. Well, Shepler might b
81 hurled from that certainty by one hour c
n ot0r,r,r Sp,oI oofi
The great wild wish narrowed itself int
"a a definite plan. He recalled the stor
"a Uncle Peter had told at the Oldaker
E% about the woman and her hair. A woma
III could be coerced If a man knew her weak
III ness. He could coerce her. He knew
a. instinctively; and the instructive belle
81 rallied to it's support thousand litt
VI looks from her, little intonations of he
& voice. little turnings of her head whe
q they had been together. In spite of he
IN calculations, in spite of her love of none
he could make her feel her weakness. H
was man with the power.
1t was heady wine for the mornin,
He described himself briefly as lunati
ri and walked on again. But the Graz
81 notion would not be gone. The day befo1
he had been passive. Now he was activ
acutely aware of himself and all his want
"a He walked mile to try to dismiss tt
idea. He sat down again. and it iloode
back upon him with new force.
g. Her people were gone. She had eve
3 intimated a wish to talk with him agai
vi It could be done quickly He knew. +
FL felt the primitive superiority of man
III mere brute force over woman. He glorie
ri in his knotted muscles and the crushir
& power Of his desires.
Afterward she would reproach him bi
terly. They would both be unhappy
was no matter. It was the present ii
ri time when he should be living. He wou
have her, and Shepler-Shepler might ha,
H. had the One Girl mine-but this gil
~ never!
Again he tried faithfully to walk off tt
&# obsession. Again were his essays at sob
reason unayailing.
a. His. mind was set as it had been VIII,
? he bought the stocks day after day again
~ the advice of the best judges in the Stree
g. He could not turn himself back. The
IN must be success. There could not be
2S& giving up-and there must not be failu1
"a Hour after hour he alternately walk
&# and rested, combating and favoring t
{& mad project. It was a foolish little wor
j&# and people were always waiting for a
I'LL other time to begin the living of life. T
s German had quoted Martial: "To-morrt
&& will live IL fool says; to-day itself's
- late. The wise lived yesterday"
- IF he did go away alone he knew
Is would always regret it. If he carried
avy triumphantly off, doubtless his regret "
avail certain. The latter was equally plausib
I'M I'M but, if it came, would it not Hbe preferal