Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1903-05-14
CHAPTER TX.

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CHAPTER TX.
The lark will make her hymn to God,
The partridge call her brood
While forget the heath I trod,
The fields wherein l stood.
'Tis dule to know not night from morn,
But deeper dule to know
can but hear the hunters horn
That once used to blow.
The Only Son.
RT was the third day after Torpen-
n how's return, and his heart was
heavy.
do you mean to tell me that
you can't see without whisky? It's
generally the other way about"
"Can a drunkard swear on his hon
or?' said Dick.
Eyes, if he has been as good a man
as you"
'Then | give my word of honor"
said Dick, speaking hurriedly through
parched lips. ''Old man, can hardly
see your face now. You've kept me So
ber for two days-if ever was drunk
and I've done no work. Don't keep
me back any more 1 don't know when
my eyes may give out The spots and
dots and the pains and things are
crowding worse than ever. l swear
can see all right when Pm-when I'm
moderately screwed. as you say. Give
me three more sittings from Bessie and
all the stuff / want, and the picture
will be done. | can't kill myself in
three days. 1t only means a touch of
d. T. at the worst"
'sIf l give you three days more, will
you promise me to stop work and
the other thing, whether the pictures
finished OF not?'
81 can't. You don't know what that
picture means to me. But surely you
could get the Nilghai to help you, and
knock me down and tie me up.
shouldn't fight for the whisky, but
should for the work"
go on, then. l give you three days,
but you're nearly breaking my heart"
Dick returned to his work, toiling as
one possessed. And the yellow devil
of whisky stood by him and chased
away the spots in his eyes. The Mel
ancolia was nearly finished and was
all or nearly all that he hoped she
would be. Dick jested with Bessie,
who reminded him that he was ga
drunken beast" But the reproof did
not move him.
''You can't. understand, Bess. We are
in sight of land now, and soon we shall
lie back and think about what we've
done. I'll give you three months pay
when the pictures finished, and next
time have any more work in hand
but that doesn't matter. Won't three
months pay make you hate me less?"
'No, it won't! / hate you, and I'll
go on hating you. Mr.. Torpenhow
won't speak to me any more. He's al
ways looking at map things and red
backed books"
Bessie did not say that she had
again laid siege to Torpenhow or that
he had at the end of her passionate
pleading picked her up, given her a
kiss and put her outside the door with
a recommendation not to be a little
fool. He spent most of his time in the
company of the Nilghai, and their
talk was of war in the near future, the
hiring of transports and secret prepara-
tions among the dockyards. He did
not care to see Dick till the picture
was finished.
"He's doing first class work" he said
to the Nilghai, "and it's quite out of his
regular line. But for the matter of that,
SOS his internal drinking"
"Never mind. Leave him alone. When
he has come to his senses again we'll
carry him off from this place and let
him breathe clean air. Poor Dick! /
don't envy you, Torp, when his eyes
fail"
Eyes, it will be case Of God help
the man who's chained to our Davie.'
The worst is that we don't know when
it will happen, and believe the uncer-
tainty and the waiting have sent Dick
to the whisky more than anything
else"
'How the Arab who cut his head
open would grin if he knew
AAC . at pCtACCt iUSLty " SIlu II uC
can. He's dead. That's poor consola-
ton now"
In the afternoon of the third day
Torpenhow heard Dick calling for him.
"All finishedr' he shouted. 1--WE done
It. Come in! Isn't she a beauty? Isn't
she darling? I've been down to hell
to get her, but isn't she worth it,"
Torpenhow looked at the head of
woman and laughed-a full Tipped, hol-
low eyed woman who laughed from
out Of the canvas as Dick had intended
she should.
'tWho taught you how to do it?" said
Torpenhow ''The touch and notion
have nothing to do with your regular
work. What face it is! What eyes
and what insniencei' TTnconseiously he
threw back his head and laughed with
her. ssShe's seen the game played out
Il don't think she had good time Of
it-and now she doesn't care. Isn't that
the idea ?"
Exactly"
'sWhere did you get the mouth and
chin from? They don't belong to Bess."
They're some one else's. But isn't it
good? Isn't it laundering good? Wasn't
it worth the whisky? / did it. Alone 1
did it, and it's the best / can do" He
drew his breath sharply and whis-
pered: "Just God! What could l not
do ten years hence if can do this
now! By the way, what do you think
of it, Bess ~
The girl was biting her lips. She
loathed Torpenhow because he had
taken no notice of her.
Il think it's just the horridest, beast
lest thing ever saw" she answered,
and turned away.
More than you will be of that way
of thinking, young woman. Dick,
there's a sort of murderous viperine
suggestion in the poise Of the head that
/ don't understand said Torpenhow.
That's trick work. said Dick, chuc-
king with delight at being completely
understood. Il couldn't resist one little
bit of sheer sWagger. It's French
CONTINUED IN NEXT ISSUE.