The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-07-31
CHAPTER TX.

CHAPTER TX.
The lark will make her hymn to God,
The partridge call her brood,
While l forget the heath l trod,
The fields wherein l stood.
IT'S dule to know not night from morn,
But deeper dule to know
1 can but hear the hunters horn
That once used to blow.
THE Only Son.
RT was the third day after Torpen-
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
orr" said Dick.
"Yes, if he has been as good man
as you"
''Then l 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
Der for two days-if l ever was drunk
and I've done no work. Don't keep
me back any more. 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 Tm-when I'm
moderately screwed. as you say. Give
me three more sittings from Bessie and
all the stuff l want, and the picture.
will be done. l can't kill myself in
three days 1t only means q touch of
D. T. at the worst"
"If l give you three days more, will
you promise me to stop work and
the other thing. whether the pictures
finished or not?"
'I can't. You don't know what that
picture means to me. But surely you
could get the Niighai to help you, and
knock me down and Re me up. l
shouldn't fight for the whls-.~. hnt |
should for the work"
go on, then. 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 III his eyes. The Mel
ancolia was nearly finished and was
ali or nearly all that he hoped she
would be. Dick TESTED with Bessie,
who reminded him that he was "a
drunken beast" But the reproof did
not move him.
"You can't understand, Bess. We are
in sight of land now, and soon we sha:.
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! l 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
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-
tons among the dockyards. He did
not care to see Dick till the picture
was finished.
"He's doing first class work." ne said
to the Nilghai, land 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 Wen
carry him off from this place and let
him breathe clean air. Poor Dick! j
don't envy you, Torp. when his eyes
fall
Yes, it will be a case OF God help
the man who's chained to our Davie.'
The worst is that we don't know when
1t 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"
Hes at perfect liberty to grin if he
can. Hes dead. That's poor consola-
ton now"
In the afternoon of the third day
Torpenhow heard Dick calling for him.
"All finishedp' he shouted. 1--we done
1t. Come in! Isn't she a beauty? Isn't
she a darling? I've been down to hell
to get her, but isn't she worth it?'
Torpenhow looked at the head of a
woman and laughed-a full Tipped, hol-
low eyed woman who laughed from
out of the canvas>as Dick had intended
she should.
''Who 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 insolence!' Unconsciously he
threw back his bad ana 4augned with
her. "She's seen the game played on:
i don't think she had a good time Of
it-and now she doesn't care. Isn't that
the ideaY'
Exactly"
where 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? l did it. Alone I
did it, and it's the best can do" He
drew his breath sharply and whis-
pered: s'Just God! What could not
do ten years hence if can do this