The Red Cloud chief., 1906-12-21
The MaSQuerader
Continued from Page Three.)

himself. lie glanced down the crowd
ed, lighted house to the big glass
doors; he glanced about him at his col
leagues, Indifferent or interested; then
surreptitiously his fingers strayed to
his waistcoat pocket.
Usually he carried his morphla tab
loids with him, but today by a lapse
of memory he had left them at home.
lie knew this, nevertheless he contin-
ued to search, while the need Of the
drug rushed through him with a sense
of physical sickness. He lost hold on
the business Of the house: unconscious
ly he half rose from his seat.
The MAJ next him looked up. Hold
your ground, Chilcote." he said. Ray
forth Is drying up"
With a wave of relief Chilcote drop
ped back into his place. Whatever the
confusion in his mind II was evident
ly not obvious In his face.
Rayforth resumed his seat, there was
the usual slight stir and pause; then
Salett. the member for Salchester. rose.
With Salett's first words Chilcote's
hand again sought his pocket, and
again his eyes straycd toward the
doors, but Fraide's erect head and STIFF
back just in front of him held him
quiet. With IN effort he pulled out
his notes and smoothed them nervous
ly; but, though his gaze was fixed on
the pages, not q line of Bl~essington's
clear writing reached his mind. lie
I,,.an - A.. ra-. - Al -t
then at the faces on the treasury
bench, then once more he leaned back
in his seat.
The man beside him saw the move
ment. "Funking the dry dock" he
whispered jcstingly.
"No"-Chilcote turned to him sud
denly-"but | feel beastly-have felt
beastly for weeks"
The other looked at him more close
ly. Anything wrong?' he asked. 1t
was a novel experience to be confided
in by Chilcote.
"Oh, it's the grind-the Internal
grind" AS he said II 1t seemed to
him suddenly that his strength gave
way. He forgot his companion, his
position, everything except the urgent
instinct that filed mind and body.
Scarcely knowing what he did he rose
and leaned forward to whisper in
Fraide's ear.
Fraide was seen to turn, his thin
face interested and concerned, then he
was seen to nod once or twice In ac-
Quiescence. and a moment later Chill
cote stepped quietly out of his place.
One or two men spoke to him as he
hurried from the house, but he shook
them off almost unclvilly, and. making
Tor the nearest exit. hailed q cab.
The drive to Grosvenor square was a
misery. Time after time he changed
from II corner Of the cab to the other.
lis acure internal pains prolonged by
every delay and increased by every
motion. At last, weak In all his limbs,
he stepped from the vehicle ut his own
door.
Entering the house, he instantly
mounted the stairs and passed to his
W rooms. Opening the bedroom
door, he peered in cautiously. then
pushed the door wide. The light had
been switched on, but the room was
empty. With a nervous excitement
scarcely to he kept in check, he enter
ed. shut and locked the door, then NOV
ed to the wardrobe and, opening 1t,
drew the tube of tabloids from the
shelf.
His hand shook violently as he car
ried the tube to the table. The strain
Of the day, the anxiety of the past
hours, with their final failure, had
found sudden expression. Mixing a
larger dose than any he had before al
lowed himself, he swallowed it hastily
and, walking across the room, threw
himself, fully dressed, upon the bed.