Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-11-12

"It's-it , .4o-s-,!. It's all right! It's only that I-that had a beastly dream. But. for heavens sake. shut that window! He shivered in- voluntarily and pushed the lock of damp hair from his forehead with weak touch of his old irritability.
 In silence Loder moved back to the window and shut 1t. He was affected more than he would own even to him self by the obvious change in Chilcote. He had seen him moody, restless, nerv- ously excited, but never before had he seen; him entirely demoralized. With a dull feeling of impotence and disgust he stood by the closed window, looking unseelngly at the roofs of the opposite houses.
 But Chilcote had followed his move ments restlessly, and now as he watch cd him flicker of excitement crossed his face God, Loder," he said again, twas g relief to see you! dreamed I was in hell-a horrible hell, worse than the one they preach about" He laughed to reassure himself, but his voice shook pitiably.
 Loder, who had come to fight, stood silent and inert.
 Tt was horrible -beastly," Chilcote went on. There was no fire and brim- stone. but there was something worse. It was great ironic scheme of pun ishment by which every man was chained to his own vice-by which the thing he had gone to pieces over, in stead of being denied him, was made compulsory. You can't imagine it." He shfvered nervously and his voice rose. .sFancy being satiated beyond the Him. 1t of satiety. being driven and dogged by the thing you had run after all your Mer
 He paused excitedly, and In the pause Loder found resolution. He shut his ears to the panic in Chilcote's voice. he closed his consciousness to the sight of his shaken face. With surge of de termination he rallied his theories. Aft or all. he had himself and his own in- terests to claim his thought. At the mo- ment Chilcote was wreck, with no de sire toward abilitation, but there was no guarantee that in an hour or two he might not have regained con- trol over himself and with 1t the incli- nation that had prompted his letter of the day before. No; he had himself to look to. The survival of the Attest was the true, the only principle. Chilcote had had intellect, education, opportu- nity, and Chilcote had deliberately cast them aside. Fortifying himself in the knowledge, he turned from the window and moved slowly back to the bed.
 Look here," he began, you wrote for me last night" His voice was hard He had come to fight.
 Chilcote glanced up quickly. His mouth was drawn and there was new anxiety in his eyes. "Loder!" he ex- claimed quickly. "Loder, come here! Come nearer!'
 Reluctantly Loder obeyed. Stepping closer to the side of the bed, he bent down. <,
 The other put up his hand and caught his arm. His fingers trembled and jerk cd. T say, Loder," he said suddenly, "I--Tve had such beastly night-my nerves. you know''-
 With a quick, involuntary disgust Loder drew back. Don't you think we might shove that aside?" he asked
 But Chilcote's gaze had wandered from his face and strayed to the dress ing table; there it moved feverishly from one object to another.
 "Loder." he exclaimed, do you see --can you see if there's tube of tab loids on the msntelshe!f o5 on the dressing tablef' He lifted himself nervously on his elbow, and his eyes wandered uneasily about the room. .I T had q beastly night: my nerves are horribly jared. and I though:--l l think"- He stopped.
 With his increasing consciousness his nervous collapse became more marked. Al the first moment of waking the re- lief os an unexpected presence had sur mounted everything else. but now. as one by one his faculties stirred. his .wretched condition became patent. With q new sense of perturbation Loder made his next attack.
 "Chilcote," he began sternly.
 But again Chilcote caught his arm, plucking at the coat sleeve. Where is it?' he said. ''Where is the tube of tabloids-the sedat.ve? Tm-rm oblig- ed to take something when my nerves 70 wrong" In his weakness and ner- vcus tremor he forgot that Lodcr was the sharer of his secret. Even in his extremity his fear of detection clung to him limply-the lies that had be- come second nature slipped from him without effort. Then suddenly fresh panic seized him. his fingers frightened spasmodically. his eyes ceased to rove about the room and settled on his companion's face. Can you see 1t. LoderT' he cried. II can't: the lights in my eyes. Can you see it? Can you see the tubeT' He lifted himself higher. an agony of apprehension in his face.
 Ioder pushed him hack upon the pillow He was striving hard to keep his ovn mind cool. to steer his own course s,raight through the chaos that confronted him ''Chilcote.- be began once more. you sent for me last night and I came the first thing this morn ing to tell you-- But there he stopped short