The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-22
a means Of evil, but, he had the trained


ton. Gordon thought joyfully that
Aaron had left the balky mare, and
had returned, but it was not So, He
had heard nothing except the pulsa-
lions Of the blood in his own over
wrought brain. .s. - ~ s.
He wondered if he were really going
mad, altho all the time his mind was
lem which had been forced upon it.
Should any power for evil be allowed
to exist upon the earth If mortal man
had strength to stamp it .out! Sup
pose that was a poisonous snake out
there, and not man. What was out
there was worse than any snake. Cor
don reasoned as the, first man in Eden
may have reasoned; and he did not
know whether his reasoning were right
or wrong. Meantime, the danger in
was perfectly sure: he had no personal
motive for what he. might or might not
do. He had reached that pass when
he was himself, as far as he himself
was concerned, beyond hate of that man
outside. It was a principle for which
he argued. Should monster, some
thing abnormal in strength and SUBJ
tlety and Wickedness, something which
allowed to exist? Gordon argued that
it should not. He was driven to it by
years Of fruitless struggling against
this monstrous creation in the shape Of
man. He had seen such suffering be.
cause of him; his whole life had been
so turned and twisted this way and
that way because of him, that he him
self had in the end become abnormal,
and mentally askew, with the system Of
things: lie was conscious of it him
self. He, had been naturally a good,
simple, broad-visioned man, full Of
charity, with almost no subtlety. He
had been forced to lead life which
strained and diverted all these good
traits. Where he would have been open,
he had been secret. Where he would
have had no suspicion Of any one, his
first sight now seemed to be for Interior
motives: He weighed and measured
tered broadcast. He had been obliged
to compress his broad vision into mar
row window of detection. He was not
the man he had been. Where he had
gazed out of wide doors and windows
at life, he now gazed thru keyholes, and
despised himself for 50 doing. In order
to evade the trouble which had fallen
to his lot, he took refuge in another
personality. Thomas Gordon was man
whom happy and nntroqbled life
he himself always saw the tarnish, as
one sees q blur before the eye. Twenty
years before, if anyone had told him
that he would at any period of his life
become capable of standing and arguing
with himself as to the right or wrong
Of what was now in his mind, he would
have been incredulous. He had in
reality become another man. Circum-
stances had evolved him, during the
,of ,fxy 80
different, as persistent winds evolve
plant tree into another than it's typi-
cal shape. Gordon had lost his type.
As he stood at the window the room
grew cold. The hearth fire had died
down. He knew that the furnace need
ed attention, but he dared not quit
his post and his argument. He became
sure that the maid would not return
that night. He knew that Aaron was
sitting with his human obstinacy be-
hind the obstinate brute, somewhere on,
the road. He knew that James and
Clemency might at any moment drive
in, and he might rush out too late to
prevent murder and the kidnapping Of
the girl. He knew what the man was
there for. And he knew the one waV
to thwart him, but it was so horrible
way that it needed all this argument,
all this delay and nearing Of danger,
before he adopted it. ~
- The increasing cold of the room
seemed to act as a sort Of physical
goad toward action "By God, it is
right!' he muttered. Then he looked
at the dog crouching still with that
wiry intentness before the door, The
dog came. Of a good breed Of fighters.
He was in himself both weapon and
wielder of weapon. He was con-
centrated force. His white body was
knotted with nerves and muscles. The
chances were good if-Gordon pictured
it to himself-and again the horror and
doubt were over him. He himself had
acquired certain stiffness and lassi-
tude from years, and long drives in
one position. He would stand no
chance unarmed against bullet. But
the dog that was another matter. The
dog would make spring like the
spring of death itself, and that white
leap Of attack might easily cause the
aim to go wrong. It would be like
aiming at lightning. He knew how the
dog would gather himself together, all
ready for that terrible leap, the second
he opened the door,! He knew that he
,nSrhf ho oh1o n o,onx, 4Lo loo. e..