Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-23

She made not half a dozen steps of the
stairs that led to the deck. and before half
mum was sinking in a lonely and desolate
manner through the abysmal floods of the
Atlantic ocean.
That's an end to the harm you'll do she
said to herself. without a grain Of pity.
But in spite of this brilliant victory, she
knew well that there must be many up
hill battles to fight before recovery could
be In sight-Walter Cochran had told her
that in letter she had received from him
just before she left England. He had
answered at once to her cable by another,
merely saying that he would cure
Thurso," and had written fully afterwards.
The letter ended thus: Il know that you
believe In the infinite and omnipotent
Mind, which is the sole and only cause of
all the world, and though your are not
member OF our church at present. yet
since you believe the Gospel on which every
cure that Christian Science has ever made
is based, begin treating him at once your
self. Combat In your mind every sign OF
error you see In him, and never be dis
couraged. OF course, good must triumph,
but when error is so firmly rooted IN
man 1T wants some pulling up; 1t won't
come away as a mere shallow-rooted weed
will. You will have to face apparent fail
ure again and again. but remember that
you always on the winning side"
The days that followed amply illustrated
this, and there were many hours when she
almost despaired. Every evil, erring mood
six months crammed into the days
of that voyage. Sometimes his will would
flicker in a little dim flame. that she
knew 1t was not yet quenched; but the
flame was feeble and the blackness that
surrounded 1t was dense One day he went
to the ships doctor, bringing with him the
prescription. which he knew by heart, and
had himself written out and signed with
Sir James Sanderson's name, asking him
to have it made up. The doctor read 1t.
Certainly, Lord Thurso," he said. II
will have it sent to your ca bin. 1t is rather
strong, you know. You will be careful how
you use it, 1t is to relieve pain. 1 sup
pose?"
Yes, I suffer from very bad neuralgia
headaches" said Thurso. THANK you very
much"
eXhlarated anticipation, when suddenly
the doctor, who was looking at the pre-
scription again, gave a little whistle, and
then called him. Thurso had hardly
Lord Thurso this Is rather odd he
said. But this prescription Is written on
the ships paper Is Sir James on board?"
Thurso made a furious gesture of impa-
tience.
"Oh, for Gods sake, give It mev' he
said. Il shall go mad without It. 1t was
Sir James prescription. II copied It,"
The doctor shook his head. for he saw
plainly enough now what he was dealing
with.
ut is quite impossible" he said. "I am
very sorry. vi course, IllS snail
go no further"
Thurso merely walked away; there was
nothing more to be said, and then suddenly
the little flicker OF will and Of outraged
self-respect began to shoot up again, and
he saw how mean 1t all was. He, Thurso,
had not only forged this, but he had been
caught at 1t; it had happened before, too
This powerlessness of his against his de-
sire was intolerable; his pride rebeled
against the hdeous strength of his weak
ness.
He leaned against the bulwarks of the
ship In despair at himself yet since for the
moment he was ashamed, since he wished
he was not such a despicable fellow, the de-
spair was not complete But perhaps it
would be better all round if he ceased to
struggle or to be at all. One moment of
bravery, one leap into those huge gray
monsters of waves that were making even
this leviathan of the seas sway and rock,
and It would all be over But he had not
he knew, even the courage for that. No
moral quality seemed to be left him; they
had all been transformed into this hideous
desire, cancer turns the wholesome
blood and living tissues into It's own putre-
flying growth. And what if that doctor told
some one? He had said that 1t should go
no further but who could resist so savory
a bit of scandal? Lord Thurso forging Sir
James Sanderson's name in order to get
laudanum to which he was slave, That
would make a fine headline, If tastefully
arranged for some New York paper
Or, again he would rail at Maud. laying
tongue to any bitter falsehood that he could
invent or he would sit in mere idle despair
which she found harder to endure, without
suffering herself to despair also, than any
thing else. 1t was all error. it was the I'M
real the mortal, the non-existent part of
him that suffered; but 1t was very hard to
cling to the truth of that, as to the Rock
of Ages and not let the sea of error wash
her away.
But after this not very brilliant attempt
to get laudanum from the ships doctor
do no n a
tion and now and then there were little
riffs in that storm of error that was so
dark and gray above him. He told Maud,
for instance, about the forged prescription,
a thing which was hard for him to do and
more than once, also, when for hour
perhaps he had sat inventing bitter things