The Red Cloud chief., 1906-12-28

VIM uOH DDW bi'p tHt '''"D' |
on the candidate being a Chllcote. !
did what eight men out Of ten would
have done. | yielded to pressure"
.It was n fine o%pening..' The words
escaped Loder.
Most prisons have wide gates"
Chilcote laughed again unpleasantly.
"That was six years ago. | had started
on the morphia track four years earlier.
but up to my fathers death | had 1t un-
der my thumb, or believed | had, and
in the realization of my new response
bilitiCs and the excitement of the po-
litical fight | almost put 1t aside. For
several months after | entered parlia-
mcnt | worked. / believe l made one
| speech that marked me as Il coming
man." He laughed derisively. Il even
married.
"Married?"
"Yes--a girl OF nineteen. the ward
of n great politician. 1t was a brilliant
marriage, politically as well as socially,
but IL didn't work. l was born without
the capacity for love. First the social
life palled on me, then my work grew
irksome. There was only one factor to
make life endurable-morphia. Before
six months were out l had fully admit
ted that"
But your wife?"
"Oh, my wife knew nothing knows
nothing. 1t is the political business,
the beastly routine Of the political life,
that is wearing me out" He stopped
~nervously, then hurried on again. 81
tell you it's hard to see the same faces,
to sit in the same seat day in, day out,
knowing all the time that you must
hold yourself in hand, must keep your
grip on the reins'-
1T is always possible to apply for
the Chiltern Hundreds"
"To retire? Possible to retire!'
Chilcote broke into "A loud, sarcastic
laugh. You don't know what the To-
cal pressure of u place like WarB
stands for. Twenty times l have been
within an ace Of chucking the whole
thing. Once last year wrote private
!, ly to Vale, one of u big men there
and limited that my health was bad
Two hours after he had read my lettel
he was in my study. Had l been IL
Greenland the result would have beer
: the same. No; resignation is a mean
! ingless word to a mar like me-"
Loder looked down. 81 see," he salt
slowly: II see."
"Then you see everythlng-the Oil
Z ficulty, tho isolation Of the position
. Five years ago-three-even two year
', ago-I was able to endure 1t. Now
q gets more unbearable with ever
= month. The day Is bound to com
y when when he paused, hesitatin
e nervously--"when 1t will be PHYSICAL
u impossible for me to be at my post
u Loder remained silent.
'e physically impossible" Chilcote N
d peated excltedly. Until lately l wa
y able to caloulate-to count upon IN!
self to some e~xtent-but yesterday
S. received a shock-yesterday l disco
S. cred that-that'-again he hesitate
painfully that | have passed IL
h, stage when one may calculate"
lie The situation was growing more Ell
IS, barrassing. To hide its awkwardnes
r. Loder moved back to the crate al
IL TtlUlll tllc Alt, "llNh hau Wv 'N'
is Chilcote, still excited by his II
ne vehemence, followed him, taking up
lie position by the mantelpiece.
is "Well?" he Gaid, looking down.
]. Very slowly Loder rose from Il
task. "WellY' he reiterated.
"Have you nothing to say"
'' Nothing, except that your story
d unique and that / suppose / am fiji
nc tered by your confidence" His vol
N was Intentionally brusque.
CT Chilcote paid M attention to I
's' voice. Taking a step forward he IL
o his fingers on the lapel Of Loder's co
Die 81 have passed the stage where c
count upon myself" he said. land
want to count upon somebody else.
want to keep my place In the worl
eyes and yet be free
ro- Loder drew back involuntarily, C
raj tempt struggling with bewilderment
nv. his expression.
.rv Chilcote lifted his head. by an
traordinary chance" he said, you