The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-22
THE MINNEAPOLIS JOURNAL.

IS JOURNAL.
called then, and called as if he were
In 8; actual Ct fear:
bad.' 81. -se5.ss ~
!. "Not .very7'' H. b
""No, only I felt little twinge, and
thought I had better go to he'd. / am
quite comfortable now. I think I.shalI
g. ETC to sic sleep F. am sorry to I, leave you
"Th at s ri light" Called DC Gordon. His
voice rang harsh, in spite Of his effort :
to control it. Re threw his,aElm over
his eyes, and fairly CROPPED his way
back to his office, sitting his sobs.
When he was in, his Office he flung
himself into chair and bent his head
Whole frame Shook. . Oh my Go God -
he muttered: ssOh, my God!n He, did
whom his mother has commanded. not
to weep. Terrible emotion, fairly con-
vulsed him: He struggled with i
as with. a visible foe. At last he. sat
crept close to him and was nesting.
against him and whimpering. Gordon
patted his head. The dog licked his
hand. :,.~s. ~. .e;,.. s;
The sim pie, ignorant sympathy Of this
poor speechless thing nearly unnerved
the. man again, but he continued to-
smoke. He looked at the dog, whose
honest brown eyes were fixed upon him
with an almost uncanny understanding,
and reflected how the woman upstairs,
who was passing out of his life, had be
come in a few days so associated with
the animal, that after she was gone he
could never see him without pang. He
looked about the office, with whose be-
longings she was less associated than
with anything in the house, and it
seemed to him that everything even
passed, terrible sting Of reminiscence.
It seemed to him, ~as he looked about,
as if she were already gone. He was,
in fact, suffering as keenly in anticipa-
tion as he would in reality. The hor-
ror, the worst horror Of life, of being
left alive with the dead and the asso-
Citations of the dead was already upon
him. Some people are comforted by
such associations, others they rend. Cor
don was one whom they would rend,
whom they did rend. He made up his
mind, as he sat there, that he would
have to 20 away from Alton, and en-
ter new scenes for the healing of his
spirit, and yet he knew that he should
not go; that at last his courage would
assert itself.
He sat smoking, the dogs head on
his knee. There was not sound to be
heard in the house. Emma, the maid,
had gone away. to visit sick sister
She might not be back that night. So
there was absolute silence, even in the
kitchen. Suddenly the dog lifted his
head and listened to something which
Gordon could not himself hear. He
watched the dog curiously. The dog
gave low growl of fear and rage, and
made for the office door. He began
scratching at the threshold, and emitted
a perfect volley of barks. It did not
Gordon, with an impulse which he could
not understand, quickly put out the
prism fringed lamp which hung over his
table. Then he sprang to the dog, and
had: the dog by the collar. 'sBe still,
.lack,'' he said in a low voice, and the
dog obeyed instantly, altho he was
quivering. under his hand. Gordon
could feel the muscles run like angry
serpents under the smooth white hair,
he felt the crest of rage along his back.
But the animal was SO well trained that
he barked no more. He only growled
very softly, as if to himself and quiv-
cred. ~ >r,- .-~-. - -
Gordon ordered him to charge in a
whisper, and the dog stretched himself
at his feet, altho it was like the crouch
Of live wire. Then Gordon rose and
went softly to window beside the
door. The office had very heavy red
curtains It was impossible. since they
were closely drawn, that ray of light
from within should have been visible
outside. Gordon had reasoned it out
quickly when he extinguished the lamp.
Whoever was without would have had
no possible means Of knowing that any
thing except the dog was in. the office,
but the light once out, Gordon could
peep around the curtain and ascertain.
without being himself seen, What or
who was about. He had premonition
Of what he should see, and he saw it.
The stable door was almost directly
opposite that Of the office! Between
the two doors there was driveway.
On this driveway the only pale thing