Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-04-04


hand wss Imply grasping the pillow.
while the other hung out over the side
of the bed. His face, pale, almost
earthly in hue, might have been a mask
save for the slight convulsive spasms
that crossed it from time to time and
correspondent with the faint. shivering
| starts that passed at intervals over his
whole body. To complete his repellent
appearance, a lock of hair had fallen
loose and lay black and damp across
his forehead.
Loder stood for a space shocked and
spellbound by the sight. Even in the
CHASTITY disarray the likeness-the ex-
t%raordinary, sinister likeness that had
become the pivot upon which he him
self revolved-struck him like a blow.
The man who lay there was himself.
bound to him by some subtle, inexplic-
able tie of similarity. AS the idea
touched him he turned aside and step
ped quickly to the dressing table.
There, with unnecessary energy, he
flung back the curtains and threw the
window wide. Then again he turned
toward the bed. He had one dominant
impulse, to waken Chilcote, to be free
Of the repulsive, inert presence that
chilled him with so personal a horror.
Leaning over the bed, he caught the
/ shoulder nearest to him and shook 1t.
1t was not the moment for niceties,
and his gesture was rough.
At his first touch Chilcote made no
~response-his brain, dulled by indul-
gence in his vice, had become a lag
gard in conveying s~ensations-but at
last, as the pressure OF his shoulder
increased, his nervous system seemed
suddenly to jar into consciousness. A
long shudder shook him; he half lifted
himself and then dropped back upon
the pillow.
ooh" he exclaimed In a trembling
breath. oh" The sound seemed
drawn from him by compulsion.
Its uncanny tone chilled Loder anew.
Wake up. man" he said suddenly.
Wake up. It's I-Loder."
Again the other shuddered; then he
turned quickly and %nervously. 10
der?" lie said do%ubtfully. "LoderY'
4uell Ills lace CuuuSeu. HOOu HOu,
he exclaimed, what a relief"
The words We're so intense. SO spon-
taneous and unexpected that Loder
took a step back.
] Chilcote laughed discordantly and
lifted Il shaky hand to protect his eyes
. from the light.
Insists all right, Loder! It's all
right! It's only that THAT l 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 a
weak touch of his old ir%ritability.
In silence Loder moved back to the
window and shut it. He was affected
more than he would own aver 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
unseeingly at the roofs of the opposite
houses.
But Chilcote had followed his move
ments reStlessly. and now as he watch
ed him a flicker of excitement crossed
his face. God, Loder," he said again,
"'twas a relief to see you! | dreamed
I was in hell-a horrible hell. worse
laughed to reassure himself. but his
voice shook pitiably.
Loder, who had come to fight, stood
silent and inert.
ut was horrible-beastly," Chilcote
Went on. There was no fire and brim.
stone, but there was something worse
1t was a great ironic scheme Of pun,
ishment by which every man was
chained to his Owl 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
shivered n%ervously and his voice rose
Fancy being satiated beyond the linn
it of safety, being driven and dogget
by the thing you had run after all YOU
life!"
He paused eXcitedly, and in the
pause Loder found resolution. He shu
his ears to the panic in Chilcote's voice
he closed his consciousness to the sigh
Of his shaken face. With a surge of de
termination he rallied his theories. Aft
err all, he had himself and his own in
terests to claim his thought. At the mo
ment Chilcote was a wreck, with no de
sire toward reha Utilization, but ther,
was no guarantee that in an hour O
two he might not have regained con
troll over himself and with it the incl
nation that had prompted his letter o
the day before. No; he had himself t
look to. The survival of the fttest wa
the true, the only principle. Chilcot
had had intellect, education, opportu
nifty, and Chilcote had deliberately cas-
them aside. Fortifying himself in tn
> knowledge, he turned from the window
and moved slowly back to the bed.
Look here" be began, you wrot
J for me last night" His voice was hare
he had come to fight.
Chilcote glanced up quickly. Hi!
mouth was drawn and there was a ney
anxiety in his eyes. "Loder" he ey