The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1907-03-21
hand was Imply grasping the pillow,
while the other hung ont over. the side

i
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, lock Of hair had fallen
loose and lay black and damp across
his forehead.
Loder stood for space shocked and
spellbound by the sight Even in the
CHASTITY disarray the likeness-the ex-
| traordinary. sinister likeness that had
| become the pivot upon which he him
| self revolved-struck him like 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 horror.
Leaning over the bed, he caught the
shoulder nearest to him and shook it.
It 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 sensations-b at
| last, as the pressure on 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.
"Oh" he exclaimed in trembling
breath. "Ohv' The sound seemed
drawn from him by compulsion
Its uncanny tone chilled Loder anew
awake up, manv' he said suddenly.
awake up! It's I-Loder''
Again the other shuddered; then he
turned quickly and nervously. "Lo-
| der" he said doubtfully. "Loder?"
Then his face changed. "Good God,"
he exclaimed, "what reliefv'
The words were so intense, so spon-
| taneous and unexpected that Loder
took step back.
Chilcote laughed discordantly and
lifted shaky hand to protect his eyes
from the light.
"1t's-it's all right, Loder! It's all
right! It's only that THAT I had
| 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 irritability.
In silence Loder moved back to the
window and shut it. He was affected
more than he would own even 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! l dreamed
was in hell-a horrible hell, worse
than the one they preach about" He
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 own 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 nervously and his voice rose.
| ''Fancy being satiated beyond the linn
it of safety, being driven and logged
by the thing you had run after all your
lifev'
He paused excitedly, and in the
pause Loder found resolution. He shut
his ears to the panic in Chilcote's voice,
he closed his consciousness to the sight
Of his shaken face. With a surge of de-
termination he rallied his theories. Aft
er 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 rehabilitation, but there
was no guarantee that in an hour or
two he might not have regained con-
troll over himself and with it the incli-
nation that had prompted his letter Of
| the day before No: he had himself to
look to. The survival of the fittest was
the true, the only principle. Chilcote
had had intellect, education, opportu-
nifty, and Chilcote had deliberately cast
them aside. Fortifying himself in the
knowledge, he turned from the window
and moved slowly back to the bed.
'Look here" he began, you wrote
for me last night" His voice was hard.
He had come to fight
Chilcote glanced up quickly. His
mouth was drawn and there was new
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