The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-08-05
CHAPTER XVII CONTINUED

gaze. His eyes were twlnkllng. as
the eyes Of pix seem TO be. II you
look straight into It's face when Il
lifts It's snout from full trough
Presently no could contain the huge
volume OF his mlrth no longer. II
came roaring from him like a great
coarse torrent, shaking his vast bulk
and the chair sustained II. swelling
the veins In his face. resounding
through the silent room while the
walters literally stood aghast AZ
last he found breath 10 calculate:
We'll. I'll be good and-damnedl"
This gale ripped from the others
and whirled away their cloaks Of sur.
face-composuro. Naked. they suggest.
cd a lot Of rats In n trap-Dominick
ieorlng nc them and anticipating the
pleasure Of watching me torture them.
chokod back the surge Of repulslon
and said TO Rocbuck: Then where
shall | SITE"
Roebuck looked. almost wildly. TO
ward the foot OF the table. lie long.
ed 10 have me as far from him as
possible. Partridge At the foot Of
the table. cried out-in alarm:
Make room for the senator between
you and Mr.. Domlnick. Roebuck' lie
ought 10 be as near the head OF the
table as possible"
NO matter where Senator Sayler
sits. It's the head Of the table said
Roebuck. Ills commonplace cour'
tcsy indicated. not recovered self
control. but the cunning Of his ram.
nant instinct OF selfpresoryation-
that cunning which men 40 often OK.
hiblt In desperate straits. thereby
winning credit for cool courage.
Were a merry company" said !.
as We sat This. with a glance AZ
Domlnlck hcavlng Ia the subslding
storm 81 his mirth. My remark set
him on again. I glanced AZ his place
to see N he had abandoned his for.
mor inloIlble rule of total abstinence
There stood hts inyarlahle pot 81 tea.
Clearly. u was not drink that enabled
him 10 enjoy a situation which as u
seemed 90 me. was fully a. unaitrac.
tive % him as for bis fellows
Soon the door opened and IN strobe
Crunut: handsome picturesque. with
fls pose of dashlng. brave manhood
which alwayE got the crowds into a
mood Tor The frenzy bis aratory con
iurci Cronut seemed 10 mo 20 put
the climax upon this dcspicahle com
uany one % the great ora
tors o. the party. adorcd by the
people that but Tor overwhelming 81
poriorlty In the state. should never
have dared eject him from once Since
I elected him he had not spoken "a
me Domlnick looked az him. said
IN a voice that would have fared even
tho warm ashes Of manhood into a "a
rlous blaze: Go and shake hands
with Senator sayler. Crofiut. and sli
down"
Cronut advanced. smiling Il am
~ Tor my company" thought ! az
lct him clasp my hand
Better uit Gnnby's ghost out Of
that chair. Cronut." said D1mlnick. %
the ex-senator was seating himself
And In his animal cNubcranco 81 de-
lIght NJ his joke and AZ the whole
situation he clappcd Rocbuck on the
shoulder.
Roehuck shrank and WINGED. Nor
al humiliation he could shed a. m
rplatcd turrct sheds muskoi
balls But a physical humiliation. -
pccially with spectators. sank In and
sank deep. Instantly. alarmed lest
nomlnlok had seen and Understood. he
smiled and said. That's a vigorous
arm ~ yours. Mr.. Dominick"
"Not bad for a man Of 60" said
Dominick.
ate because 10 cat was a ncccs
aary part ~ my pose 90 absolut,
/ calmncss: but had 90 force dowr
the food. II seemed 10 mo 90 en-
body tho banquet there set bcfor'
my mental appetite I found I had
no stomach for that banquet Il
takes the coarse palate Of youth ol
the dopfavcd palate Of moro Dc
bauchcd manhood than mino 20 On
/ Joy such a feast Yet. less than {
/ year before. I had enjoyed. had De
/ lighted In. far loss strenuous con
/ test with these muuncera A. | sA
holding down my gorge and actin'
AZ II | we're az ease. suddenly won
dcrcd what Elizabeth Crosby woul,
think OF me II she could see. An,
then ! saw her. with n reality 81 I'm
aglning that startled melt was ~
II she were in the doorway: and he
eyes lifted 60 mine IN that slow
steady. searching gaze Of hers.
suppose II a soldier thrusting hiI
sabor into the bowels Of his enem!
on the battlefield we're suddenly Il
sec before him his mother or tn
good and gentle wife or daughtc
he loved. he would drop the saber an'
ny 10 hide himself like a murderer
So. !. overwhelmed. said 90 myself
Il cannot go onl Lot these wretche
wallow in their own yileness. shall
not wallow with them. I am NJ
swinohcrdi"
AZ was debating how n csoap'
and what one OF tho many other way
Of saving my friends and lieutenant
should adopt, Domlniok touched M
on the arm. "A word with you, sen
ator." said he
Ito glanced NJ the others az n h
we're debating whether he should or
der them from tho table while h
talked with me. II he had ordere'
| n they would havO gono. hut re-