Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-10-31

full visions. magnifying all his fears
and bringing him to an unspeakable
terror Of the days which must come
after. He had many ambitions yet to
achieve, great ideas which remained
ideas, mastery projects which must
bring him both fame and riches, but
he would have abandoned them all
this night II freedom mad been offered
him. Years ago, he remembered,
Boriskoff. the young miner, had earned
his hatred, he knew not why unless
1t were truth that men best hate
those who have served them best.
Tonight found that old hatred In
creased a thousand fold and shaping
itself III schemes which he would not
even whisper aloud. He had always
been looked upon as man of good
courage and that courage prompted
MIN to hundred mad notions-to
swift assassination or to slow intrigue
last Of all to self destruction should
his aims mtscarry He would kill him.
self and cheat them after all. Many
another In Petersburg had sacrificed
his life rather than suffer those years
Of torture which discovery brought
He knew that he would not shrink
even from the irrevocable If he were
driven far enough
A man may take such a resolution
as this and yet a great desire Of life
may remain to thwart it. Gessner
found himself debating the issues
more calmly as the night wore on, and
even asking himself If the presence
of a stranger in mis- house might be
SO intolerable as he had believed. He
had seen little Of Alban and that little
had not been to the young mans dis
advantage. If the youth were not all
that report had painted him, If the
amenities of the house should civilize
him and kindness win his favor, then
even he might be an advocate for
those to whom he owed such favors.
This new phase set Gessner thinking
more hopefully than at any time since
the beginning Of it. He rose from his
bed and turning on the lamps began
to recall all that the Pole mad demand
ed of him. The terms of the COM
pact were not SO very unreasonable,
surely. he argued. Let this young
Kennedy consent to remain at Five
| Gables" and he, Richard Gossner,
would answer for the rest. But would
ne consent to remain-would that wild
|
| freedom and Its friendship? He know
not what to think. A great fear came
to him. not that the lad would remain
but that ne would go. Had it been at
a reasonable hour, he would have talk
ed to him there and then, for the
hours of that nignt were beyond all
words intolerable. He must see Ken
needy and convince him. In the end,
| L., ~ ~$ ~ he, mil
ted his own room and crossed the
landing, irresolute trembling hardly
knowing what ne did.
1t would have been about five o'clock
of the morning when he entered AL
bans room and discovered him to be
4 still sleeping. sound of heavy
breathing followed by restless move
ment had deceived MIN and he knock
ed upon the door gently, quite ex'
pecttng to be answered When no
reply came, he ventured in as one
who would not willingly pry upon an.
other but is compelled thereto by
curiosity. The room itself should have
been In darkness, but Alban had delib
erately drawn the heavy curtains
back from the windows before he slept
in the house. A lusty figure of shape
ly youth. handsome face which the
finger of the world mad touched al
ready. these the light revealed. He
slept upon his back. his head turned
toward the light, his arm outstretched
and almost touching the floor.
Gessner stood very still, afraid
to wake the sleeper and by him to be
thus discovered. No good nationalist
at any time, he had always admired
that product Of hard-drinking, hard
fighting ancestry, the British boy; and
In Alban it seemed to MIN that he dis
covered an excellent type. Undoubted
ly the lad was both handsome and
strong. For his brains. Silas Geary
would answer, and he had given evi
dence of good wit in their brief en-
counter last night. Gessner drew q
step nearer and asked himself If the
detectives reports were true. Was
this the friend of vagabonds, the com
panion of sluts-this clean-limbed
virile fellow with the fair face and
the flaXen curls and the head of 6
thinker and sage? A Judge of mer
himslf, he said that the words were
a lie, and then he remembered Boris
koff's account, the story of father
who had died to serve an East Emo
Mission. and Of a devoted mother
worsted in her youth by those gather
Ing hosts of poverty she mad set out
SO bravely to combat. Could the sor
of such as these be all that swift
espionage would have him? Gessnel
did not believe it. New hopes, as
upon great freshet of content. came
to hi INTO give him comfort. He had NJ
son. Let this lad be the son whom
he had desired SO ardently. Let then
1 live together, work together in {
mutual affection of gratitude ant
knowledge. Who could prevail agains
such an alliance? What rancor O
Boriskoff's would harm the lad he de
sired to be the husband of hi
daughter Aye, and this was thu
supreme consolation-tha if Alba1
would consent. he. Gessner, would 81
earn his devotion and his love tina
therein ne might arm himself agains
all the world.
But would he consent? How if thi
old habit of, change asserted itself ant
took him back to the depths? Gessne
breathed quickly when ne remembers