The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1907-04-04

|I~1 UI Loder did not leave London,
|Ik and the hour of 2 on the day
IIuDI following his dismissal of
| - Chilcote found him again in his
sitting room.
| He sat at the center table surrounded
by cloud of smoke; a pipe was be-
tween his lips and the mornings
newspapers lay in a heap beside his
elbow. To the student of humanity
his attitude was intensely interesting.
It was the attitude Of a man tram
meled by the knowledge of his
strength. Before him as he sat smok-
ing stretched a future of absolute
nothingness and toward this blank fu-
ture one portion of his consciousness
a struggling and as yet scarcely SEN
tient. portion pushed him inevitably;
while anOther-a vigorous, persistent,
human portion-cried to him to pause.
So actual, so clamorous, was this silent
mental combat that had ragged unceas-
ingly since the moment of his renun-
citation that at last in physical response
to it he pushed back his chair. .
cts too late,' he said aloud. "Tm a
fool It's too late.'' \
Then abruptly, astonishingly, as
though in direct response to his spoken
thought, the door opened and Chilcote
walked into the room.
| Slowly Loder rose and stared at him.
The feeling he acknowledged to him
self was anger, but below the anger a
very different sensation ran riotously
strong. And it was in time to this Sec
ond feeling, this sudden, lawless joy,
that his pulses beat as he turned a cold
face on the intruder.
'Well?' he said sternly.
But Chilcote was impervious to stern
ness: He was mentally shaken and dis
tressed, though outwardly irreproacha-
BILE, even to the violets in the lapel Of
his coat-the violets that for week
! past had been brought each morning
to the door Of Loder's rooms by Ewes
maid. For one second, as Loder's eyes
rested on the flowers, a sting of ungov-
ernable jealousy shot through him;
then as suddenly it died away, super
seeded by another feeling-a feeling of
new, spontaneous JOY. Worn by Chill
cote or by himself, the flowers were a
symbol!
''WellT' he said again in a gentler
voice.
Chilcote had walked 70 the table and
laid down his hat. His face was white
and the muscles of his lips twitched
nervously as he drew off his gloves.
''Thank heaven, you're here! he said
shortly. "Give me something to drink"
In silence Loder brought out the
whisky and set it on the table; then in
stinctively he turned aside. AS plainly
as though he saw the action he men,
tally figured Chilcote's furtive glance,
the furtive movement Of his fingers to
his waistcoat pocket, the hasty drop
| ping of the tabloids into the glass.
For an instant the sense of his tacit
connivance came to him sharply; the
next, he flung it from him. The hui
man, inner voice was whispering it's
old watchword. The strong man has
no time to waste over his weaker
| brother!
When he heard Chilcote lay down his
tumbler he looked back again. "Well,
what is it?" he said "What have YOU
come for" He strove resolutely to
keep his voice severe but, try as he
might, he could not quite subdue the
eager force that lay behind his words.
once again, as on the night of their
second interchange, life had become
phoenix, rising to fresh existence even
while he sifted it's ashes. "Well?" he
said once again.
| Chilcote had set down his glass. He
was nervously passing his handker-
chief across his lips. There was some
! thing in the gesture that attracted Lo-
der. Looking at him more attentively,
he saw what his own feelings and the
others conventional dress had blinded
him to-the almost piteous panic and
excitement in his visitors eyes.
Something's gone wrong!" he said,
with abrupt intuition.
Chilcote started. "Yes-no-that is,
yes," he stammered
Loder moved around the table.
Something's gone wrong" he repeat
ed, "and you've come to tell me-
The tone unnerved Chilcote He sud-
denly dropped into a chair. "It-it
wasn't my faultv' he began. "I-I have
had horrible timer
Loder's lips frightened. "Yes," he
said, eyes, understand"
The other glanced up with a CLEAN
Of his old suspicion. "'Twas all my
nerves, Loder'-
"Of course. Yes, of course" Lo-
der's interruption was curt
!! Chilcote eyed him doubtfully. Then
recollection took the place of doubt,
and change passed over his express
sion. 1T wasn't my fault he began
hastily. "On my soul, it wasn't! It
+ was Crapham's beastly fault for show
ing her into the morning ROOM
.6r>. Leo ri =