Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-02-06
The Fighting
Chance. s ssi ;;;i ::
Copyright, by Curtis Publishing. COMPANY.
by w.
BY -.
ROBERT w.
CHAMBERS.
Copyright 1905. by tho Curtis Publishing Company.
Copyright 1906. by Robert W. Cnambcrs

you re nOl kOlIIk any WuSlc, Dut {" uAuh
always goes to his club. You don't
look we'll, stephen You are too much
alone"
Siward did not answer. His face and
body had certainly grown thinner
since, Fleetwood had last seen him.
Plank, too had been shocked at the
change in hint the dark, hard lines I'M
der the eyes; the pallor. the curious
imnlobility Of the man, save for his
fingers. which were always restless,
now moving In search OF some small
object to worry and turn over and
over, now nervously settling into
grasp on the arm Of his chair
How is Amalgamated ElectricT
asked Fleetwood abruptly.
81 think it's all right Want to buy
some" replied Siward, smiling.
Plank stirred in his chair ponder
ously. Somebody is kicking 1t to
pieces" he said.
"somebody is trying to-" smiled ST.
ward
Harrington" nodded Fleetwood. ST.
ward nodded back Plank was silent
'Of course" continued Fleetwood
tentatively. you people need not wor-
ry with Howard Quarter back of
You"
Nobody said anything for awhile.
Presently Siward's restless hands,
moving In search of something, en-.
countered pencil lying ON the table
beside him. and he picked 1t up and
began rawing initials and scrolls on
the margin Of a newspaper, and all the
scrolls framed initials. and all the
initials were the same. twining and
twisting into endless variations of the
letters s. L.
Eyes, must go to the office tomor-
row." he repeated absently 81 am
better-in fact, am quite well except
for this sprain" He looked down at
his bandaged foot: then his pencil NOV
ed listlessly again, continuing the end
less variations on the two letters. 1t
was plain that he was tired.
| Fleetwood rose and made his adieus
! almost afrectionately. Plank moved
forward on tiptoe. bulky and noiseless,
and Siward held out his hand, saying
something amiably formal.
would you like to have me come
sgain?" asked Plank, red with embar-
rassment. yet SO naively that at first
siward found no words to answer him;
then:
would you care to come, Mr..
I'lnnk?"
Yes
Siward looked at him curiously. nj
most cautiously His first Impressions
Of the man had been summed up In
I one contemptuous word Besides. bar
ring that, what was there in common
between himself and such type as
Plank? He had not even troubled
himself to avoid him at Shotover. He
had mere.y been aware Of him wher
Plank spoke to him.
Perhaps Plank had changed, perhaps
,5iward had, for he found nothing Of
fensive in the bulky young man now
nothing particularly attractive. either.
except for a certain simplicity, GER
tain direct candor in the heavy blue
eyes which met his squarely.
"Come in for cigar when you have
a few moments idle" said Siward
slowly.
ut will give me great pleasure"
said Plank, bowling.
And that was ALL He followed Fleet
wood down the stairs. Wands held
their coats and bowed them out into
the falling shadows of the winter twi-
light
Siward, sitting beside his window,
watched them enter their hanson and
drive away up the avenue. A dull
flush had settled over his cheeks, the
aroma of spirits hung in the air, and
he looked across the room ut the de-
canter. Presently he drank some of
his tea, but it was lukewarm, and he
pushed the cup from him.
"Gumble, are you there?' he asked
carelessly.
The butler entered from the hall
way. Eyes. sir"
"You may leave that decanter"
But the old servant may have mis-
understood, for he only bowed and
ambled of downstairs with the de-
canter, either needless or deaf to his
masters sharp order to return.
Lamplight brought out sharply the
physical change in Siward-the angu
lar shadows fat under the cheek bones
the hard, slightly swollen flesh in the
blush shadows around the eyes. The
mark of the master vice was there
its stamp in the swollen, worn out hol
lows; its imprint in the fine lines al
the corners Of his mouth; its sign
manual in the faintest relaxation OF
the under lip, which had not yet be
come lOoSeness.
For the last Of the Siwards had al
last stepped into the highway which
his doomed forebears had travelled be
J fore him.
"Gumblew he called irritably.
A quavering voice, an unsteady step
and the old man entered again. "Mr
Stephen, STRIP