Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1908-03-10
The Fighting
Chance. g % + /. v.
Va A n ~SA "A S~~~e CHAMBERS.
Copyright by tho urtis
Copyrgh w. Chambers
CHAPTER
TWELVE
~ IWARD at his desk, over which
the May sunshine streamed, his
clutches laid against his chair,
: ~ Ill sNf

the May sunshine streamed, his
clutches laid against his chair,
49, sat porting over the piles of pa
pers left there by Beverly Plank some
days before with curt recommends
ton that he master their contents
The curious persistence of youth in
his features seemed unaccountable in
view of the heavy marks imprinted
there. In every movement, every
turn of his head, there still remained
much of that indefinable attractive
ness which had always characterized
his race-much of the unconscious
charm usually known as breeding.
In men of Mortimer's fiber dissipa-
tion produced coarser symptoms--dls-
tended veins and sagging fesh-where
In Siward it seemed 10 bruise and
harden, driving the color of blood out
of him and leaving the pallor Of mar
Bile and the blush shadows of it
staining the hollows. Only the eyes
had begun to change radically; some
thing in thesl had been quenched.
That he could never hope to become
immune he had learned at last when
be had returned physically whole
some, from his long course Of training
under II famous Irish specialist on the
Hudson
He had been a fool. He had mag
lined that he could control himself and
practice the moderation that other
men practiced when they chose. Tbe
puerile restraint annoyed him: his i'm
piaed inability to master himself hu-
inflated him, the more so because Sc
cretly he was horribly afraid in the
remote depths of his heart.
EXACTLY how 1t happened he did not
remember except that he had gone
downtown on business and had lunch
I'D with several men, There was
selaret Later he Iemen Tered another
cafe farther uptown and another
more brilliantly lighted. Gumble had
found him again, this time In the area,
and this time the same ankle not yet
strong. had been broken.
Through the waning winter days as
he lay brooding in bitterness, realiz-
ing that 1t was all to do over again,
Plank's shy visits became gradually
part of the routine. But it was many
days before Siward perceived In the
big. numbering, pink listed man any
thing to attract him beyond the faint
ly amused curiosity of one man for
another who is in process of estab-
fishing himself as the first of race.
AS for reciprocation in other forms
except the most superficial or of per
uniting personal note to sound ever
so discreetly. Siward tolerated nc
such idea. Even the tentative ad
vances Of Plank limiting on willing
ness and perhaps ability to help 81
ward In the Amalgamated tangle Were
pleasantly ignored. Unpaid services
rendered by men like Plank were i'm
possible; any obligation to Plank was
utterly out of the question. Mean
while they began to like one another
at least Siward often found himseli
looking forward with pleasure to {
visit from Plank. There had never
been any question of the latters at
stitude toward Siward.
Plank began to frequent the house
but never informally. 1t Is doubtful
whether he could have practiced in
formality In that house event at 81
wards invitation.
One very bad night Plank came t
the house and was admitted by Gum
Bile. Wands. the second man, stoo'
behind the aged butler. Goth wer
apparently frightened.
That something was amiss appeare,
plainly enough, and Plank, instructive
az producing a card. dropped it on
table and turned to go, 1t may hav
been that the old butler recognized tn
innate delicacy of the motive or
may have been a sudden confidenc
born of the necessities of the case, 70
he asked Plank to see his young mas
ter.
1t was a bad night outside, and
was a bad night for Siward. The mas
ter vice had him by the throat. Ii
sat there clutching the arms of hi
chair. his broken leg in its plaste
casing extended in front of him. an
when be saw Plank enter he glared 8
him
Hour after hour the two men So
there. the one white with rage. bu
helpless; the other stolid. inert, deaf
demands for intercession with the arc
vice, dumb under pIeadings for a con
promise He refused to interfere wit
the butler, and Siward insulted hin
Ee refused TO go and find the decaI
tiers himself, and Siward deliberatel
cursed him.
Once toward morning Siward feigl
ed sleep, and Plank, heavy head on h
breast feigned it too. Then Siwar
bent over stealthily and opened
drawer in his desk, and Plank was c
his feet like a fash. jerking the mo
phine from Siward's fingers
The doctor arrived at daylight, r
spending TO Plank's summons by tel
phone, and Plank went away with Il
morphine and Slward's revolver bull
ing In the side pockets of his dinn'
coat