The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1909-06-04
| Reuenge.
BY GUY THORN
Sweet i revenge, especially to a
woman."-Lond Byron.

His EOdy seemed suddenly light
ened. The buzzing in his ears in
creased to loud and almost musical
volume of sound, and he began to rise
rise.
1t was all green now, light, waving
green, and he was rushing upwards at
tremendous speed. Then, suddenly,
the commotion stopped. There was
great glare in his eyes. and the buz-
zing noise in his ears ceased, as
though it had been suddenly turned
off by tap, with the completeness of
turned-off gramophone.
Then quiet voice. which he
seemed to hear as from great dis
tance, began to talk, talk, talk, talk.
1t was like the voice heard at the
end of a telephone when one is on a
great trunk me and the speaker is a
hundred miles away. He lay idly lis
tening, and then, with the swiftness
of change of scene in theater, he
came back to full consciousness.
His head was lifted up, woman's
arm supported It, and a thin man in
spectacles was looking down upon
him. .~ ..,. ...
HE will do now," said the man.
Something was pressed to his lips
and in an odd, subjective way, though
with little personal sensation, he felt
the clinking of the rim Of the glass
against his teeth. Then he swallowed
something. What he could not have
told. but it seemed like liquid life.
His head was gently laid back upon
what he realized now was a pillow.
Where am I?' he said, with wide
eyes. .
The doctor answered with a pro-
nounced Irish accent. me dear sir"
he said, you were brought in late last
night, or, rather, early this morning"
Basil took in the words slowly and
with difficulty. It was as though they
had to percolate into his brain, one
by one, like drops of water passing
through the carbon Of filter. Then
he got the whole sentence, and it
blossomed Immediately from the sub
conscious into the conscious brain.
But why?" he said, weakly. What
has happened? I don't remember"
'T'd be very much surprised If you
did," said the doctor, chuckling.
A curious irritation suddenly came
to Basil-a childish irritation. II do
not see that there is anything to
laugh at" he said.
The nurse patted him on the arm.
: 1T is all right. Capt. Marriott" the
doctor answered. 1T Is sll right. I
was not laughing at you Indade,
was laughing because my diagnosis
of you when you were brought in here
last night was thoroughly correct.
There Is no harm done to you at all.
And. besides, you are. in 4 measure.
my own special capture"
Basil began to feel better. Where
as before all the sense of Impressions
had been broken frequently. now he
began to take In the room In larger
eyefuls, and the voice came to his
ears with something Of the accus-
toned frequency of real life.
You say" he said, family. some
thing happened to me. Please tell
me-"
1T IL Just like this" the doctor re-
piled. "Some time after , o'clock last
night was coming back from a party.
It was party given by Mrs. Isaacs."
He stopped and looked keenly at the
patient.
"Why! was there!" Basil an
swered.
The doctor grinned. 'Sure. you are
all right, II you remember that. Well.
saw you there meself, though l was
not introduced to you. ou must have
left before me. I was walking home
to the hospital. and I turned into Pic
cadilly, q little way down, just cppo-
site . great big house. took the
number OF tit was 100a. came
across you. You were lying upon the
pavement. Your hat rolled into the
road. and you we're insensible. There
was nobody about at all-no police
man or anything. Though, looking
down towards Hyde Park corner,
saw some people moving and heard
some echo Of row.
II examined you, and found you
had been struck on the back of the
head, though the skin had not been
broken. There was a swelling at the
nape Of the neck. and I came to the
conclusion at once that you had been
sandbagged. You had not got
watch chain on, but I felt in your
waistcoat pocket and found your re-
peater was there all right. And there
was q heavy signet ring on your
finger and a sovereign purse at the
end Of steel chain, which you wore
in your trousers pocket, which was
full Of money. did what could to
bring you round, but found it was
and then, by good luck, l
saw . policeman coming along by
house, and I whistled to
him l stayed by you while he ran to
the hospital. and We got you in on an
There's the whole story.
Now, how do you feelr'
II feel Just AZ II three pianolas
we're playing inside my head 1t the
same time"
"Oh, you will feel that for several
hours" the doctor said, ''but there II
10 harm done. There II no concus-