El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-05-07
Continued from Yesterday.
A NarrafiDe of Metropolitan Lii
Copyright, 1910. by c. W. Dillingham; CO.

you've said to me, 1 still think too
much of you for that" Replacing the
pistol in the drawer, he added: Alicia,
II you desert me now, you'll be sorry
to the day OF your death"
His visitor looked at him In silence
Then, contemptuously. she said:
Il don't believe you intend to carry
out your threat. I should have known
from the first that your object was to
brighten me. The pistol display was
highly theatrical, but it was only a
bluff. You've no more idea of taking
your life than l have of taking mine
l was foolish to come here l might
have spared myself the humiliation Of
this clandestine interview. Good
night"
She went toward the door Under
wood made no attempt to follow her
In hard, strange voice, which he
scarcely recognized as his own, he
merely said:
is that all you have to say?"
YES" replied Alicia, as she turned
at the door Let it be thoroughly IN
derstood that your presence at my
house is not desired. If you force
yourself upon me in any way, you
must take the consequences"
Underwood bowed, and was silent.
She did not see the deathly pallor Of
his face Opening the door of the
apartment which led to the hall, she
again turned
Tell me, before l go-you didn't
mean what you said in your letter, did.
you?"
I'll tell you nothing" replied Un-
derwood doggedly.
She tossed her head scornfully
81 don't believe that a man who is
coward enough TO write letter like
this has the courage to carry out his
threat" Stufing the letter back into
her bag, she added: Il should have
thrown 1t in the waste-paper basket,
but on second thoughts, l think III
keep it. Goodnight"
Goodnight" echoed Underwood
mechanically
He watched her go down the long
hallway and disappear in the elevator.
Then, shutting the door, he came
slowly back into the room and sat
down at his desk. For ten minutes he
sat there motionless, his head bent
forward, every limb relaxed. There
was deep silence, broken only by How
ards regular breathing and the loud
ticking of the clock
It's all up" he muttered to himself.
It's no use battling against the tide.
The strongest swimmer must go under
some time. I've played my last card
and I've lost. Death Is better than
going to Jail. What good Is life any
way without money? Just moments
nerve and it win all be over
Opening the drawer in the desk, he
took out the revolver again. He turned
it over in his hand and regarded fear
fully the polished surface of the in
strument that bridged life and death.
He had completely forgotten Towards
presence in the room. On the thresh-
old Of terrible deed, his thoughts
were leagues away. Like q man who
is drowning, and close to death, he
saw with surprising distnctness a
Kaleidoscope view of his past life. He
saw himself an innocent, impulsive
school boy, the pride of a devoted
mother, the happy home where he
spent his childhood. Then came the
association with bad companions, the
first step in wrongdoing, stealing out
of comrades pocket in school, the
death of his mother, leaving home
with downward progress until he grad
ually drifted into his present dishon-
est way Of living. What was the good
of regrets? He could not recall his
mother to life. He could never rehab-
ilitate himself among decent men and
women. The world had suddenly be-
come too small for him. He must go.
and quickly.
f1ngering the pistol nervously, he
sat before the mirror and placed it
against his temple. The cold steel
gave him a sudden shock. He won
dered if 1t would hurt, and if there
would be instant oblivion. The glare
of the electric light in the room dis
concerted him. 1t occurred to him
that 1t would be easier in the dark.
reaching out his arm, he turned the
electric button. and the room was i'm
medlately plunged into darkness, ex-
cept Tor the moonlight which entered
through the windows, imparting a
ghostly aspect to the scene. On the
other side of the room, behind the
screen, red glow from the open fire
fell on the sleeping form of Howard
Jeffries
Slowly, deliberately, Underwood
raised the pistol to his temple and