The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-05-31

fed to feel a sort of unnatural torpor comm,
over his senses; to discover the burning il
his cheeks, the dizziness in his head, thu
leaden immobility and monstrous size of hi
feet. He kept his wits about him, however
and managed to maintain severely sober
appearance on the long journey downtown.
The change to the train that would take
him to Bensonhurst, which he had looked
forward to with much trepidation, was safely
accomplished. In dazed way he congratu-
lated himself that his mother had ceased to
sit up for him when he went to call on Miss
Hildreth, and that he would be able to hide
his disgrace from her anxious eyes. So dizzy
and sleepy that he could hardly walk, he
made his way to his room, locked the door
and threw himself, without undressing, upon
his bed. For sometime sort of whir-
ring mechanism in his head kept him from
sleep. He seemed scarcely to have closed
his eyes when he was awakened by his
mothers voice calling him.
"All right" he answered, in voice that
sounded thick and unnatural in his own
ears.
you'll have to hurry if you want to catch
the GAS train, Jimmy" she called back. 81
didn't call you earlier because, goodness
knows, you need all the sleep you can get
l wouldn't disturb you now, but was afraid
you'd be disappointed if 1 didn't. Why
don't you stay at home to-day and get rested !?
Won't you let me bring you your breakfast
in bed?"
ooh, I'm all right, mother!" he assured
her. "Maybe I'll stay at home tomorrow.
I'll be up in jiffy"
After cold bath, which failed to remove
all of the dizziness and unnatural heaviness
of his head, he rumpled up the bed, as if it
had been slept in, and threw his paiamas,
as was his custom, over the foot. He man
aged to choke down some breakfast, more to
give color to his somewhat mendacious assur-
ances that he was all right than because he
wanted anything, and hurried to the station.
All the way to Manhattan various scraps of
ideas, most of them nonsensical, futtered
about in the void of his humping skull. He
tried, in sleepy, semi-determined way, to
stop their riot, but it was no use. One
phrase in particular danced about in his
head, foated before his eyes, and echoed in
his ears interminably. Once he even caught
himself murnuring it aloud: Thursday,
June the 2nd!" In spite of his physical
state the sound of this phrase gave him a
thrill of joy. He looked with weird delight
about the car, and smiled absently at the
vanishing back of a brakeman.
Even the jostling which the subway ad-
ministered to his sensitive head was not
sufficient to wholly eradicate this joy. In a
most contradictory manner he managed to
be, at the same time, very happy and very
miserable. He left the subway at Twenty
third Street, and started to 60 to his Office.
He had been occupying this Office less than a
week; and he barely saved himself, on his
way to it, from entering an old tobacco store,
where he had formerly had desk-room. The
clock pointed to ten-thirty when, weakened
and weary, but still with that remarkable
feeling of joyousness pervading him, he
entered his own domain. Mr.. J. Broughton
Boggs, his only solicitor, and Miss Matilda
Prout, his new stenographer, looked at him
inquiringly as with short Good morning"
he passed them on his way to the hat
room.
"Why, hello, Jimmy!" remarked Mr..
Boggs. Thought you'd got yourself mis-
placed! Say, you amt sick, are you? Nor
just seen ghost, nor nothing?"
"No," said Jimmy shortly.
"You look like you'd been putin in a
night of it," continued Mr.. Boggs, with
friendly concern. Been hittin' 'em up a
little, eh?"
Leonard's desk stood just in front of Mr..
Boggs's, sharing the light from the small
Offices single outside window. After allow
ing the manager to look over his mornings
correspondence for what seemed to him a
suitable length of time, Mr.. Boggs arose,
rested his arms comfortably on the top of his
roll-top desk, and addressed the back of his
employers head
81 say Jimmy" he remarked, in low,
soothing tone-for he felt that the manager
might be slightly titled" at the recent men
ton of "hittin' 'em up''-"Mr. Williams, of
Williams and Watson, you know, called up
on the phone, about an hour or so ago, and
said he wants to have that full-pager run in
the Star and the Call as soon as possible-you
know the one mean, the one they said we
could run any time in the latter part O. the
week."
He paused with an upward infection, for
the manager seemed not to have heard.
''That one from Williams" he repeated,
the full-pager. They don't want to wait
till the latter part of the week, like they said
at first Shall fix up the copy SOS we can
run 'er tomorrow"
Leonard did not answer. He sat very
straight in his chair, the angle of the back OF
his head indicating that he was looking out OF
the window
Mr.. Boggs coughed apologetically.
81 could fix it I'D in half an hour" he