Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1911-02-24


"You don't care for mel" she
cried
do you love me?" / reioined
Her eyes shifted. l waited for her
reply, and when It did come. | said:
Let us go to breakfast"
"Tl not go in just now" she an
swercd in a quiet tone, sudden and
strange shift from that of the mo-
ment before. And she let me take her
hand, echoing my good-by, and made
no further attempt to detaln me-
That was a gloomy breakfast de-
spite my efforts to make my own
seeming goud-humor permeate to the
others. Mrs. Ramsay hid a somber
face behind the coffee-urn; Ed ate fu-
riously, noisily, choking every now
and then, He drove me to the sta
ton; his whole body was probably as
damp from his emotions as were his
eyes and his big friendly hand. The
train got under way; | drew long
breath | was free.
But somehow freedom did not taste
as ] had anticipated. Though | re-
minded myself that | had acted as
any man with pride and self-respect
would have acted in such delicate
circumstances, and though knew that
Carlotta was no more in love with me
than | was with her this end of our
engagement seemed even more humil-
iatins to me than its beginning had
seemed. 1t was one more instance
of that wretched fatality which has
pursued me through life, which has
made every one of my triumphs come
to me in mourning robes and with a
gruesome face. In the glittering ar
ray Of prizes that tempts man to
make a beast and a fool of himself
in the gladatorial show called Life,
the sorriest, the most ironic, is the
grand prize, Victory
| The parlOr car was crowded; its
only untaken seat was in the smok-
ing conn artment. which had four 9TH
er occupants, deep in a game of
poker. Three of them were types of
commonplace, prosperous Americans:
the fourth could not be easily classed,
! and, therefore, interested me-espe-
cially as | was in the mood to well
| come anything that would crowd to
the background my far from agree
able thoughts.
The others called him Doe" or
Woodruff. AS they played, they
drank from TASKS produced by each
in turn. Doc drank with the others,
and deeper than any of them. They
talked more and more, he less and
| less, until finally he interrupted their
noisy volubility only when the game
conn olied. | saw that he was one
of those men upon whom amiable con-
yersation or liquor or any other relax
! ing force has the reverse of the usual
eject, Instead of relaxing, he drew
! himself together and concentrated
more Obstinately upon his game.
Luck, so far as the cards controlled
! it, was rather against him, and the
other three players took turns at au-
dacious and by no means unskfllfuI
! play, | was soon admiring the way
! he sized up and met each in turn.
| Prudence did not make him timid.
! He advanced and retreated, "bluffed"
and held aloof, with acuteness and
daring.
At station perhaps so miles from
| Chicago, the other three left-and Doc
| had $500 of their money.
| | dropped into the seat opposite him
it was by the window-and amused
myself watching him, while waiting
Tor a chance to talk to him; for |
Jaw that he was a superior person,
! 3D. in those days, when | was in
! conspicuous and so was not cOmpen-
! I'd constantly to be on guard, | never
Kissed chance to benefit by such
! exchanges of ideas.
| He was apparently about 40 years
! old, to strike a balance between the
| youth of eyes, mouth, and contour, and
! the age of deep lines and grayish,
| thinning hair, He had large, frank
| blue eyes, large nose a strong fore
| head and chin, a grossly selfindulgent
mouth-there was the weakness,
there, as usual Evidently, the
| strength of his mind and character
gave him went in pandering to phys
| lcal appetites. In confirmation of
| TINS, there was two curious marks on
nina nick in the rim of his left ear.
. souvenir of a bullet or a knife, and
a scar just under the edge of his
'nin t. the right. When he com
press I'd his lips, this scar, not es-
| Heclaly noticeable at other times
llted u2 into his face, became of a
H.ckly hluish white, and transformed
a careless, good-humored cynic into a
man Ct danger, a terror.
His reverie began, as | gathered
from lis unguarded face, in cynical
| amusement, probably at his triumph
>Her his friends 1t passed on to
stliI more agreeable things-some-
thing in the expression of the mouth
expressed thoughts of how he was 60
| ing to enjoy himself as he "blew in"
his winnings. Then his features
Swallowed darkened, and had my