The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1911-03-09

The speaker elbowed his way to
the door and passed out into the
NOISY streets. The rest followed
him, leaving the headquarters ST.
Ilent and deserted by all but the
Icaretaker.
In the carriage Haggin and the
|young man took the front seat,
carefully helping Bob to the other
He partly sat, partly reclined in
1.-THE corner, his head dropping
loosely forward until the chin al
|most rested on his chest, his eye
lids partly closed over the glitter
ling staring balls.
Sunday morning Norah Finn
had found him doing fitfully over
his desk. He had obeyed her COM
mands listlessly and gone to bed.
All day he had lain there alone
Having forbidden the others to
minister to him-tossing restless
ly from side to side, trying to fall
lasleep. But pains in his abdo-
men and back and head had eff
lfectually warded off sleep. Wild,
disconnected thoughts had coursed
|tumultuously through his mind.
Detached scenes from his life
seeming sinister enough, some of
them-had flashed before him. In
the evening Kathleen had firmly
defied his orders and had called
a doctor. The latter, after a
short examination, had declared
that his patient was in for an at
tack of typhoid fever.
Through that night Bob slept
but little. And by that time he
was glad to be awake; for when
he slept, horrible, racking dreams
Itormented him. He chafed over
the interminable night, longing
for daylight to come and dispel the
sense of unreality that hung OPP
lpressively over him. When the
doctor came late next morning, he
found his patient out of bed and
laboriously dressing. The doctor
protested, calling it utter madness.
Bob grimly continued his prepara-
| lions to go downstairs. The doc
tor made as if to use force to put
him back into bed. Bob sudden
| ly turned on him, his eyes gleam-
ing holly and his lips drawn back
lwolfishly, and snarled,
| you get out of here, dye see?"
He drew back his arm as if to
lstrike.
| The doctor, with a gesture of
despair, ceased to protest, warn
ling Bob, however, of the danger
Iof going out-a warning that was
lunheeded. But when the sick
imam started downstairs, he could
hardly realize that he was himself,
$50 weak and unsteady were his
great limbs. Yielding perforce so
much to his illness, he telephoned
for a carriage to take him to his
office. For most of the day he
sat there, going over and over the
details of the morrow's plans. He
had need of all his will power, too,
to keep his mind fixed on the
work before him. At last, late in
the afternoon, he discovered some
matter which he thought needed
correction, a trifling detail but one
which in his morbid mental con-
dition he exaggerated into fatal
proportions. He went down to his
Icarriage and was borne to the
headquarters.
There the news of Pauls de-
lection had greeted him. AS his
eyes had fallen on the glazing red
headlines, all the strength of will
that had supported his tired, ach-
ing body through the day and ex-
ercised uncertain control over his
mind, had suddenly given way.
Now he sat in his carriage, pas
Isively yielding to his sickness, his
body swaying Imply as the vehicle
bumped over rough places in the
streets, strange, jumbled fancies
racing madly through his mind.
Haggin and the young man
leaned forward anxiously, ready
to catch Bob if the jolting of the
carriage should throw him off bal
ance. When they were half way
home, Haggin ordered the driver
to stop.
"Git out" he commanded the
young man, "an' phone fer a
doctor to be at his house-quick,
|see?"
When the carriage resumed it's
journey, the old saloon-keeper
took seat beside Bob and awk-
wardly put steadying arm around
his liege's shoulders. He noticed
that Bob's lips were moving.
What is it," Haggin inquired,
bending over. 81 can't hear We,
Bob. Can't we speak louder?"
Bob's eyes opened slowly. He
stared at his companion unrecog-
Inizingly. He began to mutter.
Haggin could catch only snatches
of it. Delirium had gripped Bob.
60 It's the face of the
little newsie, l can't get it out of
my sight. They'll beat
me in the end. The
miracle won't come, Kathleen.
Beaten by woman.
l. I'll get out of your way,
tell you. / have moth
ing to say. You've said
it all, Paul. You've
said it all. ="
Haggin blasphemed tearfully to
the driver. Cant you drive
faster?"
When the carriage stopped be-
fore Bob's house, neighbors at