Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-03

dare not oppose, he raised the revolver and
dropped it on the table.
"Now, YOU BEAST" The icy quiet of the
voice broke: the redhot lava of a mighty
fury seemed to pour kissing across it. A
thousand whipcords of passion were flashing
this mans soul Sir Bedivere growled and
barred his teeth.
Involuntarily Maida's clasped hands COW
cred her eyes, They fell at the weird, un-
cannv sound, neither brute nor human, that
was not from the dog. With that half
snarl, half scream, Philip Lassard crumpled
up weakly and fell at Strong's feet.
Instantly he was bending over him, the
primitive man sunk in the scientist. He
looked up at her almost humbly. Forgive
me-" he begged. 81 lost myself. But he
shot glance up at that sinister hole in the
wall, and then back to the beautiful head of
tenselv. My Call Mani he broke off
bruskly. 1--WE must get him to bed" His
face was set to impassivity, and the mouth
was one hard line No further whirlwinds
would shake the storm centers into out
break.
Indeed, as he went deity about the work
in hand Mazda watched him with growing
wonder. Gravely quiet, yet keenly alert, of
rapid resources and curt SentenceS-waS this
the man who Verify, she must have
dreamed it all. But this figure on the bed,
this grotesque counterfeit of the dashing
Young cavalier who had won the romantic
girl of her, was no dream. She noted the
unkempt, long hair, the pallid, pasty skin,
the dull, blank eyes. Then her gaze travelled
to the arm hanging inert, punctured with
those myriad blue marks that told their
own degrading tale. A sick revulslon seized
her, and she chung to the bedpost for sup
port, trembling with curious mixture of
pity and nausea. She thought herself unno-
ticed: but almost with his back to her DIR.
Strong spoke.
you can do nothing, he said. GO get
some rest.
She pushed back the hair from her fore
head with trembling fingers. "Rest!' she
laughed unsteadily. "How could one rest
"But YOU mustl- He lifted the arm hang
ing over the bed presently he will-not
be quiet like this. 1t will be no fit place for
you. Nam, take her and put her to bed!
See that she goes. Then you come back to
me- He let the arm fall and began busying
himself with his medicine case. 1t was final
ity itself
With an absurdly childish feeling, Mazda
suffered the old woman to lead her from the
room.
Lett alone, the QOCCOr SCOOu gazing uOWn
at the PROSTATE man. presently he will
rouse and demand his DOPE he muttered;
"he will clamor for cocaine thing. 1t
will be a nauseating business. And this
fend is her husband. Even the angels in
Heaven might doubt Omnipotence! 4And,
of surety he remarked grimly, later, mo
Jehovah had a hand in this. 1t must have
been the devil himself who arranged the
sorry vaudeville. His Majesty's jests are in
damnably poor taste
TT was the hour of three in the morning.
The wretched creature on the bed had
ceased his revilings his cursings, his whim-
perings. Such utter vileness had run
through some of the blasphemies that the
soul of Stephen Strong had been physically
sickened within him. And yet she, one of
the most delicately nodded of Gods handi-
work. had been conSorted with this thing!
He understood to the ,,tterrnOSt 1Oathe1y de.