The searchlight., 1912-04-12

back on him. He sat up suddenly.
No. he had gone back on It! He had
gone back on himself. He had gone
back on Dede. She was right, a thou
sand times right, and she had sense
enough to know 1t. sense enough to
refuse to marry a money-slave with a
whisky-rotted carcass.
lie got out Of bed and looked at
himself In the long mirror on the
wardrobe door. He wasn't pretty. The
old-ime lean cheeks were gone. These
we're heavy, seeming to hang down by
their own weight. He looked for the
lines OF cruelty Dede had spoken of.
and he found them. and he found the
harshness In the eyes as well, the
eyes that were muddy now after all
the cocktails Of the night before. and
Of the months and years before. He
looked at the clearly defined pouches
that showed under his eyes, and they
shocked him. He rolled up the sleeve
of his pajamas. No wonder the ham
mer-thrower had put his hand down.
Those weren't muscles. A rising tide
Of fat had submerged them. He
stripped of the pajama coat. Again
he was shocked. this time by the bulk
Of his body. II wasn't pretty. The
lean stomach had become a paunch.
The rigid muscles OF chest and shoul-
ders and abdomen had broken down
into rolls OF flesh. And this was age.
Then there drifted across the field of
vision of his minds eye the old man
he had encountered at Glen Ellen.
coming up the hillside through the
fires OF sunset, whiteheaded and
white-bearded. eighty-four. In his hand
the pail OF foaming milk and In his
face all the warm glow and content
OF the passing summer day. That had
been age. Yes stree. eighty-four, and
spryer than most" he could hear the
old man say.
Next he remembered Ferguson. the
little man who had scuttled into the
road like a rabbit, the one-time man.
aging editor OF great newspaper.
who was content to live In the chapar.
raj along with his spring of mountain
water and his hand-reared and mani.
cured fruit trees. Ferguson had solved
a problem. A weakling and an alco-
holic. he had run away from the doc.
tors and the chicken-coop of a city.
and soaked up health like a thirsty
sponge. He sat down suddenly on the
bed. startled by the greatness Of the
idea that had come to him. He did
not sit long. His mind. working In its
customary way. like q steel trap. can.
vassed the idea In all its bearings. Il
was big-bigger than anything he had
faced before. And he faced 1t square
ly. picked 1t up In his two hands and
turned 1t over and around and looked
at It. The simplicity of 1t delighted
him. He chuckled over 1t. reached his
decision. and began to dress. Midway
In the dressing he stopped In order to
use the telephone.
| Dede was the first he called up.
Don't come to the office this morn
Ing" he said. I'm coming out to see
you for a moment"
He called up others. He ordered
his motor-car. To Jones he gave in
structions for the forwarding OF Bob
and Wolf to Glen Ellen. Hogan he
surprised by asking him to look up
the deed of the Glen Ellen ranch and
make out a new one In Dede Mason's
name. 'Who?" Hogan demanded.
"Dede Mason" Daylight replied i'm.
perturbably-"the' phone must be In
distinct this morning. De-d-e Mason.
Got it,"
Half an hour later he was flying out
to Berkeley. And for the first time
the big red car halted directly before
the house. Dede offered to receive
him In the parlor. but he shook his
head and nodded toward her rooms.
I'm there" he said. NO other place
would suit"
As the door closed. his arms went
out and around her. Then he stood
with his hands on her shoulders and
looking down into her face.
| CTO BE CoNTINUEDJ