The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-01-17
CHAPTER XVIII.
such stuff as Dreams.

Dan was in his room at the hotel.
He woke and then slept again, Moth
ing seemed strange TO hin-nothing
seemed real. 1t was three o'clock in
the morning, the rumble Of Paris was
dull; 1t did not disturb him, for he
seemed without the body and 10 have
grown giantlike, and to fill the room.
lie had sense OF suffocation and the
need to break through the windows
and to escape into ether.
The entrance Of Poniotowsky's two
friends was a part with the unreal
naturalness. One was Roumanian,
the other a Frenchman-both spoke
fluent English. Dan, his eyes fixed on
the foreign faces. only half saw them;
they blurred, their voices were small
and far away, Finally he said:
"All right, all right, ! can shoot
we'll enough; this kind OF thing isn't
our custom, you lnow-l'd as soon kill
him one way as another, as a matter
OF fact. No. don't know a darned
soul here" There was a confab in
comprehensive to Dan. Its all one
to me, gentlemen" he said. I'D rath-
err not drag in my friends. Fix it up
10 suit yourselves"
He wanted them to go-to be alone
to stretch his arms, to rid himself
OF the burden Of sense and be free.
And after they had left, he remained
in his window till dawn. 1t came soon.
midsummer dawn, a singulnrly tender
morning In his heart His mind
worked with great rapldity. He had
made his will in the States. He
wished he could have left everything
to Lefty Lane, but II, as Ruggles said,
he was a pauper? Perhaps it wasn't
lie after all. Dan had written and
telegraphed Ruggles asking for the
solemn truth, and also telling him
where he was and asking the older
man TO come over. II Ruggles proved
he was poor, why, some of his bur-
den was gone. His money had been
a burden, he knew It now. He might
have no use for money the next day.
What good could It do him in u fix
like this? He was to meet Ponio-
towsky at FIVE o'clock In place whose
name he couldn't recall. He had seen
It advertised, though; people went
there for lunch.
They were to shoot at twenty-five
paces-he might be a Rockefeller or
e beggar for all the good his money
could do him in a pinch like this.
His father wouldn't approve, the
old man wouldn't approve, but he had
sent him here to learn the ways OF
the old world. A pickering smile
crossed his beautiful, set face. His les
sons hadn't done him much good; he
would IKE to have seen good old Cor.
don Galorey again; he loved him-he
had no use for Ruggles, no use-it
had been all his fault. His mind
reached out to his father, and the old
mans words came dinn!ng back:
Buy the things that stay above
ground, my boy" What were those
things? He had thought they were
passionate had thought they were
love, and he had put all on one wom'
an. She couldn't stand BY him, now
that he was poor,
The spasm In his heart was 90 sharp
that he made a low sound in his throat
and leaned against the casing OF the
window. He must Gee her, touch her
once more,
The fellows Ponlotowsky'a seconds
had chosen to be Dams representatives
came in to FAX him up" They were
IN trock coats and carried their silk
hats and their gloves, He could have
laughed at them. Then they made
him think Of undertakers, and his
blood grew cold. BE handled the re-
Yolyers With care ana INTEREST