The Springfield herald., 1912-09-20
The COrrectOr of DestinieS
Being Tales of Randolph Mason as Related by
His Private Secretary, Courtand Parks
THE LAST CHECK
By Melville DAVIDSON Post
N1Md
Copyright by Edward j. clode


Louis Stevenson that one could have
10 sense of completer physical com
fort in this life than to escape from the
"Bastille of Civilization" and dine on
timed bologna and a cake OF chocolate
under the pines of Gevaudan. Where
God Keeps an open house. The aV-
erage dweller in New York, who could
hardly locate Gevaudan with an atlas,
will | think, be found skeptically dis
senting. He will cite. rather, the
comfortable state of one who takes
his steaming dinner at good hostelry
Let the table be set snugly by win
dow, let the night be dark and rainy.
let one warm and hungry look out at
the splashing street, the bedrabbled
passers, the huddled cabmen turning
their glistening backs to the wind. 1t
Is like sitting comfortably in AbnA
ham's bosom with good view of
Dives!
on such night OF April, had the
corner table at window in the Dres-
den looking oAt in the dripping ave-
hue, good dinner set over white
cloth, bottle cooling in tub of ice.
n cigar awaiting me on the servants
tray. hunger like n wood-chopper's
and certainty of exemption from the
rgor of the elements.
| had arrived happily at my coffee
with its thimble of brandy, when
servant came to say that carriage
was waiting for me at the door. re-
piled that | had ordered no carriage,
and began to cut the end of my cigar.
The man went away, but almost in
stantly returned. saying that some one
in a carriage wished to see me at
once. went to the door and the
porter took me under his umbrella to
the carriage. l had no Idea who de-
manded thus peremptorily to see me.
and my surprise was not greatly less
ened when Randolph Mason's voice
spoke to me out of the darkness of the
carriage. bidding me accompany him.
returned to the hotel, got my coat
and hat and sat down in the carriage
beside him, wondering what could be
his mission on this uncomfortable
night. 1t must be an unusual, high
ly important matter to take him up
town in this chilling rain, for 1t was
rare that Randolph Mason would
leave his house to see any man, no
matter of what Importance. His view
of men was that attributed academical |
ly to the law-an equality ideally ex- /
act: If ones affairs presented suit
able problem, the individual in 1t was
factor to be estimated and dealt |
with, but otherwise not to be consid-
cred. This voyaging in the night then |
meant first that the person involved |
could not go to Mason. 1t might be
some man behind a lock. some inno
cent person involved in another's
wrong doing who had been suddenly
seized and must be helped back to
his freedom. or else 1t was woman
In the meantime the carriage contin-
ued uptown. Randolph Mason was ST.
lently smoking a cigar, lying back in
his corner OF the seat, and followed
his example. 1t thus happened l took
no notice of our route. However, aft |
er perhaps an hour, the carriage
stopped and | observed that we we're
under the porte-cochere of one of the
new palaces on Riverside Drive.
The door vas thrown open and we
stepped down into the presence of a
liveried footman, who led us into the
house and removed our coats, and then
took us up flight of great stairs. On
the first landing we passed two nur-
ses in their white caps and aprons.
moment later we were ushered into
sitting-room off bedchamber. Be-
side a table man sat propped up in
an invalid chair. He was a huge bulk
OF a man, rather over six feet, | should
III Al. ,1.N,,r .lDr-
chest. thin gray hair and heavy.
puffy face. Nature had built him for
gigantic labors. Energy, strength, de-
cisive action sat in his big muscles;
but they We're dying now, like the
man. A mere loose, devitalized. pudgy
hulk remained of what was once
splendid animal The eye alone
seemed living. A brilliant, determined
brown eye, burning steady and clear
like a ships light. The last, unfailing
servant of an indomitable spirit max
ing ready to abandon its worthless
house.
The man nodded to Randolph Ma
son. For a moment he regarded me
with curious glance, then he nodded
likewise to me. The servant closed
Tue uOOl. ltdNllE tHt III Se VI bioht,
aud we sat down opposite the table be-
side the sick mar. With the light
of the lamp full In his face, / knew
him now. from his lithograph on va
rious bond issues. He was Richard
r Curtis, president of the Life Assur-
ance Company of North America. His
ghastly physical condition oppressed
me, he was so evidently intended for
all the vitalities of life and he was so
evidently dying. ! looked at Randolph
Mason. He sat scrutinizing the in
valid's face, with the sharp. steady
glance OF one taking stock of what
qualities yet remained vital. The help
less man awoke no sentiment in the
bosom of Randolph Mason; he re-
garded him as an engineer examines
his machine. tapping on its wheels !;
as the elephant of a circus does q
bridge, feeling it with his foot The
strength remaining to the sick man
was important, not as a measure OF
life but as n means to the solution OF
a difficulty
The invalid put out trembling
hand to a glass of some colored Liquid
IL nd a