The evening world., 1913-07-03

to save him the bother Of stopping 1t
the bank on his way uptown; drew his
personal check for the right amount
and left II with q memorandum under
the paper-weight on Drunmond'S desk;
put q match to . shredded pile of per-
sonai correspondence In the fireplace.
and caught . train from the Grand
Central at one-three.
Not until the cars were IN motion ala
he experience any sense OF security from
Peter starh
He had been apprehensive until that
moment Of some unanucipated move on
the part Of his friend; Peter was capa-
ole Of wide but sure casts OF intuition
on occasions. especially where his affsc.
tons were touched.
But now Whitaker felt free-frse 70
abandon himself to meditativs despair.
and he did SO, ~ he did most things,
thoroughly. He plunged headlong into
an everlasting black pit Of terror.
He considered the world through the
eyes Of . man sick unto death. ana
found II without health
Behind him lay his home, Q city with
out q heart, q place OF pointing nngers
and poisoned tongues.
Before him the brief path Of fear that
he must tread. his broken. sword-wia
span ieaping out over the abyssl
He was anything but . patient man
at all times. and anything but sane In
that dark hour.
Cold horror crawled in his brain like
. delirium-a horror OF himself. Of bis
morbid nesh-of that moriound body I'M
at to sheath the clean IRE of life.
The thought Of struggling to keep AMI
mate that corrupt self. tainted by the
breath Of death. was invinc!oly terrible
to him.
All sense Of human obligation disap-
peared from his cosmos: remained only
the biting hunger for eternal peace. rest,
freedom from the bondage Of existence.
Al about 4 o'clock the train stopped
to drop the dining car.
Wholly swayed by blind impulse.
whitaker got UP. took his handbag ana
left tho car.
On the station platform he found him.
self pelted by q pouring rain. He had
left town In q sodden drizzle. dull and
dismal enough In all conscience; here
was q downpour out Of sky three
shades lighter than india ink. 1t was
steadfast. grim rain that sluiced the
streets 40 with q gigantic nre nose
trimming the CUTTERS with boiling
muddy torrenta
The last to leave the train. he found
himself without . choice Of convey
ances; but one remained at the edge OF
the platform. an aged and decepit four
wheeler. whose patriarchal driver upon
the box might have been Death himself
masquerading In dripping black oilskinA
To Whitaker's inquiry. he recon-
mendsd 'th' C'mercial House."
Whitaker agreed. and imprisoned him.
self In the body OF the vehicle. sitting
on stained and faded threadbars cush-
ions In company with two distinct odors
of dank and musty upholstery and
stale tuberoses. As II rocked and
crawled away Its blind windows wept
unceasipgly. and increasingly the rain
drummsd the long roll on Its roof.
In time It stopped before q rambling
structure whose weather boarded facade.
white with taking paint. bore the leg.
end, Commercial House"
Whitaker paid his fare. and. unassist-
ed. carried his handbag up the steps
and across the rain-swept veranda into
q dim. cavernous hall whose walls were
lined with cane-seated armchairs pune
tuateA Q. every second chair BY Q com.
modious brown-nbrs cuspidor.
A cubicls fenced on In one corner
formed the once proper. for the time
being untenanted.
There was indeed no one In sight but
. dejscted bsllboy. innocent Of any sort
Of livery.
on demand he accommoda tinsiy Dis.
sntanEled himself from . chair. cigar
cite and . paper-backed novel, and
wandered of down a corridor. avowsdly
to unearth the boss
Whitaker waited beside the dssk-s
Saunt weary man. hag-ridden by fear.
There was In his mind . desolats pic.
ture OF the room upstairs whom he-his
soul. the imperlshabls essence Of him.
self-Should have finished with II
At his elbow lay the reglstr alton book.
. fresh page neatly headed with 4 date
In red Ink.
An absence Of entities beneath the
date line seemed to indicate that he was
the first arrival Of the day.
Near the book was small wooden
corral neatly partitioned into stalls
wherein were herded an inkwell. TOOTH
picks, matches. some stationery and
severely by itself-a grim-looking raw
potato Of 0certain age. splotched with
ank and wearing like horns two impaled
penholderA
LAboriously prying loose one Of the
pens. he started to register; but two
thirds OF his name was all he entered
When 1t came to "Whitaker" his per
paused and passed on down "Philadel'
phia" In the residence column.
The thought came to him that he mus.
be careful to oblitersts the LAUNDRY
marks from his clothing.
In his own good time ne clerk ap'
peared-a surly. heavy-eyed. loutisb
creature In clothing that suggested M
had been grievously misled by p!ctursi
In the advertising pages Of magazines.
Whitaker neted. with senssless irrtta'
ton. that he wore his hair long ovss
one eye. his mouth ajar, his trousers
high enough to disclose bony. purple
ankles.
His welcome 70 the incoming Suss
was comprised In an indifferent nod u
their eyes met and Q subsequent glanc,
ct the register. which seemed unae
countably 10 moderate his apathy.
M. 1orton-uhf' be inquired.
Naitakee pod6al Without WoglA