Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1913-06-20

let the chance slip
The next morning my. feeling Of
remorse was worse / took my place
at my machine and looked about me.
He was absent. An hour passed and
still he did not come. Two hours.
Three. Things blurred before me-
Something had happened to take him
away Now, as never had felt be-
fore, there. came the cnnviction that
this man was not Henderson, that he
did not live at Labaddie, but that he
was Clayton Rogers, the man. was
hunting. and that his place was in a
penitentiary for theft. went to the
foreman
had an engagement with Mr.
Henderson. He was going to show me
something about the work He is not
here. Is he liz, / asked.
Drew his time this morning down
stairs, the foreman answered. He's
gone
'Gone?' The words went through
my brain like fire. Then he had I'M
derstood last night had let some
word drop that gave him the hint.
Perhaps he had heard from his
mother, he had received the informa-
ton OF the old sweetheart who had
sought him at the homeland he
knew. | walked dazedly back to my
machine and looked at its Whirring
belt. Then took on my apron.
"'T am leaving. / told the foreman
Give me my time.''
happened to look into the face Of
Alice Clement just then. / saw that
in her memory she was suffering all
that she had suffered at that moment
in the bindery. saw before me a
woman whose brain was keen enough
to suffer even in retrospection, and
whose sensibilities were Of that finely
attuned strain that re-lives pain and
sorrow, happiness and JOY, again and
again. She was speaking.
There was chance left. / had
learned his address at least. A car
was coming to stop at the opposite
corner and ran for it. Twenty min
utes later was walking through the
dark hall Of a rooming house to where
the landlady said Mr.. Henderson had
his room. knocked on the door
There was no answer. / knocked
again. There came from the inside
the tread, tread of mans footsteps.
/ believed I heard voice, as though
someone was talking to himself.
ceased knocking. put my ear to the
keyhole and listened:
".And, by God. III kill him first!'
TT was Henderson's voice. brutal,
tense. What was wrong. did not
know. One thing I realized, that
something had happened, that now or
never the truth would come out, that
| if this man was Clayton Rogers now
was the time when / would learn it,
and that action must be swift. He
might be drunk, he might be crazed
with drugs. There was no time for
me to get assistance; | must work
and work fast / turned the knob of
the door. 1t did not yield I pulled
a skeleton key from my bag and in
serted it in the lock. felt the bolt
shift. A tremble ran through me as
reached for my revolver and hid it
| in fold of my dress. Then, with a
hurried push, I sent the door flying
open.
"A mad man faced me. Eyes wide
and staring, hair umkempt, mouth low
drawn and shaking, the man whom
sought stood before me. He had not
slept, that was evident His hands
shook. In one trembling claw he held
a revolver. He started forward as
entered, the revolver half raised into
the air, then recoiled.
YOU! he half screamed.
You!
Il stood facing him. tried to speak.
| / failed. The sight of the wreck OF
the man before me seemed to have
taken my voice. He laid the revolver
on the table, and springing toward me,
seized me by a wrist.
"sWhat are you doing here?' he
asked wildly. Answer me! What are
you doing here?
"'You were not at work. answered
as hastily as / could wondered
what had become of you-they said
you had left had a right to know
after what you said last night
| HE broke away from me with a
Sob
eyes, last night he groaned
/ Last night!
Il approached him.
"ssWhat has happened?' begged
Cant you tell me what it is that is
weighing on you? Can't you trust
me?'
'"The eyes that stared into mine
/ seemed CLASSY.
"sTell your he asked duly. Tell
/ you? The one person wanted to
keep it from? The one person
/ He broke off in wild laugh. felt my
heart leap. Then he was Clayton
Rogers! 1t was the time for me to
play my game and play it hard.
! rushed toward him.
JIM Il called to him in the name