The Washington herald., 1913-06-08


the rest were phantasmagoric.
But as he proceeded downtown the
spell was beginning to break. People
were communicating with one another
by means of pencil and paper. Darrow
was amused, on crossing the park, to
see against the lighted windows on
Newspaper Row the silhouetted forms
of activity. Evidently, the newspaper
men were already at work on this fresh
story.
Near the corner of the park Darrow
saw standing a policeman of his varied
acquaintance. The scientist walked up
10 this man, who was standing IN the
typical vacant uncertainty, smiled agree.
ably, clapped him on the back, and
shook his hand. The patrolman grasped
Darrow's hand, but the look OF cropping
uncertainty deepened on his face.
Darrow slipped his note book from
his pocket and scrubbed few lines,
which he showed the officer. The lat
ter read, inwardly digested for mo-
ment, and smiled.
Keep your hair on ran Darrow's
screed This will pass in few mill
utes, and it won't hurt you, anyway:
Don't look like all these other dubs.
He stood there companionably by
the patrolman. They looked about
them. All at once, with this touch OF
normal. unafraid, human companion
ship, the weird horror of the situation
fell away. Darrow and his companion
were seeing humanity disJolnted from
its accustomed habit, as one loks on a
stage full of men hypnotized into belief
of an absurdity.
Where the plotting out of electricity
had been tragic, this, as soon as its
utter harmlessness was realized, be-
came comic. All about through the
park men were meeting the situation
according to the limited ideas devel-
oped by a crustacean life of absolute
dependence on the shell OF artificial en-
vironment 4 considerable number OF
all sorts had fallen on their knees and
were praying One fat man IN even
ing dress, with silk hat and large
diamond stud showing between the
lapels of a fur-lined coat, was par
ticularly fervent By force of habit
Darrow remarked on this individual.
I'll bet he hasn't been to church
since he was a kid" he observed, OF
course, inaudibly.
The policeman caught the direction
of his look, however, and grinned with
understanding.
Some stood frozen to one spot, their
faces agonized, as a man would stand
still were the earth likely to yawn
anywhere. Darrow would have liked
TO reassure these, for their eyes ex-
pressed a frantic terror. One red
faced individual with white side-whisk-
ers, looking exactly like the comic
paper caricatures of the trusts, had
evidently refused to accept any ar
bitrary dictates of natural forces. Prob
ably he had never accepted any dc
tates of any kind. He was going from
one taxicab to another, trying to COM
mand a driver to take him somewhere,
talking vehemently and authorltatIvely,
his face getting more and more pur-
pie with anger. The taxicab drivers
merely stared at him stupidity.
That old boys kept his nerve" OAR
row remarked, OF course, inaudibly, to
his companion. But he'll die of
apoplexy if he doesn't watch out"
Again the policeman caught he di-
rection of Darrow 5 glance, and
grinned in understanding. He reached
his huge gloved hand for the young
mans pencil and paper, on which he
wrote the name of a man high in rail-
road circles, and grinned again with
evident relish
At this moment an entirely self-pos-
sessed young man swung across the
street. He surveyed the two men
sharply a moment, then approached,
producing sheaf of yellow paper as
he did so.
Prof. Darrow," he wrote.
barrow nodded.
The young man pointed to himself,
then to the Dispatch Building.
"Cause?' he wrote, and waved his
hand.
barrow shook his head.
The reporter was about to add an
other question, when Darrow reached
for the paper. 1t was thrust eagerly
into his hand. Darrow consulted his
watch.
If he wrote, you will wait here
four minutes, I'll give you an inter
vitw."
The reporter read this, and nodded.
YOU'RE on!'' he added to the writ
ten dialogue. Then he produced a
cigarette, lighted it, and joined the
other two men in their amused survey
of the public's performances.
During the four minutes that ensued
Darrow examined the reporter specu-
latively. Finally his eye lighted up
with recollection.