The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1914-02-14
fashioned rusted ling.pistol.


The box had originally held two
pistols He shuddered as he stopped
to pick up the weapon, and with the
crawling repugnance mingled pang-
ing anger and humiliation. From his
very babyhood II had always been so
that unconquerable aversion to the
touch of firearm. There had been mo-
ments in his youth when this unrea-
soning shrinking had filled him with
blind fury. had driven him to strange
self-tests of courage He had never
been able to overcome it. Analyza-
ton had told him that his peculiar
adherence was no mere ortgrowth Of
this. 1t lay far deeper He had rare
ly, OF recent years met the test Now,
as he stood in these unaccustomed
surroundings, with the cold touch OF
the metal the old shuddering held
h...r, and the sweat broke in beads
on his forehead Setting his teeth
hard, he crossed the room. clipped the
box with its pistol between the vol
umes OF the bookcase, and returned to
his seat.
The bulldog. aroused from nap,
thrust warm mu2zle between his
knees. Its uncanny, Chum." he said.
as his hand caressed the velvety
head. why should the touch OF taat
fool thing chill my spine and make
my flesh tiptoe over my bones? Why
should hate pistol? Do you sup.
pose I was shot in one Of my previous
existences?" sa
For q long while he sat there. his
pipe dead, his eyes on the moon
lighted out-of-doors. The eery feel
Ing that had gripped him had gone as
quickly as 1t had come. At last he
rose. stretching himself with a great
boyish yawn, put out all save one OF
the candles and taking bath.robe,
sandals and huge fuzzy towel from
the steamer-trunk, stripped leisurely.
| He donned the bath-robe and sandals
and went out through the window to
the garden and down to where lay the
| little lake ruffling silverly under the
moon. On its brink he stopped, and
| tossing back HIS head, tried to iml
tate one of the brd-calls but was un-
successful With rueful laugh he
threw off the bath-robe and stood an
instant glistening, poised in the moon
light like marble faun, before he
dove, straight down out Of sight.
Five minutes later he pulled HIM
!
Cling with the chill of the water, and
threw the robe about his cool white
! shoulders. Then he thrust his feet
into his sandals and sped quickly
back. He rubbed himself to glow.
and blowing out the remaining can
die. stretched himself luxuriously be-
tween the warm blankets on tie
couch. The dog shifted inquiringly at
his hand, then leaped UP and snug.
! gled down close to his feet.
John valiant's thoughts had fled a
| thousand miles away, to the tall girl
| who all his life had seemed to stand
out from his world, aloof and unsur-
passed--Katharin Fargo. He tried to
1 nlCkuEt HEis pea lSNl NhatClusAct bidSC-
full and gracious as tall, white, splen-
| did lily, In this dead house that
seemed still to throb with living pas
sions. But the picture subtly eluded
him and he stirred uneasily under tho
blanket.
After time his hands stretched out
| to the reading.stand and drew the
glass with its vivid blossom nearer,
TILL in his nostrils, its musky odor
mingled with the dew-wet scent of
the honeysuckle from the garden. At
last his eyes closed Every man car
! ries his fate on rlbanA
shout his neck" he muttered drowsisF,
md then, Roses rsd
Suses
and so he fell asleep.
|