The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1914-07-26

nome. AS he buzzed his horn outside the
garage the door was opened by Ne Marin
chauffeur with a telegram In his hand
The chauffeur's wife was sick and ha
wanted a couple of days leave OF ab,-rce,
Harry granted 1t Instantly. That evening
he made no mention OF either the chauf.
feur's absence or his trip to the field
Pauline thought she was teasing Harry
by saying nothing of her plans. She was
sure he was eaten up with curiosity to
know the result OF her visit and admired
his ability. as she thought. to conceal 1t.
owen spent a nervous evening He
walked out soon after dinner and from q
drugstore telephone booth called up q
friend in the insurance business. To the
secretary's surprise and disappointment
he learned that the percentage OF acct.
dents to aviators had become compare
lively small. Passengers were particu-
larry fortunate. The friend even agreed
to obtain accident insurance for any one
at a reasonable premium.
II aeroplanes had become reasonably
safe the chance OF Pauine's being killed
during the fight ON the following day was
insignificant. He must give up his hope of
wealth from the permanent control of her
estate. AS the evening wore on Owen be.
gan to feel how he had unconsciously re-
lied on this hope He doubled his even.
ing dose OF morphine, but It neither
soothed his disappointment nor brought
him sleep
Hour after hour, during the night his
sleepless eyes seemed to see that loose
wire which the mechanic had explained to
be so vitality important. He could see In
Imagination the machine flying off into the
clouds with Pauline In It, He could see 1t
suddenly waver, dip and plunge to the
earth In his minds eye he saw himself
rushing to the wreck, lifting out the girls
crushed form, wildly calling for a doctor,
and exulting all the time that she was
beyond human aid.
Then came sharp. clear visions OF him.
self In permanent charge Of Pauline's
great fortune. II took no Imagination TO
think of himself as rapidly becoming rich.
Well he knew that even the most honest
os executors and trustees Of such vast
funds invariably became mysteriously
wealthy. These delightful mind pictures
were periodically interrupted by the plain
blank facts-Pauline would doubtless re.
turn TO earth as safe as she left 1t, and he
would remain Just what he was, a man
with debts bad nerves and a drug habit.
Over and over he saw that wire. some
times tight, sometimes loose That wire
alone lay between him and all that would
make life worth while 10 could not re-
member when he had taken so much NOR
phia with so little effect About 2 o'clock
he fell into a doze. and in that doze came
one of his vivid opium dreams,
Owen beheld Hicks enter his bedroom.
II was not Hicks. the hlachmailer, but
Hicks, the counsellor. who had told owen
how he might become rich. Hicks was
III L.. ~
voice very different from his usual tones,
He spoke In a sort of shells or husks OF
words. The consonants we're there. but
the novels were lacking. Yet he heard as
plainly as II the red-faced man had shouted
Hicks advised him TO be man, to snow
courage for once, to risk something, and
then reap the reward forever afterward.
Take your motorcycle, ride to the ava
tioa Geld before daylight, file that wire
half through, and fate VIII take care OF
the rest"
hut owen lacked tho nerve. He feared
that he would be seen sneaking onto the
field at night or at daybreak. Hicks re-
piled that the field was deserted at this
our owen then insisted that the aero
plane would be guarded. and even IL II
were not locked IN its hangar the first resp
Of a ale on the wire would cali the atten
.
much, Owen could not do 1t. Instead, he
made a counter suggestion that Hicks
should undertake the task since hO was
so certain of its success. For his part the
secretary agreed to divide all that the
estate might be made to yield him.
HicEq's reply was surprising. Owen, Ike
everybody else, had seen many strange.
things In Dreams but never had he known
Of any character In dream admitting or
oven suggesting that he was dream.
Yet this was Just what Hicks did
81 would. Owen. I would do il In a
minute II were talking to you. But this
isn't me at all, I'm only a dream. in real
ity I'm sound asleep In a hotel on upper
Broadway, where | am dreaming that
am talking 20 you. Tomorrow morning
IN remember enough OF this dream TO
make me go down to the aviation field
with sort OF premonition that Pauline Is
going TO be killed In an aeroplane'
How did you know about that wire and
that she is going TO ny tomorrow" asked
Owen.
Il don't know that" said the phantom
Hicks frankly In his empty voice. There
Is a third party in this and don't know
who he is or much about him, except that
he Ia not a liv being. He seems TO be
somebody from the past. a priest OF some
old religion | ought to have studied about
when was AZ school ! don't know what
lis motive IN. out he ia with us. He wants
her killed for some reason. He brought
this dream OF me to you so | could explain
"vou needn't worry about the man on
guard ovo- the aeroplanes. That man
mt Naha -. no matter now much noise