The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-03-05
The Man Who Was Starving

" tuIuh vi duyOuc ucluS uuu5ly.
With deep-drawn sigh, he sat
down on the air Of chair.
You're right, though" he de-
clared in tone that sounded more
like challenge to an opposing argu-
ment than one of agreement. Bet
ter starve than beg
The hard line of Higgins mouth
curled, Again there rang in his ears
the parting words overheard on the
stairs. A swell who dined at clubs
could so easily talk OF the advant-
ages of starvation.
ut isn't so much what you like,
went on the artist vehemently. "The
danger is in forming a habit-of TAX
ing until you pauperize your man
hood"
The circumstances of their respec-
tive positions gave brutality to the
words falling like unnecessary blows
upon one whom the world had al
ready beaten down, and this time
it was with a kind of bitter salts
faction that Higgins turned to the
door.
Instantly the artist broke away
from his herolcs.
STOP" he said quietly. "I've
changed my mind. You can sit for
me after all"
He slowly rose and picked up
sheet of drawing paper from a lit
tered table.
I'm not feeling quite myself to-
day, but | can work a little while.
, Long enough to make rough char
coal sketch. One that will only take
about half an hour, so you needn't
expect to get more than your dime"
he concluded brusquely.
A strange glitter came into Hlg-
gins eyes as their glance rested upon
the wealth of beautiful canvasses
about him, and the scornful lips were
parting in resentful refusal when
suddenly there seemed Haunted un-
der his very nostrills fragrance Of
coffee, of soup, Of
"Id be obliged to you, sir" he
said cringingly.
Griffith posed him upon stool on
small platform and seated himself
at his easel.
For the first few minutes Higgins
sat looking down at the artist-dis-
dainfully smiling as he noticed the
trembling of the hand that sketched
and thought of old days when he had
welded sledge hammer for hours
without quiver of his strong wrist;
scowling furiously as he contrasted
his hard luck with this fellows good
fortune, his own failure In life
yawning deeper and blacker in the
limelight of the other mans success.
Then gradually his mind fell back
into the apathy that chronic dis
couragement had made a mental
habit, the unaccustomed heat OF the
room tapping all his senses in ris-
ing tide of drowsiness.
The time is up" said voice that
sounded faint and far away.
Higgins gave start; rubbed his
eyes; got down from the platform
stood waiting for his dime.
But the artist seemed exhausted
from plying so heavy an implement
as a bit OF charcoal. AS Higgins
stared duly at the dropping figure
still seated at the easel again his
thoughts sneered. He impatlently
shuffled his feet-coughed. The
artist did not heed.
My money sir" gruffly muttered
the model.
The artist did not reply.
With his eyes ablaze, Higgins
strode toward the easel
Then suddenly he caught himself
up, stood motionless, hypnotlzed by
the ghastly whiteness Of the face
sunk upon the artists breast; by the
new strange starkness Of the silken
mans form-by the horror OF silence
crowding round him In spite of the
lashing storm outside.
He wrenched his will free at last
and took quick steps toward the
door. Only his word against that
silence. They would run him in for
vagrancy, for intent to steal-hang
him for murder on circumstantial
evidence. He must not be found
there.
But at the threshold some mex
plicable impulse arrested his flight;
made him lay finger upon the cleo
trio bell until it fairly shrieked
through the building; held him to
whisper broken snatches Of explana-