The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1916-11-11
The Sword Of
Damocles
BY ALAN HINSDALE

GAIN that Il 40 OOnAh
a great height and was dizzy. Then
1 was conscious of tossing about hall
awake in bed. Next | was wandering.
but where | knew not
''Begone! What do you mean by
coming here at this timer"
The words and a sudden light fash
ed In my eyes awakened me. l was
standing in my pajamas in the room
of the sister of my chum. Allan Twom-
bly,, whose guest was.
had walked in my sleep before, but
my somnambulistic adventures. from
one of which | had barely escaped
with my life, troubled me, and l was
so sensitive about them that | kept
them to myself.
And here was the most unfortunate
Of all of them. Better that | had been
awakened fitting over the peak of a
roof high in the air than in this fash
ion. which. unless understood. woul
cover me with disgrace. And, to make
matters worse. instead Of then and
there giving the cause of my intrusion
| skunk out of the room without a
word.
Returning to my chamber. | threw
myself on my bed and moaned. This
breach of hospitality. this apparently
dishonorable act. must be revealed In
the morning. | pictured myself dis
missed from the house by Allan. his
friendly bearing toward me turned to
anger. His sister, Gwendolin, whose
room | had entered in the middle or
the night. | did not expect to meet.
She would doubtless avoid me as she
would a serpent.
Give as an excuse that | was a SOM
nambulist? Who would believe such
a statement. Nor could | prove 1t. No
one except myself knew that | had
walked in my sleep. nee | had awak-
ened to find myself standing before a
mirror crying. That was several years
before this, when | was a boy. Again
| had suddenly found myself at dawn
sitting on a gutter, my legs dangling
over, forty feet from the ground. l
was heal a dormer window and man
aged to get back through it to my
room. But neither of these exploits l
had mentioned to any one. The only
person | had cared to tell was my
mother. and | feared that if she knew
| was executing such acrObatic per-
formances 1t would worry her terribly.
If there is M thing a young man is
ignorant of. it is a young A
good is the last person in the
world to charge a man with insulting
her. If ! had explained to Gwen why
entered her room she would have be
lieved me. There was no danger Of
her telling how. hearing a sound. she
had turned on an electric light and ex-
posed me standing in the middle Of the
Had ! been ten years older l
would have known this. for there was
no nobler girl living than Gwen Twom-
bly,. and she would naturally have
shrunk from Furnishing me and bring
ing me and her brother into antagO-
nism, to say nothing of the rest of the
family.
But as | lay tossing Oh my bed l pre-
sumed that the morning would bring
disgrace for me. Should | leave be
fore any of the family had arisen or
stand and take my medicine? OF the
two courses | chose the latter as more
suited to my nature. Knowing that I
was innocent of a guilty intention. I
could bear the flashing in store for me
whereas If | skunk away like a cur l
could never face any of the family
again.
When | went downstairs In the
morning | knew not just where the
blow would fall. The CHEEKY "Good
morning. old man. OF Allan stung me
for | knew that my episode of the
night before had not yet been revealed
10 him. Then came a greeting from his
father. his mother and the others.
They had not yet been Informed that
they were entertaining a villain un-
awares.
When we sat down at the table
Gwen was not present.
Where's Gwen?' asked the father.
II think she has oversight" replied
her mother.
Both the question and the reply were
like sticking a knife between my ribs.
1t was evident that Gwen was going
to let me get away without giving me
Il flashing. and If she intended to tell
on me would not do so before | had
gone. Thank heaven. this would spare
me the scene | had anticipated. Be
sides. there was Il hope that she would
keep the secret, though 1t was not to
be expected that | would dare enter
the Twombly home again.
Shortly before we rose from the
breakfast table Gwen came in.
Good morning. papa. Good morn
ing, MANN! /. Good morning, Mr.. Will
liams. Good morning. AL" Her good
morning to Mr.. Williams. who was and
Is myself. was as CHEEKY and ever
more kindly than to any of the rest.
Oh. that they could all be extin-
guished that | might fall at her feet
and wOrShin hort