The Washington times., 1918-08-25

He closed the door behind him quietly;
but, once away from his mothers pleading
voice, all the wrongs of the last years. all
the shame, all the covert malice of his
associates, all the burning humiliations
came over him in a tidal wave of resent
sullen and ugly.
1t was Saturday night. The corners
around the market-hOuse and the city hall
were crowded with men, lOud-voiced and
laughing, with here and there a reeling.
tOttering group, who punctuated their IN
steady progress with noisy, braggart Oaths.
From somewhere out of sight came the
rhythmic beat of a drum and the shrill
song of the Salvation Army, and a waffle
vender was crying his wares with the
metallic jangle of beaten triangle.
Through the crowds Jim Priestley his
mind a seething whirlpool of shame and
pride, walked alone, savagely brooding,
brushing past women with babies and men
with baskets, shouldering the loafers aside,
ruthlessly deaf to the men who called to
him.
When he finally met Molly she was not
alone. Two or three girls were with her,
and just behind them, keeping up run
ming fire of compliments and small talk
were as many young men. Molly looked at
Jim as he approached.
t'GOOd ovaDinu Mr. - .bo
pertly.
Jim lifted his hat and passed on, black
anger and jealousy in his heart He knew
the men; one of them-Hallowell, me-
chanic like himself-had been his rival for
Molly's favor, and had boasted that he
would oust him yet. And so he swung
along the street, his head down. seeing
nothing of the crowd around, occupied al.
ways with the pictures conjured np bv his
own brooding fancy.
Now, it was his mother, sobbing at the
table. Now, it was his father as he 70
m e1hbered him, standing to receive that
awful sentence of Imprisonment for what
pi omised to be the remainder of his life.
Oftenest of all it was Molly he saw-MorIv
with her mischievous brown eyes and SON
sitive red lips; and finally the face of Hal
lowell his hated rival, would come he
tween him and the picture of the girl he
loved.
1t was two hours later when Jim. after
standing sullenly with a crowd in the pooI-
room down the street, came back throupb
the market-place. The streets were less
crowded now; the late buyers had gone
home with their baskets; the sleepy babies
were tucked away in their beds: the
butchers, after twenty hours of work. had
shut up their stands and gone away. Molly
had disappeared, and the percentage of
drunkards among the corner loafers had
Then Jim saw Halloweu.
The cumulative rage of the evening
surged up in him and maddened MIN.
He walked up to the other man with the
lust OF battle in his face. For a moment
each glared a challenge at the other.
Neither had been drinking but both we're
blind with the intoxication of passion. Hal
Dwell greeted Jim with taunt. and then.
his rivals speechless fury for
grew facetious for the benefit
of the bystanders.
Say, stripes he said sneeringly. next
ime you go down to the pen wish you
would have our father knit me some
socks. They make
But Jim's heavy fist had gone home on
he point of his chin. and he went down
With a crash and lay still Some of the
men around stopped over his PROSTATE fig
Ire. The crowd began TO grow rapidly.
llthOught street fights on Saturday night
we're too common to cause much excite.
nent. Jim leaned against a post with
olded arms, disdaining escape. although a
policeman was rounding the corner. Then
me Of the men who had been examining
iallowell Strengthened up and came swiftly
Oward him.
Run! Get out. quick" he said under
lis breath. He's dead
Ill
Jim didn't run He stepped quietly
through an open door INTO the darkened
which was Just closing for
he night. went through IT and out into the
deserted street bpVODd toDL n d.tour