Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1920-07-16
CHAPTER XIV.

ALREADY M 0aNbfedk 1T was Il White
Christmas; white rnderfooi, white
overhead. dancing. swirling white Of
snow IN tile winter air billiard. lift
ing himself on his elbow 10 watch it
from the car window was unreserved-
~ thrilled hy the appropriateness Of it,
Nature. which had been sulking for a
week or more had finally consented to
dress the season. Bur the thrill dis
solved. and anxiety took its place when
he discovered tina; it was past eight
O'Clock. and this was only BuffalOi
His watch. and the railway folder. gave
him indlgostble food for thought and
the snow, taking upon itself the role Of
a barrier to traffic. was suddenly less
agreeable to look at Wreaths in the
windows of nearby houses. holly ber-
ries and red ribbon. gllmpses Of fealh-
cry fir boughs and tinsel through the
curtains-all these awoke within him
a new and a disturbing fancy thar AZ
the end of two thousand miles of
visionng he might be lrretrievably
late nlogically he made haste to rise;
counting landmarks
The diner was half filled when he
arrived for breakfast, and the train
was still standing in the yards. AS
the conductor wished him a perfume
tory Merry Christmas, billiard smiled
obliqhely
Not unless you make up some speed
between here and Syracuse" he said.
Not much chance of that" said the
conductor, punching the order slip.
Its deep snow from here on, sir.
Lucky if we're in in time for your
turkeyi"
Hilliard sighed. frightened as the
train dragged itself into sluggish mo-
ton, and gave his attention to the
landscape. 1t was typically scene
from Christmas card; all it needed.
at any moment. was a few lines of en-
cravings in the foreground to be very
fair counterpart of the cards which
billiard had ordered sent out to all his
friends He smiled. eXpansively, at the
conception of what the name of Hill
l.ard on those cards now meant to
Syracuse. They were undoubtedly
magnifying his grandeur now; he knew
enough Of human nature TO realize
han in his homecoming he was GER
ain to be greeted as a multi-million-
aire And it wasn't MULTI was only
The possibility of single onel
The thought of riches turned his
mind to the individuals who would
share in Them: DR. Durant. who. unless
he chose. need never keep Office hours
again-he could devote himself to the
research he loved: Cullen, whose blind.
bulldog faith had made him forever
Independent even Rufus Waring,
whose modest contribution, accepted
ouf Of Spleenless cOmmiseratiOn, had
sweiied To The dignity of four figures.
and given him the means 10 show The
world 10 Angela. And Iilliard himself
had made far more :han all the other
venturers combined NJ in money.
perhaps. bur i'm dividends payable in
the medium of his self-respect.
And vet. as the realities stood. now.
he was sensitive to the nOthingness of
his triumph. until such time as he had
some one to divide il with him. For
there is little pleasure in a monopoly
of happiness: not even joke is fully
established until some one appears to
share it: 8 secret is delectable only
when it's repeated, conquest is
empty without the popular acclaim, or
the arrival Of the historian. He felt
this keenly; he reflected that of all the
syndicate, he alone was without a
beneficiary. And today, when he had
steeled himself to speak to Carol
Like countless generations Of men
before him, he began vaguely to
wonder what he should do if she re-
fused him.
What would be left? Only the shell
of achievement. Would he go back to
France? or would he remain in Amer
lea. and struggle for success by en-
downing war charities out OF his glori-
Gus income-to-bef Also 49,. and
this was enervating what
should he say to herr II is given TO
few men TO propose twice, in different
characters. to the same girl.
The train plowed and painted through
the thickeninE drifts; billiards watch |
was coming out Of his pocket at five |
minute intervals; here WAS Rochester |
at last three hours late i
and there. shining dimly through |
banked clonds. was the sun The
train seemed warmed TO greater effort
by it's mere appearance; Hilliard, who
bad measured time by weeks, then by
days, and more recently by reluctant
hours, began to mark the minutes from
his mental calendar.
And then, after an interminable
century Of impotence. the outlying vii
ages. gray and smoky; the nat wastes
Of SoIYsy; the road slowly becoming
streets: the buildings adding height
Syrseusel sHse''.
His feet were on the platform he
vas hurrying forward. Ahead Of him
e. L. bo cfrrn