The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1920-11-11

Stiffness. Lexington was gripped cold
as he discerned through the Yaporx
that this person was stroking the eye
lids of his princess.
Gowned in celestial blue and gold
gemmed ankle rings lax upon the cush-
ions, Helen lay as one in death beyond
the cOlerless font of smoke, and her
lovers torture was complete.
From yellow bowl, the woman in
black mOistened her fingers and con-
tinued the crugged caresses. The bag
was proof against the fumes that had
dizzied Lexington when he was yet far
down the passage, and that drove the
souls from the bodies of all the
deFotees within the subterranean
chamber.
Stupidity he observed the cash in the
rock behind the bowl Of jade from
which the flaming gas emerged to IL
lumine the room; he noted the door
beyond, and an iron ring in the door.
In the crisis he DULY observed details
the tangled long mustaches Of one
waxen face in a corner, the CLINT Of
polished nails on a royal fat hand, the
silken dragons that stood forever lick
ing the throat of one (male or female,
he could not telD, who lounged with a
frozen smile on a couch of crimson.
Under the weight of agony, Lexington
held on stifhy, and had the inept recoI-
lection that this was the state religion.
a goddess and inverted prayer, blow
ing upon the senses. soft as the
tongues Of serpents, deadly as their
fangs.
Then came the thought that CEN
tered him once more. He heard Helen
saying to him, an hour, an age, since,
You are making me unhappy" To
forget his words, to loose the tangle
he had brought into her life. she had
descended to pay this visit TO the
darker gods. The old bag went on
and on, rubbing gently, diminishing
more and more the slight rise and fall
of Helen's breast. The gas Kissed
dryly from the wall.
Con felt a murderOus impulse, but 1t
did not extend to his muscular sys-
tenn. His eyes narrowed with rage
and pain; yet he could not overcome
the smother of koresh in the air. He
hated the oriental garments of his be-
loved, hated the jeweled bands on her
naked ankles, the chains Of jade and
wrought gold about her body. These
textures and precious things were TAX
ing her further from him, and they
aggravated the loss of his own bodily
control. His mouth opened and GER
tain muscles of the jaw frightened in
laugh of hysterical anger, but his
lungs gave forth no cry. and his emo
ton remained silent. All that he had
formerly known to be himself was now
but an encasement, a lock. a dry dam
upon the real man. He pictured him
self in a leap into the chamber, past
the cone of rock, up TO the side Of his
princess. He would carry her away,
out somehow into sunlight and sanity.
But the old Con Lexington of nerve
and sinew would not respond, hanging
half-blindly upon a ledge Of sandstone,
helpless, while the new Lexington was
out of cOmmand-clear-eyed able to
suffer, yet equally helpless. He had
final glimpse of the dead coIOrfuI fig
ures reclined in static delight about
the chamber, q final furious wish to
seize Helen in his arms, crush her
silks and golden wells to his heart, and
bear her away; and then the violence
Of his emotions seemed to wreck him.
He slipped. The world was purring
wind over valves of giant clover bios
SONS and Towering cinnamon. The
universe went black and singing.
CTO BE Continued