Middletown transcript., 1921-07-30

Hauuen lAaklHStOn.
You watt" he snarled thickly; you
wait till I've finished with you. LOU
won't be so ID humorous then.
Hugh regarded the speaker languld-
ly.
''Your supposition is more than PROP
able," he remarked, in a bored voice.
Il shall be too intent on getting. into
a Turkish bath to remove the contain
ination to think Of laughing
Slowly Lakington sank back in his
chair, a hard, merciless smile on MS
lips; and for momentTOr two there
was silence in the room. 1t was broken
by the unkempt man on the sofa, Who'
without warning, exploded unexpected
ly.
"A truce to all this fooling," he
burst forth in deep rumble; i con-
fess l do not understand it. Are we
assembled here tonight, comrades, TO
listen to private quarrels and stupid
talk?"
A murmur of approval came from
the others, and the speaker stood up
waving his arms.
II know not what this young man
has done: l care less. In Russia such
tritles matter not. He has the appear
ance of a bourgeois, therefore he must
die. Did we not kill thOusands-aye,
tens of thousands Of his kidney, before
we obtained the great freedom? Are
we not going to do the same in this
accursed country: Kill him now
throw him in a corner and let us pro-
ceed."
He sat down, amidst a murmur OF
approval, in which Hugh Joined heart
ily
Splendid" he murmured. "A mag
nificent peroration. Am l right, sir,
| in assuming that you are what is vul-
carly known as a Bolshevist?"
The man turned his sunken eyes,
glowing with the burning fires of fanat-
icism, on Drummond.
| 81 am one of those who are fighting
for the freedom of the world" he cried
harshly, 'for the right to live of the
proletariat." He flung out his arms
wildly. 1T is freedom; it is the dawn
of the new age"
Hugh looked at him with genuine
curiosity; it was the first time he had
actually met one of these wild vision
aries in the flesh. And then the curl
osity was succeeded by very definite
amaZement: what had Peterson to do
with such as he?
For the moment his own deadly risk
was forgotten: growing excitement
filled his mind. Could it be possible
that here, at last, was the real object
of the gang; could it be possible that
Peterson was organizing deliberate
plot to try and BolsheviZe England?
He looked up to find Peterson regard
ing him with faint smile.
1T is little difficult to understand,
isn't it, Captain Drummond?" he said,
carefully flicking the ash off his cigar
Il told you you'd find yourself in deep
water" Then he resumed the contem-
plation Of the papers in front Of him.
Hugh half closed his eyes, while a
general buzz of conversatio broke out
round the table.
Fragments of conversation struck his
ears from time to time. The intimi-
Mated rabbit, with the light of battle
in his watery eye, was declaiming on
the glOreS of WOrkmen's councils; a
bullet-headed man was shouting an in
spring battle cry about no starvation
wages and work for all.
"Can it be possible" thought Hugh
grimly, that such as these have the
power to control big destinies" And
then, because he had some experience
of what one unbalanced brain, whose
owner could talk, was capable Of
achieving; because he knew something
about mob psychology, his half con
temptuous amusement changed to 8
bitter foreboding.
"You fool =" he cried suddenly t(
the Russian and everyone ceased talk
ing. You poor id boob! You-ant
your new earth! In Petrograd today
bread is two pounds four shillings ;
, pound: tea, fifteen pounds a pound. d.
you call that freedom?" He gave /;
: contemptuous laugh.
, Too surprised to speak, the Rus
sian sat staring at him; and it wa!
Peterson who broke the silence will
, his suave voice.
"Your distress, am glad to say
, is not likely to be one of .ong dura
, tion,' he remarked. In fact, the tim,
has come for you to retire for th'
night. my young friend
He stood up smiling; then he walked
over to the bell behind Hugh and ran:
it.
Dead or mad-1 wonder which.
He threw the end of his cigar int,
the crate as Hugh rose. "While w
;, deliberate down here on various mat
: fers Of importance we shall be think
ing of you upstairs-that is to say
: if you get there. l see that Lakingto]
is even now beginning to gloat il
;. pleasant anticipation"
Not a muscle on the soldiers fac
ltwitched; not by the hint of lool
did he show the keenly watching au
? dience that he realized his danger
LakingtOn's face was .mercilesS, wit
it's fiendish look of anticipation, ant
Hugh stared at him with level eye
for while before he turned tOwar
= the door.
- .'Then l will say Good night" h
= remarked casually. rs it the sam
room that l had last tinle?"
NO" said Peterson. ga differen
. one-specially prepared for you. l
; you get to the top of the stairs ma
| will shn1u ynn where il is" He nnpne