The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-01-29

CHAPTER XVIII. (Centd)
TN the Roman prison Il had b.
come too dark 10 distinguish
= anything save the lighter dark
ness Of the two-foot square grAt
ings. The obscene sentences
scrawlsd with nailpoints or char.
coal on the denied walls where yer.
min crept. had vanished. and the
caricatures OF Roman officers like.
Wise. and the names and Initials Of
names Only the stencil remained
--fuii.bodisd. unescapsble, paipsbls
almost.
Cymon snawsd unoonscicusly 1t
his nails. He was still standing
erect. The floor. Uttered down In
one place with rsskins straw, was
foulsr than the undsrfoot Of cattle
pen.
His thoughts were black--biack -
. pit Of pitch. The colossal injus.
tice Of the whole scheme Of things
lowered before him. The contem.
piation Of II reused In him . fury
that was % useless % rage directed
against an avalanche. for II was i'm.
personal. unintelligently ironic. But
those upon whom II inflicted agony
were entient-self.con
II only Il wers endowed with PEI.
sonality % that he could curse ana
insult I'll He would have Owen tan
years OF his life to believe wildly
In immortal gods who heard and
saw--at whom he could shake his
clenched hst, blscksning their
names with his contemptuous hate.
He was In this sinking den be.
cause he had championed On abused
criminal. Justicei FauSh! A SEN
sible person. property cynical.
would have stood ON the footway
with folded arms and permitted the
Roman to kick the fallen man 70
death n no chose to DO 20. Each
for himself. There was nothing be-
yond that, or Shove
Beneath his feet the ground
Nheaved. The walls trembled. There
was . low-pitched muttsring rumble
Ike deadened thunder. or as though
the earth groaned. Than crashes.
distant and near at hand. The
heavy door through which he had
been thrust swung suddenly open,
for Its outer fastenings had parted.
II was q moment or two before he
realized what had happened. The
door was open.
He staggered. almost losing his
balance. 40 the place where he was
rocked like . cradle; then sprang
to the gaping doorway. A stone
passage ran back from It to twist
Ing flight OF steps,
He saw no one. and, leaped for
these steps like slipped grey
hound They led up to q guard
room II was empty
He gained its outer doorway.
crossed eourt-and was In the
freedom OF the tangled streets.
II had all been 80 swift. 80 unim-
aginable. that his first sensation OF
relief was limited to his deliverance
from the intolerable stencil. He
drew In the air like q person who
has barely escaped suffocation.
Then he was Misunderstanding
for the potter's yard.
In the dim streets there were
many terrified people who had run
out OF their houses at the earth.
quake Their holiday clothes ap
peared ludicrous contrasted with
their fear,sallowed faces. They
huddled together. not knowing what
to expect.
The black sky lowered as though
pregnant with an appalling down.
boui Of rain Through tn: lattice
of hanging-windows lampIight was
visible Here and there q wall had
collapsed.
Cymon kept on at a run. He was
concerned solely with his anxiety
to reach the potter's ysfd. II urged
him like q spur.
Bnt an under current OF his
thought dwelt on the coincidence of
hts deliverance II he had had be-
lief in any gods 1t would have pos
sessed quite staggering signifi
cance-personal as the spoken mes
sage OF an oracle But there we're
no, gods. -.
There was no one in the potter's
yard He climbed the crumbling ex
terror stair. painting like q dog with
a taste Of blood In his mouth BY
the parapet someone covered
Rama" said Cymon
There was a sound between a dry
sob and a cry. His hands were upon
the slight. covering figure. He was
chung to-his arms shielded and re.
assured the girl who chung to him.
She was sobbing, but without
tears, her throat dry from fear He
could feel the nervous pulsating OF
her heart. beating just above his
own. which had been quickened dis
tressfully by running She was a.
tarrified child clin pinp In someone