Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-12-02
NriumphS ora
MJonque1leX
by MELVILLE DAWSON Posi- =
g 1900 NEA Service. Inc

lighted it, and was about the house.
The Master, as l have said, had
worked out his formulate.
"He vas at leisure. L could not
see him, for the door was closed,
but the odor of his cigar escaped
from the room. 1t was very silent.
1 was placing the Masters bed
candle on the table in the hall when
l heard his voice. . . . You have
read it, Excellency, as the scriven-
ers wrote it down before the judge
He paused.
ut was an exclamation of sur
prise, of establishment. Then l
heard the Master get up softly and
go over to the fireplace. . Pres
emily he returned. He got a new
cigar, Excellency, clipped it and
lighted it. l could hear the blade
of the knife on the fiber of the
tobacco, and. of course, clearly the
/ knew that he was in the chair
again. The odor of ignited tobacco
returned. It was some time before
there was another sound in the
room; then suddenly 1 heard the
Master swear. His voice was sharp
and astonished. This time, Ex-
cellency, he got up swiftly and
crossed the room to the fireplace.
l could hear him distinctly. There
was the sound of one tapping on
metal. humping it, as with the
fingers"
He stopped again, for a brief mo-
ment, as in reflection.
at was then that the Master I'm
locked the door and asked for the
liquor" He indicated the court
record in my pocket. II brought it,
a goblet of brandy, with some "a
donated water. He drank it all
without putting down the glass.
His face was strange, Excel
lency. Then he looked at me.
"'Put a log on the fire. he said.
II went in and added wood to the
fire and came out.
THE Master remained in the
doorway; he reentered when l came
out and closed the door behind him.
. . . There was a long silence after
that; then 1 heard the voice, per-
mitted to the ~devocation, thin,
metallic, offering the barter to the
Master. 1t began, and ceased be-
cause the Master was on his feet
and before the fireplace. 1 heard
him swear again, and presently re-
turn to his place by the table"
The big Oriental lifted his face
and looked out at the sweep of
country before the window.
"The thing wen on, Excellency,
the voice offering its lure, and pre-
~senting it in brief flashes of ma
FERTILIZATION, and the Master en-
deavoring to seize and detain the
visitations, which ceased instantly
his approach to the hearth"
The man paused.
II knew the Master contended in |
against the thing; if he would
acquire possession of what it Of
fered. he must destroy what the
creative powers of the spirit had re-
to him."
Again he paused.
Toward morning he went out of
he house. 1 could hear him walk
on the gravel before the door.
He would walk the full length of
the house and return. The night
was clear; there vas a chill in 1t,
and every sound was audible.
That vas all, Excellency. The
returned a little later and
tscended to his bedroom as usual"
Then he added:
at was when I went in to put
wood on the fire that 1 saw the
footprint on the hearth"
There was a force, compelling
vivid, in these meager details,
he sever suppression of things, big
md tragic. No elaboration could
nave equaled, in effect, the virtue
If this restraint.
The maj. was going on, directly.
with the story.
THE following night, Excellency,
he thing happened. The Master
lad passed the day in the open. He
dined with a good appetite. like a
man in health. And there vas a
change in his demeanor. He had
he aspect of men who are deter
Lined to have "a thing out at any
hazard.
After his dinner the Master went
into the drawing-room and closed
the door behind him. He had nor
entered the room on this day. 1t
had stood locked and close-shutter-
ed"
The big Oriental paused and
made a gesture outward with his
fingers, as of one dismissing an alb.
s4rdity.
mo living human being could
been concealed in that room.
There is only the bare floor, the
Masters table and the fireplace.