Evening star., 1923-11-18
CHAPTER ".
At Five Minutes to Eight.

Before the rickety washstand and
in front of the cracked glass that
served as a mirror and was suspend
| ed from. nail driven into the wall
Hawkins was shaving himself. Per-
haps the light from the wheeling gas
| jet was overload that evening, or per-
haps it was only in playful and ia
cetious mood with the mirror acting
the roll of co-conspirator; Hawkins
chin smarted and was raw; little
specks of red showed here and there
through the repeated coats of lather
which he kept scraping off with his
razor. But Hawkins appeared willing
to sacrifice even the skin itself to OBJ
tain the standard of smoothness which
he had evidently set before himself
as his goal. And so over and oyer
again he applied the lather, and hoed
it off, and tested the result by rubbing
thumb and forefinger critically over
his face. He made no grimace, nor
did he show any irritation at the
none -too-keen blade that played hav-
oc with more than the lather, nor did
he vince at what must at times have
been anything but a painless opera
ton. Hawkins round. weather
beaten fact and I'd watery blue eyes
smiled into the mirror.
On the washstand beside him lay a
large, ungainly silver watch, it's case
worn smooth with years of service. 1t
had q hunting case and it was open.
Hawkins glanced at it. 1t was twenty
minutes to s.
, Il got to hurry" said Hawkins
| happily. Just twenty minutes-after
twenty years"
| Hawkins laid aside the razor. and
washed and scrubbed a his face until
| it shone; then he went to his trunk
| and opened it. From underneath the
tray he lifted out an old black suit.
Perhaps again it was the gas-jet in
| either baleful or facetious mood, for,
he 10 ha N
| spots seemed to possess. here a rusty
and there a greenish tinge, and else
where to be woefully shiny. Also, but
of this the gaS-Jet could not have
been held guilty, the coat and trousers,
and indeed the waistcoat. were un-
deniably most sadly wrinkled.
And now there seemed to be some
| thing peculiarly congruous as be-
tween the feeble gas-jet, the cracked
mirror, the wabbly washstand the
side the iron bed and the old bent
shouldered figure with wrinkled face
| In wrinkled finery that stood there
knotting with anxious, awkward
| fingers a large frayed black cravat
about his neck: there seemed to be
tween the man and his surroundings.
a sort of common intimacy, as it were,
with the twilight of an existence that
indeed had never known the full sun
light of high noon.
1t was ten minutes to s.
Hawkins put the silver watch in his
pocket, eXtinguished the Spluttering
gas-jet that hiSsed at him as though
in protest at the scant ceremony with
which it was treated, and went down
the stairs He stepped briskly out
on the street.
CLAIRE" said Hawkins radiantly.
"AIy little Claire! I'm her daddy, and
she's going to know it. I'm going to
get her to call me that-daddy."
Hawkins walked on half way along
step. his head high. smiling into every
face he met-and turning to smile
again. conscious that people as they
passed had turned to look back at
him. And then very gradually Haw-
kins pace slackened, and into his
face and eyes there came a dawning
anxiety, and the smile was gone.
I'm kind of forgetting" said Haw-
kins presently to himself. that it
amt just that I'm getting my little
trouble. There-there's Crang"
The old mans face was furrowed
now deep. with storm and care; he
walked still more slowly. He began
to mutter to himself. At the corner
of the street he raised an old gnarled
head, unconscious and oblivious now
that people still turned and look at
him.
And then little way ahead of him
along the street that he must go to
reach the one-time pawnshop of Paul
Veniza his eyes caught the patch of
light that filtered out to the sidewalk
from under the swinging doors 81 tnc
familiar saloon and from the win
; dows in a more brilliant flood.
Hawkins drew in a long breath.
NO, no"' he whispered fiercely. II
will never go in there again-so help
me. God! If I did-and-and she knew
t was her daddy, it would just break
ner heart like-liNe Crang1l break
it,"
He went on, but his footsteps
seemed to drag the more now as he
approached the saloon. His hand as
he raised 1t trembled; and as he
| brushed it across his brow 1t came
away wet with sweat.
The saloon was just yard away
! from him now. There was a strange
| feverish glitter in the blue eyes. His
| face was chalky white.
$50 help me, God" Hawkins num-
| bled hoarsely.
1t was S minutes of 8.
| Hawkins had halted in front Of the
| swinging doors.
To be continued tomorrow.