Evening star., 1926-05-09

Alr. Curtenty had purposely driven
the transaction as late as convenient,
for he desired & deserted town for his
mortal work: but he now saw the
possibility of having cut the thing too
fine. Still, there was Salters, In the
Market Place--all on the way to the
empty playground beyond the Town
Hall. which he had selected for his
end.
Salter's was the new drug store in
BulSley. The interior of the shop had
been expensively refurnished from
floor to high ceiling. Mr.. Curtenty
was not impressed. lie had the
natives distaste for and suspicion of
all that was snowy and that was not
ramshackie.'
A fine young gentleman. Mr. Salter
himself (no apron), glided along the
length of the counter and became a
note of interrogation to Mr..
CurtenW, whose tongue-very sur
prisingly-close to his palate and
whose throat grew parched.
az want some Scheele's acid" (the
trade name of the anhydrous
prussicl.
Photographic work."
Mr. Curtenty nodded, Aye
How much
Dun know. Smallish bottle. 80
Half a pint
Aye. that1l do.
"T1l get you to sign The poisoi
book.
AYE"
Mr.. Salter III startlinely briet
space of time was slapping salmon
CNever within Mr.. Curtenty's expert
I,aI ocnl nfIinlS1y
The next instant he was in the act
OF handing it to Mr.. Curtenty.
X 4 4 x
MIR. CURTENTY held the bottle. Iit
AVA held it VIGOROUSLY; and II
was no longer a bottle in a bit OF
paper-it was a sacred phial. magic
omnipotent, powerful. 1t held the key
to the riddle Of the future and the
short answer to the arguments OF
the past. 1t gave Mr.. Curtenty q
sense of absolutism, of independence
of dignity, of conquest over earth
such as he had never had. It rendered
Mr.. Curtenty heroic, magnificent. Al
ready he was leaving earth. He had
no interest in earth; he was sick OF
1t. disgusted with it.
He yearned to be quit of ii. lie had
imagination, and he had little or nc
imagination. He was the supreme ego
tist. He thought of nobody but him
self. lie was absorbed in himself
Some faint vision of an inquest flick
cred transiently through his brain. He
sniggered at it and 1t vanished. He
was triumphant. He was a hero, q
conqueror. a poet.
"One and twopence, please mur
INJURED Mr.. Salter.
"One and twopence" cried Mr.. Cur
tenty. dropping the half-crown which
he was holding suspended in mid
pocket. "One and twopence. Why. II
hadn't ought to be more than ten
pence halfpenny"'
But I'm afraid it one and two,'
said Mr.. Salter calmly.
Not me-" Mr.. Curtenty growleG
with finality, and. dropping the bottle
onto the round India-rubber mat in
with fury and grandeur out Of the
shop.
He muttered things to himself. Did
Salter suppose that he was going to
pay for all the fallals and gimcraclk.
cry of his new shop? Not him. They
might call him a miser and skinflint.
They might. But fair was fair, and
impudence was impudence.
Impudence, that's what it was.
Impudence! Let Mr.. Salter charge
his one and two pence to them as
had quarterly bills and wouldn't pay
cash. But not to him. He knew to
a certainty that Freeson, the cash
chemist" in Hanbridge. the great
price-cutter, would sell him a. half a
pint of Scheele's acid for tenpence.
if not ninepence half2enny. And to
Freeson's he would go.
!; X y q.
"OODISUN LANE is one Of the
w ways from Bursley to Hanbridge.
Is shortest and the Oldest way, but
by far the worst way. However, Mr.
Curtenty took it, in order by a glance
at the window of his home to see
whether Mrs. Currently was waste.
fully burning the last inch Of the
candle. She was not.
The window gave no sign Of light
Strange to say. Mrs. Curtenty's thrift
mess disappointed him, because he
wanted another grievance, he wanted
dozens OF grievances, to gather into
his breast as St. Sebastian gathered
arrows.
He had to be content with the one
great grievance against Mr.. Salter-
Mr. Salter who by his rapacity was
forcing a determined and desperate
man to walk unnecessarily over tC
Hanbridge on a dark night. Soon. bJ
dint of reflection and savage concen
tration. the grievance swelled till II
filled his whole mind and heart and
soul.
Nearly at. the top of the hill, a.
Bleakridge, Woodisun Lane debouche.