Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-11
TIFF ViC'ARION BY Gardner Hunting /
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(copwioht. 1s2s. By Public Ledger

his fate. If he could tap his brain per-,
hapS he could get at the memory rec.
ords stored there. Perhaps he could :
project them by the Vicarioa:s means, !,
Perhaps he could find the index OF eachl
All that he had had and lost was !
there! -
But it would kill him to tap his y
brain Why not the blood? The blood
flowed to and from the brain-and what.
was blood If not the liquid OF life?c
In q hazy hour he actually tapped a.
tiny vein and brought glass retort :
from his laboratory in which to dfSttlls
it's product. Then he dropped into his
chair and stared through his gauze
curtain. fancying that something was
already projected there. And beings
came from behind that sheer veil and
turned real. as Phyllis had done-as
real rs she, only he could not see themi'
What was wrong with them? Had they
no bodies then, that the Vicarion should
not get them? They stood before him..
he knew they were there-but he could
not make them out! -
They told him that he could not re-
verse history. He answered that this
was what he had already done. They
laughed at him; did he not know that
he could upset no natural laws, but only.
bring on penalties because he tried2
They set a glass case over him, called
Consciousness, and told him to notice
that he himself was not inside. He
roared with laughter at them. But
they showed him that what he saw
there in the case was only the moving,
breathing body of a man-like Van
Winkle-like the figures the Vicarion
resurrected from the past; that this
mere moving body was not himseif-that
he ranged outside, elsewhere, every
xxyI,n 81 rri1JI al, nffk'
when he tried to attract the attention
of that thing in the case, it gave him
no heed Then they laughed at him
again. How could that other thing he
thought was he respond to him? 1t
was nothing but bundle OF i've little
short-armed senses preoccupied with
themselves-while out here was Life,
rushing by! =
His delirium passed. The beings he
could not see were gone. Before him
| in the glass retort, the little pool of
blood had merely dried and burned
What had he expected to find there?
Oh yes. what manner Of man he vast
The ultimate thing he was! Fooll-
| From the beginning of time men had
tried to get at the ultimate thing IN
| themselves or other men by means OF
| blood! From the worlds f1agellants to-
| its headsmen. its Gains, its GATHERINGS
| its ruthless rulers, its rebeIlious Reds
Muddlers or meddlers, all! Missing the
whole nieaning--tile meaning OF the
| wholel ~
No. the vicarion would never pre-.
sent the drama of Life.
He leaped to his feet. Was he being.
| left behind here with the dead-be-,
cause all that had rnattered IN them and
| him was outside, rushing by?
/ He flung open his studio door. For
hours it had been locked. 1t was night,
The halls Of the building were dark.
| Strangei -
He felt his way across toward the
doors of his living apartments. No
signs of light were there He opened
no answer, no thud of running feet.
| He stepped inside and listened. He put
out his hand to find an electric switch.
/ Ills ears became aware of sound-distantl
sound-outside sornewhere-in the
street below! ~
A vast volume Of sound-like low
thunder, threatening, terrifying. He
| started across to the north windows.
/ where a strange light was rising-red-.
like the light of bloodshot moon
Sounds seemed instantly to become dis.
tinct. shouting. a roar Of it, the drum
ming of machines, a deep-toned hiss
as of steam. He came opposite the
door of an east rooni--and stopped.
The whoie eastern sky was afiane. He
ran through, and to the windows on
that side. e.
Below him. eleven floors. was the
| street. There was light enough FOR
him to see. The pavements were black
with swarming hordes Of people. Above.
across the roofs OF the city, as far as
| his eyes could reach-fire! :
4 - 7.n
(To Be Continued Tomorrow.