Show S WA YING VING OF THE SCALES I i Copyright by James Elverson IIO'S nus that Who's rho's there thero It broke In a fierce W scared half rattle from lien Ben Agnews Agnew's dry lips 1115 lie He was vas upon his Ills feet teel T with an unsteady bound POI for what seemed hours hO ho had hael sat mt there in that defiant stupor hands and teeth clenched 1 Just in ho flung the table cover over that smiling arch portrait of or a womans woman's face face Eva Eva's Evas taco faco Into Into which he had been staring with such hypnotic One Ono stumble forward and a deep- deep drawn breath and ho he stood read ready It was tho quick step on the stair for tor Which he had been unconsciously wait wait- lug so o long It was his chum Dave o Cottrell who stood framed In the tho doorway doorway door door- a way there a hand held out his lIl big chest heaving as after a race hIs lila boyIsh boyish boy boy- ish face faco pallid with tho time suppressed thrill that comes but once In a n. mans man's life Its me Ben Den he lie said Ive run near every Cven step tep I meant I meant I meant that thal you ou m my old chum should bo be first to wish me me wish II us both both both- It sank aWA away Slowly his hand went vent down clown Ben Den ho whispered tho the matter Ho Ito stood the pallor deepening tho the smile d dying out of or his wide blue eyes oyes Go on Agnews Agnew's throat suddenly forced out the rattle You have seen made her or made her speak her womans woman's mind at last Il Go on And nd Daves Dave's voice came camo weak weal and subdued through that thick pause I 1 forgot Im I'm Im I'm sorry old chap I startled you springing In unawares Yes les she sire has given s me tho promise at last last last-at at last I cant can't explain I 1 simply shin sim Ill I'll ply said that thal I could not live Il on without without without with with- out her her or or without a reason for tor her silence It was not not not-It It was not nOl as ns If 1 could not hope to Ivo her a home that would make her happy Sho She Is to to choose It H for tor herself her herself her own furni lurn- ture tur everything ture everything I have havo only to wait waita a few tow weeks lon longer er Weeks Ben Den old oM chap you understand Ho half halt turned a n hand to his eyes ees fIC f an as If IC fearing to awake What That It had cast cost tho the other man to stifle stine that pe peal IHal l of ot fierce Ironic laughter he was never ne to know All over In the tho dusk new Agnew felt out for tor his hill chair Deep down In his mind ho he had been vaguely prepared yet t it came carte now as IS a grotesque shock She had turned from him to marr marry Dave Davo Cottrell for for Daves Dave's bit hit of ot mone money I lie He hold held his breath staring Into space Just rUNt a a. few hissing sentences were all that was n needed oded to break down forever fore this big hl- simple fellows fellow's sublime faith In her Go 00 back and ask her hor how often otten of ot- ten tho the scale has Her Iler letters I to me provo prove that I could have won that same promise But Dut I was only a happy happy- lucky go-lucky a penny spending morn more than I earned And Aud then thon you OU my chum came on tho the scene with scene with tho the money you Ou had saved And gold won Not love Jo Realize it for tor all an time she has hns given you the Judas kiss kiss' Again and again his hie lips parted as the tIte crimson Impulse surged ed up and each ench time as ho looked at Cottrel s 's still wistful ft figure ure at tho the door there thero surged up too the tho thought of ot how often otten Cottrell Cot- Cot troll trell had slipped something silently into his hand in the dark hour of or Jour- Jour struggle lo All that was best In him fou fought ht madl madly against the brutal thing Implored timing Implored him to keep at least a merciful silence silence for for tor Daves Dave's sake not hers He lie stumbled suddenly toward the door dool pushed heavily past groped roped a way up Ul the stairs and crashed open the tho door of ot his bedroom Eva a had sold herself for herself for gold old I She could go she elm could pay the price of ot her mercenary mercenary- mistake to tho the uttermost I Even ven now he could step stop between them theme and mal make c an tin eleventh hour romance of ot it It-a It a triumph tri trl- for himself tragedy trag-ed for tor Dave But Dut no enough h in Itself to picture Eva mated for lifo life to slow elow simple plodding Cottrell who ho had the mind of oC a n. child chUd In Jn his big rugged bod body An hour had passed Not quito dark now Ho Ire would not move Not safe to trust himself face to taco faco again with that other happy happ man tonight per tonight per haps never again In life lire Long before dawn the problem of the unbearable position must solve itself for good or for tor evil eU It did As the Sr gray and gold light x stole in Ben Agnew stole ou out He had v his boxes Ho Iho had left lert some con coins 1 s for ml jr arra-jr n u vague agUe chilling chining J little lit- lit L tie tle note of farewell for Cottrell That was all By Dy midday ho found himself In a new stran strange e apartment miles away All London la lay between He lie need never have havo to look Into Daves Dave's blue wide eyes oyes again and as for tor the he ho told himself that his love had already merged Into contempt Fate would do 10 the rest The halter of ot wedlock with the wrong man should remain about her white nock neck for tOr all time Slow months ticked by months by-months months of ot stubborn suppressed perversity that had aged aed him b by as man many years Jears The They had been man and wife some time now no he knew know What was happening In all this silence Perhaps Perhaps just Just possibly pos pos- sibly the they were wore quote happy Happy Happ That thought ate ato slowly Into him Not ot even yet had he ho admitted to himself himself him him- self sel that his chance with Eva was lost forever She would be bo chafing like a 3 caged bird If It he could catch a glimpse of ot her face once once just Just once once once-ho ho would know It was as easy supremely easy supremely dangerouslY dangerous dangerous- ly easy He Ire shadowed Dave homo home from his city place of ot business one evening He drew a 1 deep quivering breath as tho door of or tho the villa closed behind Dave A deadly fascination the atlon-the the nameless sudden thought that some sort of oC revenge for tor all an was vas still open to him him held held him hirn near the tho spot Present the door opened again as 4 I Dave camo out and strode away down the tho lamp lit quiet street I Tho Thu blood suddenly surged In a n wave wa to A Agnews Agnew's brain As h he crept nearer a a. curtain beyond the French i window had stirred A woman stood there thore looking out She saw nothing It was Eva Eva her F. her beautiful dar dark k eyes gazing thoughtfully past him Only the time sheet sheel of or glass between Before he ho knew before It-before It before ho he could count the co cost cost he t-ho t ho had lu taken takena a n leaping little run up the path and ami pu pushed herl at the glass door doors They went slow slowly back There was no need of ot his breathless warning to chock check her Iter cry To her hel maybe mabo nt t that moment ho was as a a. figure risen from tho mho dead The Tho slow whisper that at last struggled from Crom her hor lips hips was hushed with awe nwe and pit pity Ben Dell You You have come at last to see seo your friend my friend my husband note of or triumph tri triumph tri tri- No y Thero There was w a n. of at challenge palpitating beneath beneath be beneath be- be neath his huskiness Ho Ito was craning I forward Id I'd to look deep In Into to her eyes ees yes That dilated fear In them c could only oy mean that she was paying the price of ot her mistake In full No Nom r Did you tell yourself I was effaced that effaced that I could stifle all m my own hopes as ea easily as that Eva Just one moment the moment tho last laRt Look mo me In fn the face Dare you OU tell me that you ou are happy hat even with all that his mone money can give you ou That ThatIs Is 18 all nIl I ask asle tonight I know leno You think Yes Yos yes es now to remind mo that 1 I played a a. part when I gave him m my promise You told yourself that you 1 0 had only to wait andone andone and andone one breath of or disillusion would br break ak his is heart and turn him cold You are arc too late You Toe would not think of ot t it You knew him so well Oh nenno Ben Benno Ben nen- no no thick thick- What hat of ot me he demanded I ly What ha have I suffered Think a n moment Too late lale she repeated on that 4 low rapt note I 1 only live hive to make maleo reparation to him hIm to to give him back In to full rull tho time affection he has given me I 1 was weak blind then but not nol now What you vou thought was a n. the mistake mistake the mistake that ml might ht end In my mr hating him and thus giving you your reyon revenge e ehas has has brought ht me mo a n happiness I 1 strive to deserve I honor him him nty my Dave Dav Yes even oven If It I 1 were ro not worth worthy of his love and care I should sho bo hr something loss less than a a. woman If It I listened to you OU You who were his trusted friend friend hoped In your heart that you ro could I crush him Vile Ben nen i If you 1 0 respect your manhood Jo go 0 I My I manhood He echoed It sneer sneer- In I not stirring lIe He scarcely knew what ho loo said Id Once to Cn n those weak days das you wrote letters to me that you would not care cale for him to seo now You are deceiving yourself to save Have huh him You aro are letting him limit live livo In a fools fool's paradise Eva no Listen As Heaven bears ate me me I 1 did not come to say guy one such word as al this but hut Ill I'll never ne believe c that In your heart heart- Goshe said again her slight fi figure ure drawn up Let the time word convince you ou I love him treasure treasure him more more than life Itself And Anel ho he knows It It That Is m my answer Go The glass doors swung to together othel On the outer side his hands clenched was left lert a n man In whom all that Is weakest weakest weak weal est In human nature sought nought for tor some vent Dave Davo Cottrell Dave had robbed him himot of ot her blackened d his life lit oven if It all nil unknowingly But Dut what If Davo Dave were made to realize that he had hael only won woo wona I Ia a hollow legal rl right ht to call her his lots If It he ho waited there long enough It enough If ho he dared trust himself to look full tull Into the other mans man's eyes speak of those old letters of or hers and tell him that he was selfish selfishly chaining her het to a n life lito of ot silent martyrdom yes martyrdom yes such mch a n barb barbas as that must find its mark marle Suddenly convulsively he started Some Somo hand was gr gripping his shoulder Slowly he ho brought his liis lIs ha haggard gard hunted face tace round Dove Dovo Cottrell stood th there re big boyish simple minded as of or old old old- vast wonder and delight struggled to together together together to- to gether In his blue eyes Ben Den My 1 old chum churn chum Ben he said In his deep voice that refused to break Youve come at last last last-at at last I kne knew you oU would I knew It The pause that pause that pause while hile the vehicles vehicle and figures moved b by as ns In Inthe Inthe inthe the muffled atmosphere of oC a 3 dream m. The Time words that would shatter his Iola abiding abiding abid abid- ing trust were thron thronging In Agnews Agnew's throat but thc they would not sound not sound not yet And presently Cottrell seemed to divine something deeper beneath It all nil The loving determined grip g tightened No So not here he lie said You were here to see eo me You wanted to ox- ox ex explain plain plaIn but but you ou cannot My 1 home Is s yours ours Come Como straight In with me mo let tho the blank he be forgotten Agnew stood stiff His Ills throat rattled rattled rat rat- but that was WitS all And in that moment the pained blue eyes ces seemed to take In his haggardness his shabbiness shab- shab biness his reckless recklessness nest Davos Davo's hand drew back quickly and seemed to bo be fumbling rumbling In his breast pockets Ills His averted face faco worked oddly Then oCa of oC ofa ofa a sudden Ben Anew Agnew found something thrust between his clenched lingers fingers You will will for for old limes limes' sake c came camo ino tho time whisper You needed help you ou you are too ton proud to ask It of It-of of me Nota Not Nota a word If It Ive I've found such happiness in m my own new life Ute let mo me think that I could could do a n little something Good Coot night It brol broke e or off In a sort of ot sharp sob that would not be he suppressed He lie turned and stroke quickly awa away An At Atthe Anthe the door of or the house c closed behind him Agnew Agnew's s 's staring eyes looked down He lie was as clutching a n little roll of or banknotes banknotes bank bank- notes the gift girt of or tho time man whom he had waited there to crush It was the p psychic moment In which tho the turn of or the time scales meant all And I the scale went down n down Something Something Some Some- thing seemed to have snapped In his iI I brain With a n. monn moan of hate and chae chagrin cha cha- grin h he e crushed the tho notes Into a n. I cl I let to to hurl them back at tho the hou house house- e- e then lien paused How long Ions ho remained In that quiet I I spot In the same samo rigid craning l 1051 sl- sl t tion that one nameless thought burning burning burn burn- ing In In him ho would nev never r know All had grown Irown still the street was de deserted de- de de- de deserted the lI light ht In time the windows A had hind gone out one ono h by one Those banknotes bank bank- I notes he notes he W was S clutching them themI still I Destroy them What W wa was M their loss to the man who had found happiness But nut but but to use them then as a brand to de destroy do- do stroy the hou house e that Cottrell had hall I bou bought ht and prepared for tor his bride bride bride- I oh oh the exquisite fiendish Irony IrOny of of that sudden mental montal Illumination lo To To BOO sou tho time glare going higher higher read rend tomorrow o that Cottrell and anel his Eva had stood mutely watching the time blackened shell of or their nest UK lie had no sense of or fear fear could could not realize anything deeper deeper us u er-u us ho looked around and then went creeping up the path again lie Ile seemed to bo ho like an animal absorbed only t oy by y thou thought ht of or Its pre prey It was purely purel cunning which took him toward those tholO glass laRs doors which doors which suggested to him that perhaps Eva va had been about to lock th them m. m and hind had forgotten In her dread If Ie not nol there were a n score of ot otI I I other ways Pas Passion lon Is brief brIer madness I and anel nothing can baffle the cunning of or ofa ora a madman I Ho lie paused and they yielded a little I That was enough Ho no stooped put a alighted alighted alighted lighted match to the small sheaf of oC banknotes and held hell them against tho the lowest fold told of the thick curtain Ills His fingers finers were scorched but ho he scarcely know knew that thal A hold had been burned the ed edges es of or it glowed Bending lower ho he puffed In panting breath upon breath and a a. yellow greenish h ello flare suddenly curled d up Ablaze lie tint fv I hack hardly breathing the sweat pourIng pour pour- In Ing down his face race Ono One Inner pO lr voice cried cried Stamp It out Another yelled Let it burn And now no it was out of ot human hands A had passed him and fanned tanned the name flame With Ith a hissing little road It t caught some seine lace hanging ln near devoured them theme before his eyes and was licking the mho walls and woodwork With th a low cry part |