Adventure, June 1911 — page 153: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Awakening Then he sat in his chair, and 1 bound him. ‘Tf we live, I will be a daughter to you,” I promised, ‘‘and he will be a son.” ‘Then I inoculated him. He went quickly into a stupor. ” “Hide—the syringe—before you—go— too—numb,” he gasped faintly. Then he said no more. Even his eyes did not move, but they were open, and I believed that he could still see and hear. “T shall be brave,” I told him. doubt me.” I kissed his forehead, and went out into the deathly stillness of the empty corridors, and back to my place. I must have screamed if I had not bitten my lips. The good God must have given me strength, as the Chief Physician said, for I never faltered in my resolution. I wrote on the history what had happened, so that Mr. Raynor might go and rescue the Chief Physician if he woke and I did not. After that I sat by him for a few moments, with my arm round his neck, and my face against his. : “T hardly know you,” I said, ‘but you love me. And I love you. God help us, dear!” . Then I lay down, covered myself with the rug, dug the syringe into my flesh and pumped in the antidote. I only just suc- -ceeded in removing it, the numbness came on so quickly. Then-I lay waiting; mo- tionless, unable to stir an eyelid or make a--sourid, and yet dimly conscious of every- thing round me—more than dimly conscious of fear. The light grew dimmer and dim- mer. I heard the wolves howl four times before I became unable to distinguish Mr. Raynor’s face; once more, and then it was quite dark. I heard them how] three times more; and then the death-dealers came, talking to one another unconcernedly, as if they went about some routine task. There were eight of them. Two women and aman carried lanterns. Three men had large syringes. A lad carried a pail of fluid from which they replenished them. The red-faced man watched. They went along the room in pairs, one holding the lantern while the other knelt by the sleeper and made the injection—two strokes of the piston with a pause between. One pair came to Mr. Raynor and another to me at the same time. I was too numb to feel pain when the great syringe dug deeply into my flesh, but it was well for me that I could “Do not 339 not scream. As it was, I made a faint sound. ‘““Must have been near waking,” the in- jector said, putting the rug over my shoul- ders again. ‘Well, she’s safe for another four months.” Evidently he had not been told that he was administering anything but the usual sleeping-injection. ‘To the credit of my countrymen and countrywomen I would record that it is now clear that Mrs. Ashbury deceived them about her inten- tions, and that very few of them realized that she intended to kill the sleeping world. “Make him quite safe,” the red-haired man commanded, nodding toward Mr, Ray- nor. ‘‘He’s a dangerous man.” “‘He’s had the usual dose,” the operator answered. ‘“‘The Chief Physician always said that more Was dangerous.” The red-faced man made no comment, and they passed on, finished their work, and went out. The wolves howled right under the window just then. Soon afterward I went to sleep. I felt as if a weight were crushing me; and I thought that perhaps the antidote had failed. I did not seem to care about myselfi—it would be good to be at rest, I thought—only about Mr. Raynor and the Chief Physician. III IN the early light I woke in great 7. pain. I remembered that the Chief " Physician had said that I should suffer. I was glad that Mr. Raynor was unconscious. I thought that if I woke fully I should wake mad. Presently some men came in, and I feared that I should go mad in my stupor. They did not look at Mr. Raynor or me. Some one called out “214,717” and “ 214,- 725,”’ and they carried off two sleepers, both big men. I suppose they were selected to wake and fight the wolves. “You can leave the doors open,” the voice called. ‘‘The wolves won’t matter now.” Then I think I did go mad for a time. I seemed to be struggling with a tempest of pain and fright, till I became unconscious once more. I woke, still racked by sharp pains, to find the gray-haired woman kneeling beside Mr. Raynor. She was crying. I tried to call to beg her to keep out the wolves, but no sound would come. When she went, how- Go OOOKS. EO ANUC