The Argosy for May — page 97: what you’re looking at

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

284 For the moment, too, a little chill ran through him, and his head began to feel a trifle doubtful; and then, out of the blackness before him, the voice came again, intoning: “Wonderful and mighty king! We hail thee!” The blind man stopped short. It was a joke of some sort; doubtless a joke perpetrated by some one who didn’t real- ize that he was sightless. ‘Pardon me,” he said with a faint smile, “but I’m not just the subject for a practical joke. JI am stone-blind.” ‘All hail, King Solomon!” the voice went on impressively. The wanderer moistened his lips. ‘“Am I supposed to be King Solo- mon?” he inquired mildly. ‘Great king, the nations of the earth bow down before thee!” the voice went on monotonously. ‘See, majesty, I beat my head upon the ground before thee! I call aloud—”’ ‘Then please stop calling aloud!” Hoffman said rather sharply. 4“ I’m blind, I tell you. Whatever the idea is, please give it up. I can’t see it or you, and I can’t appreciate it at all. Where are you, anyway?” ‘Lo, king, I lie before thee!” ‘Then, please, get up, drop your con- founded farce, and tell me the way out of this place. I want to get a breath of air and—” A sharp intake of breath greeted him, and a horrified: ‘Oh, incomparable Solomon, thus would you leave even the humblest of your subjects in this the first moment that you have appeared through all the centuries! Thus must I be cast back into the unhallowed gloom, endured for so many years before your coming? Thus must I—” ~ 6 Peet “For I have indeed waited long and patiently, lord!” the voice continued to plead. “I have waited and prayed that you might return and reveal your- self! And now you have at last deigned to come, and you would go as quickly! ‘Ah, no! Lord, I beseech thee that—” “Shut up!” cut in Hoffman rather inelegantly. : The voice had risen altogether too high for complete comfort, and Hoffman THE ARGOSY. expected every moment to hear the sound of footsteps in the corridor. Instead, a dismal wail answered him with: “Lo, king, I obey; though my heart turn to ashes, and be melted in the bit- terness of ages! My voice is dead! My lips are as stone!” “Then let them stay so for a while!” snapped the blind man. admit that I don’t see the point of it; and, if it’s supposed to be a joke, it’s deuced bad taste, to say the very least. But, if you’re not going to get up and pilot me out of here, for Heaven’s sake have sense enough not to raise that row!” He seemed to have been taken liter- ally! From the room before him came never a sound, save the groans of some one, apparently near the floor. For an endless space, as it seemed, Hoffman waited for further develop- ments. None, apparently, were to come, for silence reigned—and presently the chilly sensations began to run up and down his backbone once more. : There was something uncanny about all this—something too uncanny for en- durance, in his present state. He wanted to get out of the place; he wanted to get down-town to his office; he wanted to find Thomas by telephone, and have him back and have the déal closed before the end of the day’s banking hours. He wanted to see the Ridgkin people considerably before three, and have matters settled in full. And he turned abruptly to the spot where the door must be. In a happy instant he found it, and felt his way through. He stepped into the corridor quickly, and drew the door closed; and a sorrow- ful voice floated after with: . ‘““Great and merciless majesty! ‘The humblest of thy servants awaits, with chastened spirit, thy next coming! Though my spirit groan and my heart bleed; though the ages come and go, and nations rise and fall again, still will f¥ The door snapped sharply, and the sound was deadened to a wordless mut- tering. Hoffman drew a great breath, and pressed a hand to his eyes. (C@ MICLOOOLK “Tm frank -to (CO)