And there was silence in the cellar for the space of about eight minutes.
········
And then,—“It is not, O William, simply for myself I plead. I am thinking also of you, and of the Karmic consequences of this Act. Had you,—had you—been illuminated—”
“I’d a hoisted you out of my house a year ago,”—interrupted Bill fiercely. “But I wasn’t illuminated. My aura wasn’t anything but fuzz. Wasn’t lit up. I was in the gloaming. But I’m not there now. I’m out of the woods. And I’ve got a pink halo of forty-four horse power. D’ye hear me?” and the materialist grinned away his scowl. Waving his hand outward in the glaring atmosphere, he continued,—“I’m getting there. If this ain’t illumination I don’t know light when I see it. Oh, yes, I’m a small incandescent myself. But see here”—and Bill suddenly closed the conversation and his jaws with a snap.
“What are you up to anyway? You’re trying to josh me out of this experiment. I don’t mean to let you buzz the vitality out of this dynamo. You’re slick enough to weaken the coils of any old machine if you’re not watched. Anyway, we’ve had enough monkeying, and I’ve got other fish to fry. The Board meets at eight and I’m punctual.”
Bill Vanderhook now consulted his watch. “Holy Mother of Mud!”—he shouted. “It’s seven o’clock, and no dinner, and this is Saturday night, and the barber shops crowded. Now, see here”—to the silent, despairing culprits,—“I don’t want any more back talk. I’m going to wind up this business instanter. For this whole mess has to be out of the way in just fif—teen—minutes.”
“No—no more talk. You just get ready for your last sprint. This farce is played out. The last act is over. The curtain’s rung down. Alonzo Leffingwell, the wise man of Kankakee flats is no more. Bring on the—flowers—your ‘Gates Ajar’ and the other pin-wheels. The pallbearers are without. The baked meats are on the sideboard—mourners in line, and hark you to the funeral march,—
“Fare-well for-ev-er to old Kan-ka-kee,
Fare-well, my Lonnie-Bird, don’t wait for me.”
As the hand of the avenger had touched the lever he had burst forth into impassioned song.