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14
INTO MAHVZIOUS LIQHT
(In the preceding chapters of this story a meeting
takes place one night on the banks of the Hudson,
between John Marsden, a young preacher, and Julian
Deveaux, a brilliant actor, of rather unsavory moral
reputation. This meeting results in exciting a keen
interest in the heart of Deveaux and a feeling al
most of repugnance in that of John Marsden; but
the latter, hoping to be of some good to the young
actor, conquers his natural aversion and promises to
see him again.)
HE desire of an evil spirit in Julian
Deveaux took possession of him to at
tempt to make John Marden fall from
the roek upon which he seemed so con
fident of having a firm foothold. The
more he pondered over it, the stronger
the desire grew upon him.
His first step was to pose as a blase man
of the world, who was so tired of its
—7 -
follies and vanities that he wished to renounce
it all, and become a man of John Mars
den’s faith. So, again and again he went
to hear him preach, each time walking home
with him, so that he had become a familiar figure
in the church and in John’s apartments. Inch by
he was winding himself about John’s heart, into his
confidence and, deepest of all, into his sympathy;
and, although he was wholly unconscious of it, John
had a mellowing influence in Julian’s calloused
heart.
Deveaux had always been very self-indlugent, and
now his ungoverned passions seemed to have abso
lute control over him.. In an ugly mood, brought
on by dissipation, he wandered into John Marsden’s
study one day. John had never before seen him
in this State, and was greatly shocked.
“John, I don’t know why I allowed myself to
stop to see you to-day, for I am in a hellish humor.
It is better for me to be alone when I take these
moods. I have become, since I knew you, to have a
horror of their approach. But I have given them
full sway for so long, I now seem to have no power
to throw them off when they begin to come over
me. I feel as I imagine I would if some evil spirit
took possession of me to lead me to a certain point
or to do a certain act, and though I may realize
that it is horrible, and wish to draw back with all
the will I possess, yet I am as one hypnotized and
passively led on. It always ends in my getting so
desperate, almost mad, that nothing drowns the ter
rors of my state but a nartocized condition. This is
done with a peculiar Eastern drug, the secrets of
the concoction of which I learned from a noted ma
gician the last time I was in India. Once the habit
is formed, it is said that no human will has ever
thrown it off. At the time I experimented with it,
I did not care what was the result. Now that I
would abandon it, I cannot. Often I lie awake
through the dark hours of the night, haunted by the
memory of the deeds of some of the frightful es
capades of my past life, and I seem almost to sweat
drops of blood. If your God had any such power
on earth as you claim He has, I would have been
struck dead long ago. When I was at Monte Carlo,
fiive years ago, I did barely escape with my life;
and for my standing here now, the world has one
other man less—but wfliat am I saying?”
Julian Deveaux rubbed his hands across his eyes
in a dazed way. “You are the only man on earth
■who knows this secret. Swear you’ll keep it.”
Something in the calm ,fearless way in which
John Marsden looked into his eyes, maddened him
almost to desperation. If John had only known it,
his very life w’as in danger, alone with this, for the
time, crazed man. Roughly he clutched his should
ers, repealing, “Swear it, man, swear it.”
“No,” said John, still looking at him without
flinching, “I shall swear nothing. God shall be
your judge, and your executioner. I shall not inter-
CHAPTER 111.
The Golden Age for March 8, 1906.
By LLEWELYN ST EP HENS.
sere with His judgments or His punishments. Never
for one moment fear me.”
Deveaux’s grasp relaxed, his hand fell to his side.
A peculiar expression came over his face. He turned
away without a word, and walked up and down the
room. Then he raised his head and looked at John,
while there was a touch of pathos in his voice, as
he said, “The judgment or punishment of your God
long ago ceased to effect me in the least. But you—
who are you? What is there in you that appeals
to me? I never saw you until six weeks ago. I
suppose it is your usual sincerity that so appeals to
me. Sincerity is such an unusual characteristic of
this day and time, that there is something fascinat
ing about it. I suppose you think you have a per
fect right, and that it is your duty to preach to
devils like me because you have so much faith in
your honesty and virtue and piety. But, boy, you
have just not happened to run up against the moun
tain yet. But oh, it’s before you, it’s before you.
The devil and his pets will get you. I shall live to
see the day when you will curse the hour you were
born. Ah, yes, you will. I see you looking at me
with those great big pitying brown eyes of yours.
But the day will come, when even this heart of mine
shall shed tears of pity for you. Yes, I shall. But
you don’t believe it, do you?”
“You have your views, and I suppose, have your
reasons for them. I have mine, and am satisfied.
Therefore it is useless to discuss them, especially in
your present mood. You seem so unlike yourself,
I cannot talk to you. I can hardly imagine you as
being other than quiet, deliberate, and perfectly sane
in your ideas. That a man of your wonderful in
tellect and charming personality, could become a
slave to such a deadly drug seems incredible to me.
But I am wasting words by appealing to you now.
Leave me, lest something is said or done to sever
our friendship.”
“I am not myself to-day, John. Forget this
visit.”
He hurriedly departed, leaving John Marsden
sorely troubled. Not that his faith in God, or his
devotion to the cause he had chosen were weakened;
but the magnetic personality of Julian Deveaux
haunted him like some shadow. Whichever way he
turned, there seemed to be before him that tall form,
that shrug of the shoulders, that head of black curls,
that lower lip now and then pressing over the up
per one, and those unusually penetrating eyes which
seemed to look through and through him.
CHAPTER IV.
Something drew Julian Deveaux to church the
next Sabbath. As usual, he waited for John Mars
den at the close of the service.
“John, what do you suppose entices me to your
church?”
“Not having the faculty of mind reading, I am
unable to say.”
“It is not what you say that interests me. Do
not flatter yourself on that score, my dear boy. It
is your enthusiasm, your faith in yourself, your
faith in your faith that makes you positively fasci
nating. But tell me, why did you throw all that
scripture at me to-day? Why did you not give a
dose suited to the needs of your little flock? Just
think what energy you wasted on me. Why, I know
your Bible from cover to cover. I once had my
theological training, too. I was educated for a
Roman priest. I am quite sure no one in the world
has the opportunity and takes advantage of it, too,
that a Roman Catholic priest has for seeing just
what a hell this world is. I broke loose from
the prison, though, long before taking the final vows,
but to vary the montony of my monkish life while
in it, and to replenish my purse, I often played Fa
ther Confessor. Tales were poured into my ears
which should have made the dead rise and walk
the earth again. I began to read human nature as
it was, and is, and ever shall be. It showed me my-
self as I am: you, as you are, all other men as they
are. And Mother Eve, too, continues just the same
throughout all the ages.”
“I have a mother, therefore we shall not discuss
■women in that light.”
“I never knew my mother, as she died when I
was an infant. I am not speaking of mothers as
the yappear to dutiful sons. I am speaking of wo
men with whom I come in contact. Do you know—
and I’m not speaking egotistically, either—l have
never yet met a woman I cared a straw about catch
ing in my net, that I did not have completely, in
my spider’s w’eb in less than a month. That’s why
I’ve never married. If I had ever met a woman that
had enough individuality to despise me, I’d have
married her if it had cost me the greatest effort of
my life.”
“See here, Julian, I can’t imagine what’s coming
over you. Are you filled up on that horrible drug
again ? ’ ’
“Not a bit of it.”
“Then, if you care to have me walk with you you
must change the subject of our conversation.”
“Oh, my good boy, I like your frankness. It’s
refreshing. Absolutely nothing you could say to me
would ruffle the serenity of my mood or offend me
in the least. I don’t deny being one of the devil’s
own. I am just exactly what I seem to be. And I
am not worse than the average man in his inmost
heart, either. No matter with what kind of an ex
terior he may be covered, after all, a man is a man.
I tell you if circumstances and temptations come
at the right time, a man will fall under them every
time, no matter -what his professions of religion and
faith in the power of his God. All history proves
it. The most prominent Bible characters did so.
Look at David and Solomon and Peter, and in
fact, all the disciples when the great hour of trial
came, their faith held none of them. Explain such
contradictions.”
“There are many mysteries our human minds
cannot understand. Yet I do know this. The man
who sins and truly repents is all the more humble
and watchful of himself and feels more dependent
upon God’s strength than his own, since he realizes
that he has no strength within himself. Sin is like
a mountain black and towering in the darkness, but
when the sun shines upon it, it is glorified into
beauty. So, sin forgiven elevates the sinner upon a
mountain, glorified by God’s love. If David had
not lived a life of varied experiences, he could never
have written the wonderful Psalms. I thank God
that He has not yet seen best to place me under
any great temptation. Still I must tell you again
that I am not such an inexperienced boy as you
insist upon thinking me. I dare say you will be
somewhat surprised when I tell you that I, too, was
educated for a Roman Catholic priest.”
“Well, well, John, you almost take my breath
away. I knew there was some kind of a bond be
tween us. But if you were wise enough to come out
from under a creed of such superstition, why did you
take up another even less reasonable?”
“Julian, I am curious to know what your creed
is.”
“I do not think you would be any happier for
knowing my belief.”
“Yet, I insist.”
“It gives me no pleasure, I must admit, to believe
what I do, but it was forced upon me. You know
I spoke to you of having the unusual faculty of a
kind of second sight.”
“Yes.”
“Well, this came to me when I renounced Roman
Catholicism, and all other religions. It was the prin
cipal cause of my renouncing them. It came to me
in a dream. I dare say you will think I was under
the hallucination of my drug at the time, but I was
not. I was a model boy. I knew nothing of the
effects of narcotics, except from heresay.”
(Continued on page 16.)