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第11节

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that he spent much of his time in sport。 And they were right;

though they never would have dreamed of the nature of the

sport; even if they had seen him running coyotes in

night…chases over the hills of Mill Valley。 Neither were the

schooner captains believed when they reported seeing; on cold

winter mornings; a man swimming in the tide…rips of Raccoon

Straits or in the swift currents between Goat island and Angel

Island miles from shore。



In the bungalow at Mill Valley he lived alone; save for Lee

Sing; the Chinese cook and factotum; who knew much about the

strangeness of his master; who was paid well for saying

nothing; and who never did say anything。 After the satisfaction

of his nights; a morning's sleep; and a breakfast of Lee

Sing's; James Ward crossed the bay to San Francisco on a midday

ferryboat and went to the club and on to his office; as normal

and conventional a man of business as could be found in the

city。 But as the evening lengthened; the night called to him。

There came a quickening of all his perceptions and a

restlessness。 His hearing was suddenly acute; the myriad

night…noises told him a luring and familiar story; and; if

alone; he would begin to pace up and down the narrow room like

any caged animal from the wild。



Once; he ventured to fall in love。 He never permitted himself

that diversion again。 He was afraid。 And for many a day the

young lady; scared at least out of a portion of her young

ladyhood; bore on her arms and shoulders and wrists divers

black…and…blue bruisestokens of caresses which he had

bestowed in all fond gentleness but too late at night。 There

was the mistake。 Had he ventured love…making in the afternoon;

all would have been well; for it would have been as the quiet

gentleman that he would have made lovebut at night it was the

uncouth; wife…stealing savage of the dark German forests。 Out

of his wisdom; he decided that afternoon love…making could be

prosecuted successfully; but out of the same wisdom he was

convinced that marriage as would prove a ghastly failure。 He

found it appalling to imagine being married and encountering

his wife after dark。



So he had eschewed all love…making; regulated his dual life;

cleaned up a million in business; fought shy of match…making

mamas and bright…eyed and eager young ladies of various ages;

met Lilian Gersdale and made it a rigid observance never to see

her later than eight o'clock in the evening; run of nights

after his coyotes; and slept in forest lairsand through it

all had kept his secret safe save Lee Sing 。 。 。 and now; Dave

Slotter。 It was the latter's discovery of both his selves that

frightened him。 In spite of the counter fright he had given the

burglar; the latter might talk。 And even if he did not; sooner

or later he would be found out by some one else。



Thus it was that James Ward made a fresh and heroic effort to

control the Teutonic barbarian that was half of him。 So well

did he make it a point to see Lilian in the afternoons; that

the time came when she accepted him for better or worse; and

when he prayed privily and fervently that it was not for worse。

During this period no prize…fighter ever trained more harshly

and faithfully for a contest than he trained to subdue the wild

savage in him。 Among other things; he strove to exhaust himself

during the day; so that sleep would render him deaf to the call

of the night。 He took a vacation from the office and went on

long hunting trips; following the deer through the most

inaccessible and rugged country he could findand always in

the daytime。 Night found him indoors and tired。 At home he

installed a score of exercise machines; and where other men

might go through a particular movement ten times; he went

hundreds。 Also; as a compromise; he built a sleeping porch on

the second story。 Here he at least breathed the blessed night

air。 Double screens prevented him from escaping into the woods;

and each night Lee Sing locked him in and each morning let him

out。



The time came; in the month of August; when he engaged

additional servants to assist Lee Sing and dared a house party

in his Mill Valley bungalow。 Lilian; her mother and brother;

and half a dozen mutual friends; were the guests。 For two days

and nights all went well。 And on the third night; playing

bridge till eleven o'clock; he had reason to be proud of

himself。 His restlessness fully hid; but as luck would have it;

Lilian Gersdale was his opponent on his right。 She was a frail

delicate flower of a woman; and in his night…mood her very

frailty incensed him。 Not that he loved her less; but that he

felt almost irresistibly impelled to reach out and paw and maul

her。 Especially was this true when she was engaged in playing a

winning hand against him。



He had one of the deer…hounds brought in and; when it seemed he

must fly to pieces with the tension; a caressing hand laid on

the animal brought him relief。 These contacts with the hairy

coat gave him instant easement and enabled him to play out the

evening。 Nor did anyone guess the while terrible struggle their

host was making; the while he laughed so carelessly and played

so keenly and deliberately。



When they separated for the night; he saw to it that he parted

from Lilian in the presence or the others。 Once on his sleeping

porch and safely locked in; he doubled and tripled and even

quadrupled his exercises until; exhausted; he lay down on the

couch to woo sleep and to ponder two problems that especially

troubled him。 One was this matter of exercise。 It was a

paradox。 The more he exercised in this excessive fashion; the

stronger he became。 While it was true that he thus quite tired

out his night…running Teutonic self; it seemed that he was

merely setting back the fatal day when his strength would be

too much for him and overpower him; and then it would be a

strength more terrible than he had yet known。 The other problem

was that of his marriage and of the stratagems he must employ

in order to avoid his wife after dark。 And thus; fruitlessly

pondering; he fell asleep。



Now; where the huge grizzly bear came from that night was long

a mystery; while the people of the Springs Brothers' Circus;

showing at Sausalito; searched long and vainly for 〃Big Ben;

the Biggest Grizzly in Captivity。〃 But Big Ben escaped; and;

out of the mazes of half a thousand bungalows and country

estates; selected the grounds of James J。 Ward for visitation。

The self first Mr。 Ward knew was when he found him on his feet;

quivering and tense; a surge of battle in his breast and on his

lips the old war…chant。 From without came a wild baying and

bellowing of the hounds。 And sharp as a knife…thrust through

the pandemonium came the agony of a stricken doghis dog; he

knew。



Not stopping for slippers; pajama…clad; he burst through the

door Lee Sing had so carefully locked; and sped down the stairs

and out into the night。 As his naked feet struck the graveled

driveway; he stopped abruptly; reached under the steps to a

hiding…place he knew well; and pulled forth a huge knotty

clubhis old companion on many a mad night adventure on the

hills。 The frantic hullabaloo of the dogs was coming nearer;

and; swinging the club; he sprang straight into the thickets to

meet it。



The aroused household assembled on the wide veranda。 Somebody

turned on the electric lights; but they could see nothing but

one another's frightened faces。 Beyond the brightly illuminated

driveway the trees formed a wall of impenetrable blackness。 Yet

somewhere in that blackness a terrible struggle was going on。

There was an infernal outcry of animals; a great snarling and

growling; the sound of blows being struck and a smashing and

crashing of underbrush by heavy bodies。



The tide of battle swept out from among the trees and upon the

driveway just beneath the onlookers。 Then they saw。 Mrs。

Gersdale cried out and clung fainting to her son。 Lilian;

clutching the railing so spasmodically that a bruising hurt was

left in her finger…ends for days; gazed horror…stricken at a

yellow…haired; wild…eyed giant whom she recognized as the man

who was to be her husband。 He was swinging a great club; and

fighting furiously and calmly with a shaggy monster that was

bigger than any bear she had ever seen。 One rip of the beast's

claws had dragged away Ward's pajama…coat and streaked his

flesh with blood。



While most of Lilian Gersdale's fright was for the man beloved;

there was a large portion of it due to the man himself。 Never

had she dreamed so formidable and magnificent a savage lurked

under the starched shirt and conventional garb of her

betrothed。 And never had she had any conception of how a man

battled。 Such a battle was certainly not modern; nor was she

there beholding a modern man; though she did not know it。 For

this was not Mr。 James J。 Ward; the San Francisco business man;

but one; unnamed and unknown;

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