Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1883-10-18


is Joe better?" stammered Phil
'EDOes he know
''He knows everything, and perhaps
he's better. Oh, Phil! Philr' Polly
depressed her sobs, and motioned Phil
to the door. HE is determined [ shall
try and get some sleep, and that you
shall watch him for a while. As If
could sleep! But 60 to him, Phil; don't
thwart him-go!''
Phil went in to Joe. He will never
forget the low-ceiled room, the two
wooden chairs, the pine table, whereon
a mop of ragged wick fared from
saucer of oil. the bottle of liquor within
reach, and the coarse green glass, the
grim old clock in the corner, ticking off
the seconds, and Joe's CHASTITY face and
motiOnless form upon the camp cot in
the corner. Joe tried to stretch out his
hand to Phil, but it fell back heavily
upon the patchwork quilt of the land
lady.
''You did your best, Phil" he said;
you brought me ashore, but the trouble
was done out there; something seized
me, God knows what paralysis,
cramps, palsY-who can tell? Any
way, I'm done for, old man. 1 can't
move a muscle below. It's amere ques-
ton of time, Phil, and we can't afford
to lose any,
81 hope you're wrong, Joe; Wen
know better when the doctor comes.
You were right not to tell Polly. But
she must come to you, Joe.
Phil would have gone at once for
Polly, but something in JOe's face held
him back.
Hold on bit, Phil. I didn't send
for you and drive Polly away to tell you
something that you'll both know soon
enough. There's burden on my con-
science, Phil; it's been lying there like
plummet of lead all these years. Lis
ten and don't interrupt me if you can
help it. Give me some of that stuff
from the bottle, and when I grow
weaker give me more. ="
Phil lifted Joe's head and put the
glass to his lips; then he sat down
upon the edge of the cot, leaving his
arm between Joe's neck and the pillow.
Joe could feel Pills pulse now, and the
loyal heart of his friend beating close
to his own.
"It's twenty-five years, Phil" said
Joe, ''since that night we drove down
to the shore here and had that talk to-
gether. You remember it, PHILIP"
Eyes, joe"
''Ah! you've remembered it too well,
Phil; I've tried hard enough. God
knows, to make you forget. The sun
was sinking over yOnder in the west,
and sky and sea were all afame. Some
fleecy clouds dropped low over the old
shed where we had ordered some CLAIMS.
I remember when I saw Polly that
night. The dress she wore was like a
stab to me; it was of some soft floating
material that reminded me of the wool
ly clouds over the old shed. You didn't
eat the CLAIMS, Phil You dallied with
the shells, and turned them over with
the queer old fork they had given you.
And all at once you put them aside, and
lighted a cigar, and turned your face to
the sea, and began to talk of a woman
you secretly loved. Now give me some
wine, Phil.
Phil put the glass again to Joe's lips.
Don't talk any more, Joe," he said.
''Let me 90 for Polly
''Not yet" said Joe. ''You were a
handsome fellow, Phil, twenty-five years
ago. As you went on to talk of the
woman yOn secretly loved, some sort of
light shOne upon your face from the
splendOr in the west that made it like
that of anarchan9el. It seemed to me
that no woman could withstand you.
My heart grew like lump of ice. My
first thought was to walk out in the wa
ter and strangle myself; my next was
worthy of Judas Iscariot. 1t was re-
solve to betray you. l must have been
tempted by the devil, for, as God is my
Judge in this awful moment Of my life,
[ never dreamed before that night that
you and l were in love with the one
| woman. l got upon my feet and
shouted, she is mine!' glaring upon you
with a dOgged, resOlute stare. Have
you, then, asked her to marry you?' you
said, and your face still looked like an
archangel's, while mine must have been
infamed with the passions that beset a
man beyond his strength. As I repeated:
| She is my promised wife, the words
seemed to leap from q throat of fire; it
was the first downright, hideous, mali
cious lie I ever uttered, for [ had not
yet asked her-I had not yet asked her;
| but when l did ask her, upon that very
night, the next lie slipped easily from
my perjured throat, though il was a
worse one by far. For l told, Polly,
| Phil told her before | asked her to
marry me-that you had confessed to me
your love for her friend, the poor little
girl that afterward became our bride
maid. Whether it was my guilty con-
science, that makes hell enough for any
man, I fancied 1 saw something in
PolIy's eyes that told me, had it not
been for my treachery, your chance
would have been better than mine.
Now take your arm away from my neck,
Phil, and curse meif you will-my story
is done"
The pulse at Joe's ear leaped and
tugged as if it would burst an artery,
but Pills voice had the old tender
ring.
You might have spared yourself all
this" he said. Il think Polly has
proved who it was she loved
''Ah, after that night, Phil. yes.
Polly is not the kind of a woman to
make the misery of men. Butt cheated
you of your chance-I cheated YOU OF