The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1884-08-30
urning to the window, ate a few mouthfuls

OF dismay; hers as she sat within the room
sas not clearly visible, but her attitude was
calm and undisturbed. He sighed and came
back quietly to sit beside her. But his
quietness was or short duration. He asked,
after few minutes, Would you not like to
go out upon the roof ave shall have to do
it sooner or later, and don't think we should
feel quite 80 much imprisoned"
"Oh yes, let us go. Is there trap door!"
II don't think there Is looked just now.
But can get up through the window-the
roof is close above-and then / can help you"
He set his foot on the window sill, and
thrust his head and shoulders through the
narrow opening.
"Oh, yes, it is quite easy. But how it
blowsi We had better have some of those
shawls"
She brought them and handed them out,
watched him draw himself up, and then
mounted in her turn from box to window
ledge, and, reaching her hanGs upward, found
herself lifted safely to the summit.
The surge of wind and water was terrific;
her hat. was blown away at once and she was
blinded by her hair. When she had freed
her face and drawn up her shawl over her
head she was able to perceive that the roof
was formed Of two long parallel gables, and
that between them, at each end, stack of
chimneys rose from a solid platform. They
went forward to the more sheltered group
and sat down on the block of brickwork at
the base. They had before them
the wide, desolate expanse of waters;
below them torrents ran laundering
between dwelling and out-houses, and
in the pauses Of the cannonade that beat the
walls and of the rushing and rending sounds
within, they heard southern wind drifting
with sighs between the chimneys. There was
no token of life, no light, no sound of hope.
Yet they felt sense of relief and freedom in
being here, where they could see and know
what was Detailing.
"Oh, that is betterl" said she, and lifted up
her face to breathe the fresher air.
"One would say" said he, watching the
dark cameo of her face, as it detached itself
from the straight line of masonry, "that you
had kind of enjoyment of all this"
"In sense l have. There is so much space
and power. And there is the feeling of hav-
ing for once put action and responsibility out
Of ones hands There is nothing now which
it can possibly be ones duty to do"
"You don't feel any fear of death, then?"
II fear it physically, of course-the actual
drowning and choking -ah, don't let us talk
of it. But at least we shall have had this
hour of freedom and rest.
II could bear it BETTER" he returned, "if
there were any element of struggle. To sit
| still'in cage until death chooses to come
an put an end to you-that's terrriblel"
| She turned toward him and seemed to con-
! slider his point of view until it became hers,
| for she shuddered and said at is horribler
| There was silence again between them for
little while. Again, when her face was
bent forward he was able to watch its out
line. Surely she was younger than he had
supposed.
"What made you staya" he asked suddenly.
She hesitated little.
| "What made youa"
Il hardly knew, more than what said
that nobody cared much whether did or
not, and that did not care much myself
But | am older than you, and have had
about as much out of life as it will ever give
| me-
II don't think that it need be question OF
age how much ones life is worth. Mine did
not matter to any one, either; and it was not
very easy or hopeful for myself. I had
wanted SO much, and had to learn that
| must do with so little. OF course it is not
| noble to care so much about ones own petty
happiness, but ohi one does carei And then
all at once, here was way of escape, not
selfish, but to help happier people, and
it seemed the key to everything when you
stood up in the Doat and said that you would
stay"
"Yet," said he, 81 could not help wonder
ing as we stepped out, whether what we
were really giving to those young lovers wa.
only time to lose their love for each other
even in remembrance. For death can only
destroy the future, but life can destroy the
past, too."
"Are you sorry, then, that you staidin
There was a little note of mockery in tht
question, or his conscience created it.
"No. it seemed the thing to do One cal
but act in the present. And even il a maj
could know certainly that death would keey
their love for them, and life would lose it, b.
could harly bring himself to say, Then le
death come 1t takes Apollo to give deatl
when he is asked for the best gift. But yet
what chance for two lovers to have die
together sol"
She drew rather deeper breath and mad
no spoken tnswer.
Down at the far horizon the late moon wa
rising, vague and cloudy. A ghostly light
bringing in its wake mysterious shadows
spread slowly as the moon drowsily lifte,
herself and dropped the mists from he
shoulders. The man, looking down, in thi
clearer light, to the water, started and said
ut is coming up much faster"
She stopped and looked. Then their ewes
lifting, sought each other. Both faces wer
pale in the moonlight. On both sat tn
human shrinking from this upward crawlin,
fate Yet it was something to see each other
"How long is it to morningp she asked.
He drew out his watch, but there came
cloud across the moon and they had to wait
at is just past II, said he.
Perhaps they will come out by moon
light"
"Perhaps." said he But neither of then
had any trust in the hope.
He had seen in the moment when the
looked at each other that she was indee
younger than his first suppositioI, thoug
hardly so young as his second She nigh
be Is. 1t was not the face of a girl. Sb
had returned to her former position an
now, leaning back against the chimney
lifted up her face to the sky. Her eve
were closed and her lips drawn in. Their
!. was but time to look once before the Lin
! curved again into smile and the eyes opene
, TO a calm gaze
, The man sitting by her heard the changin
and deepening tone of the water as it cam
up and up.
@You are too young for this" said he al
, ruptly.
! His voice had changed and deepened lik
the tone of the water.
@No no." she answered after a momen
, HDon't trouble about me-"
Al do trouble about you It's horribl,
horribie!"
She again kept silence for little spact
then she sail "When heard you say tina
in the boat, and get up to stay, felt SUI
denly as if it was a cruel thing not to sta
: with you, too, as well as to save them"
: She had been obliged to speak tho La