The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1885-03-12
DARK DAYS.
BY HUGH CONWAY.
CHAPTER XVI

thih Shhpb"ls iHo hpHlbTo hulH ol lno nle
drama in which Philippa and played parts
20 painful, so full ol grief and even II
Frightened hy ray OF joy, OF Joy falla.
eious and of uncertain teuurp-these acts
have found little difficulty In descrlbingi
had simply 10 throw my mini back TO the
pictures OF tho past and reproduce them In
words The task, whether well or III done,
was not hard ono
But now, when In one moment and as II
by magic, everything changed; when sorrow "
seemed 10 DO simply sWept out OF our llyesi
when that poor wretchs abiect confession
OF guilt, forced from him In some mysterious
way not only left our whole future bright
and cloudless, but consigned to rest all the
ghosts NJ the past, whose shadowY forms
had hitherto logged our steps and denied NJ
tho happiness rightly due b. those who love
as We loved; now feel my shortcomings
Acutely, anl wish my pen was more power
ful than II H.
And vet word will describe tho statd OF
my own MIND As, when The list solemn
words were spoken by the judge-spoken In
avolce which showed emotion and distress
At being compelled TO condemn fellow
creature 10 death-I carried my fainting
wife rom the crowded, reeklng court. The
momentary sense Of rapture passed away
bowlldarment, sheer bewiderment, IN the
word for what was left / could not think
All my reasoning faculties had loft me, In
fact, believe that had Philippa not swooned,
and 30 needed my mechanically given care,
myself should have fallen sOnSeesS on that
Threshold which an hour before we crossed,
thinking we were going TO endlem misery.
remember this much, As | laid PHIL
ippa on one OF tho hard wooden benches In
the stone corridor kept repeating TO my.
SELF 'lnnooont, my love IL innocent; that
man IL guilty. suppose this continual re-
iteration was an cndeayrrtn lmpresa the
tremendous fact upon my brain, which for
y time WIS incleduous, and refused TO on
tertain H.
! threw up my wfo's veil and bathcd her
face with water, which was brought me by
n kindly policeman. Presently her eyes
opened and consciousness returRed she
ptroyo TO speak,
My presence Of mind was fast returning
Dearest whispered, las you love, me not
word In this place, In minute we will
leave n "
She was obedlont; but knew from the
Wild look OF JOY In hor eyes that obedience
taakod hor 10 tho utmost She was soon able
20 rise, aud then We walked from the court,
pushed our way through the crowd who
waited In tho street buslly discussing tho
sudden termination 20 tho trial. threw our.
solves Into cab and In another moment
wore alternately weeping and laughing in
each others arms
II was, however, but for q momont. The
Inn 30 which wo drove was close 40 hand.
There We wore shown into room and were
at last FREQ 10 givo tho fullest won't TO our
pcnt up feelings
II would bo absurd for mo 10 attempt 10
reproduce our words, our sIointod exclama-
tionl II would be sncrilosi for mo 10 do.
scribe the toart mat we shol, th, embraces,
tho loving r,rcasea we laylshid ON each
other. TOug Of us an hour, one short hour
agoi Tf'ny Of ua nowl This cur8o laid
upon us ~ that awful night removed for.
eVeri Our socrt kept, or secrecy II stll
advisable, no longer absolutely n1odfu
fhllippa, In spite Of all had seen In spite
ofall she hnd told mo on that night when |
found hor, Wild, distracted woman, In n
storm the wild 80 that years have known
guiltless Of her husbands doathl Innocent,
not only aa she had In my eyes always bocn,
but also, what was far more, innocent IN her
own cyrN
Small wonder that for ncarly an hour wo
nat with our arms twined aroupl each other,
aud used frw words which were more than
rapturous oxcnmttlons Of love aud joy
Thcrpl cannot, viii not describe the
sconc NOR, FULLY, viii say no more, OK.
copt this; whom at last We grow calmcr,
Phllippa turned to mo- and once moro saw
terror gathering In her oyos,
"Basil, sho said, "ia II truo--lt must bo
truer'
"Truel Of course II is,n
"Thnt man, tho prisoner, could not have
pleaded guilty when no was lnnocont,n
"Why should hel II meant death TO him.
poor wretchn
'But why did he oonteSsr
"who can tolli Romoro may have urged
him IN do No."
Philippa roso and hcr noxt words were
spoken quickly and with oxcItomont
"No, I lid not do H. The thought, the
dream haunted me, but did not bolIOyo II
until heard these mon talk OF tho way ho
died. Then II all came back 10 mo- The
mad storm, tho dcad man over whom ]
stood; even then don't think actually
beloved H. II was when you told mo how
you founl mo that lost all hope,n
"Doarcst, forgive mo, | should have bo.
loved In the impoasibility Of the not even In
your doirum, oven II ! had soen II done
Philippa, say you forgive me,'
She threw her arms around mo- "BaaIl,
my husband sho whispered, ''you have
done much Tor me, do ono thing moro, find