The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-13

human impulses, and turned his back upon her
and strobe resolutely forward.
But be did no GO far. A few yards. and he
halted. His better instincts had revolted.
There was short but mighty battle. Strahan
faced about
No; come what might. he could not find it in
him to go away, and leave her to die there
alone. Lilith's death-warrant was sealed. He
faced about, recovered in breathing space
the distance he had gained whipped off his
coat, wrapped it close around the old womans
body lifted her tenderly in his arms and started
upon the shortest cut that he knew of out of the
park.
His progress was slow The wind blew
gale in his teeth, and made it hard work to
breathe The old woman was an awkward
burden. He had to stop every now and then,
to shift her position and get better purchase.
Besides, cold. hunger, and anxiety had told
upon his physical resources and he was not
muscular fellow at his best His heart felt like
dead weight in his bosom. The pain had given
place to a numb ache. His mental faculties,
also. seemed to have lost their edge. His mind
had fed upon the thought of Liith's doom, until
1t could hold no more and had sunken into a
torpor. He labored along, conscious of little
save his bodily discomfort The wind cut his
cheeks, his arms were cramped, and he had to
pant for breath.
But at last he left the park behind him-came
out upon Eighth avenue at Eighty fifth street
He looked up and down for a lighted window.
There was none in sight. The few struggling
shops of the neighborhood had been closed.
Where should he go2 What should he do9
All at once he remembered that there was
police station in Eighty seventh street He
quickened his gait and ere long had reached the
station house.
The hands Of the statior-house clock marked
quarter toward IL when Strahan entered They
marked quarter past II before he got away.
To begin with, the officer in charge consumed
eternity in telegraphng for an ambulance; and
then another eternity was wasted while he re-
quired Strahan to write out a statement of ex-
actly where, when and how he had fallen in with
the woman, and to subscribe and swear to it with
due solemnity.
But finally Strahan was free. He did not
tarry to learn the extent of the old woman's in
juries. She was still unconscious when he left
AS he cleared the station-house vestibule ter
rible hope sprang to life within him. He had not
been absent more than three hours altogether
Perhaps-perbaps his fire had lasted longer than
he had thought it would! Certainly the fires
warmth had outlasted the fire itself. Perhaps it
was not yet too late
He ran. Hope endowed him with fresh vigor
He ran at q break-neck speed up Eighth avenue.
He turned into Ninety-fourth street. Yes
thank God!-the grocers shop on the corner was
still open. Into the grocers shop, ike a mad
man, he dashed. A few frantic gestures, a fut-
tering five dollar billiard again he in the
street, now bearing great bucketful OF coal and
kindline-wood.
But before his studio door he halted and hest
He was afraid to enter-afraid to lift the curtain
and confront the truth The probabilities had
now reversed themselves in his mind. Three
hours, three mortal hours! In that time what q
vast tragedy the cold had had leisure to enact
His eyesght penetrated the solid wall of the
house, and beheld within scene of nameless
havoc. But his hesitation was short-lived. 1t
yielded to the stolidity of despair. He unlocked
the door and crossed the threshold. AS he did
SO, gust of wind extinguished the flame in the
lamp-post on the curbstone.
1t was pitch dark inside, and, as Strahan took
quick note colder even than without-cold in
more aggressive and assertive way But he did
not falter. He had resolved to face the worst,
whatever 1t might be, and at once he set about
doing so.
He scratched match. waited for the sulphur
to burn away, then lighted candle stuck in the
nozzle of an empty porter bottle. He watched
apd become clear and steady. He raised the
candle alofr fortified himself with deep breath,
turned around and looked at Lilith.
To all appearances she remained exactly as he
had left her-unchanged-.a bundle of white
cloths He stretched forth his hand and placed
it upon her shoulder. The cloths were frozen as
hard az iron.
These must be thawed out first of all
He went to his stove and felt of it, The fire
had evidently been dead long while. The stove
was stone-cold. He emptied into it the contents
of his bucket, and touched the mass with his
candle fame. By and by the heat began to tell.
Lilth's cerements began to melt.
One by one he stripped her Of them. At last
she stood before him. unveiled.
A superb piece Of work, indeed, she was.
Strahan had followed Rosetti's Interpretation of
the myth, and chosen to represent her at the mo-
ment of her expulsion from Eden. Her opuent
hair flowed in wild disorder down her back Her
wide-open eyes, hef parted lips, her cenched
fingers, her attitude at once terrified and defiant,
all combined to express the despair and the fury
of the scorned and forsaken woman. Paradise
lay behind her. before her the unknown world,
from which she sank aghast Her exquisitely
modelled limbs were rigid with fear All the
sehsuousness. all the passion, had vanished from
her face Its beautiful features were eloquent of
the woe, the hatred, and the horror that were
burning IN her heart
But now what a pitiful wreck she was! At
the touch of the cold she had become grim
carcature Of herself. The clay, in freezing.
had, of course, expanded and contracted I'M
equally. A deep fssure at the corner of her
mouth stretched like saber-cut across her cheek,
and gave her the semblance of grotesque laugh
ter. Another fissure, starting just above her
breast ran zigzag down her body, and disclosed
the iron supports within. third encircled her
waist, like girdle. Here and there her surface
had begun to peal off in scales.
Strahan for while stood petrifed, staring at
her with dull. smitten eyes Then he flung him
self upon the floor. and, dumb though he was
deep moan burst from his throat
The fire roared in the stove. The air of the
room grew warmer and warmer Clay, in thaw
ing, undergoes a process of dissolution. Pres
emily, with soft thud, Lilith fattened herself
out upon the ground.
In letter written some ten months later
Strahan says SAT first thought I should go
mad. Weeks passed before ] was able to begin
10 work. / tried again and again to get to work.
but it was use 1t seemed as though my
powers had LETT me, never to come back. My
right hand had lost its cunning. received some
money about this time, and made up my mind
to change my studio. l got settled in a new
one toward the end of March, and started over
again. Useless My clay acted like a thing
possessed. was getting desperate, losing my
self respect What poor, incompetent, worth
less thing was, thought. But finally, late in
April, started the figure again. This time my
skill seemed to be born anew. Ever since, l
have been hard, very hard, at work. so that
within six weeks moreI shall have the clay model
finished and ready for the caster. y
Nov, what seemed, less chan year ago, an