Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-06-12

called to ask II you would be kind enough to
kind enough, A dollar Why, man, I'll
them"
/ sob, no, thanks. shall have some money
coming in next week. One will be ample, If you
Take this, anyhow" said Elliott, and thrust
upon the applicant a five-dOilar bill.
When Strahan babe Elliott goodbye, which
he did as soon as decency would permit, he saw
| by the clock on the paror mantel that it was
! halfpast nine-nearly an hour and a quarter
| ne calculated since he had left his studio
Dread sat heavily upon his heart, as he pursued
/ his march back. He ran till his breath gave
out; then he lapsed into a rapid walk. 1t was
colder than ever. The mercury, he guessed
papers next day reported that it had fallen to
A. below The moon itself looked pinched and
shrivelled The moonlight seemed like a va
poriZed form OF ice. Strahan's breath condensed
and froze upon his beard. His Imagination
acted as though bewitched. CHASTITY visions of
turning his blood to water. These alternate
with dazzling flashes OF hope, which. by the
| force of contrast. only served to aggravate his
mortal anguish.
Strahan had got about half way through the
Park-was trudging along a narrow foot-path.
hedged on either side by leafiess bushes-when
he became aware that he was not the only Pc
destrian abroad in this quarter OF the world;
heading him by rod or two, he could make
out the form of q woman, clad in some light
colored stuff that futtered in the wind and
caught silvery luster from the moon. She,
at spsed ee DC in the ,Tac
of his attention, and he fell to specializing Ian
guidly upon the possible nature of his travelling
companions GRAND. He wondered, with pas
slve curiosity, what she looked like, and
what her condition in lite might be and whether
was. He noticed that, despite her haste, she
advanced with somewhat uncertain footsteps,
as though tired and weak. Once. indeed she
sottered, as If on the point of falling. but then
recovered herself in time and hurried on. By
and by a turn in the path shut her from his
sight, and speedily, whatever passing fancies
she had aroused in his mine, took themselves of.
But pretty soon, he too had reached the turn
in the path, around which the woman had dis
appeared. Mechanically, he raised his eyes,
and sought her figure. She was nowhere to be
seen. He concluded that she had gained upon
him, and got lost TO view among the shadows
ahead. Or had he uncOnsciOusly slackened his
own pace and Jagged behind? Now, he cOnsci-
ously quickened IT,
Next instant his foot struck violently against
an obstacle on the grOund-something soft and
elastic, that would have felt like mass of In
dia-rubber, except for the strange, uncauny
thrill which it sent darling up his leg. He
looked downward. There before him, obiquely
across the path, with the moon shining iull
upon II, lay woman's body; this was the OBJ
stacie that his loot had encountered-the
woman, he had no doubt, who moment
tions
She was an old woman, with thin, gray hair,
and white, peaked lace, to which the moon
light lent a greenish tinge. She wore unsea-
sonable gown of faded yellow calico, and had no
wrap Her eyes, though wide open, appeared
fixed and sighIiess. A tiny stream OF blood
trickled from her forehead. Manifestiy, she had
fallen and hurt herself i'll doing So and swOOned.
Sne was plainly unconscious.
n pitabe and sickeniug spectacle all of
which Strahan took in glance. And
straightway there presented themselves for his
selection the two horns OF a madoening dill
emma.
Ii he should go about his business and leave
that woman alone there in that unfrequented
foot-path with the temperature such AS it was,
she would certainly freeze to death; and he
would be morally as bad as her murderer.
Ii, on the contrary he should do what in COM
bound % Ike har
upon his shoulders and bear her away tOa
place OF warmth and sheter-If he should do
this. in the meantime the fatal cold would
surely, all too surely, force entrance into his
studio, and effect the irretrievable ruin OF his
L1lith. The destruction OF Lilitif would
mean to Strahan Lot merely year lost from
his Iie 1t would mean the extinction of the
beauty that he had lovingly and laboriousIy
wrong MT out oi nolhingness; it would mean the
blight OF his sweetest hopes, the overthrow of
his proudest castles in the air: 1t would mean
God knows there is no telling ali that ii would
mean. An artists work is dearer to him tuan
his dearest friend. 1t is breath of his nostriis
bone OF his bone. To Strahan the destruction
OF Lilltn would mean pound of flesh cut
nearest TO his heart.
This was the dilemma that stared him merci-
leSsly in the lace, aud woke fierce, despairing
pain in his breast. He begrudged even the
Time that was needed for its consideration
Every second was priceless to him now. And
yet, he had TO chOOse-cnOOSe between his dar-
ling Llith and this unknown old woman
Well, he thought he had made up his mind
The &oman-she was old, she was poor She
was probably OF slight value in the worIdLher
death could not much matter-any how her
mishap was not his iault-wherefore should he
else would pass that way before it was too late.
perhaps-he threw out his arm, as If to ward OFT
his more human impulses, and turned his back
upon, and strobe resoluteiy forward.
But lie dld not so far. a few yards and he
halted. His better instincts had reyolted
There was short, but a mighty, battle. Stra-
han faced about.
No; come what might. he could not find it in
him 10 conway and leave her to die there alone
Ill xlaI Ii
about, recovered in u breathing space the dis
lance he had gained, whipped of his coat,
wrapped IL close around the old womans BODY
lifted her teuderly in his arms and started
upon the shortest cut that he knew OF, out of
the park.
HIS progress was slow. The wind blew q gale
IN ms teeth, and made ii hard work to breathe
Inc OLD woman was an awkward burden He
mad TO stop every now and then u SHIFT her
position and get a better purchase Besides
cOld hunger and anxiety had told upon his
ply sicai resources; and he was not q. muscular
Fellow at his best. His heart felt like a dead
weight in his bosom. The pain had given place
10 u numb ache. His mental faculties also
seemed 10 have lost their edge. His mind had
fed upon the thought of LiIith's doom. until it
could hold no more, and had sunken into a
torpor he labored along, conscious of little
save his bodily discomfort. The wiad cut his
cheeks; his arms were cramped, and he had to
pant Tor breath
But at last he left the park behind bim-came
OUT upon Sth avenue at Soth street. He looked
up and down Tor lighted window There was
hone In sign; The few struggling shops of the
u,
he so? What should he do?
All at once he remembered that there was a
police station in S7th street He uuickened his
gate, and ere long had reached tile station.
house.
The hands of the station house clock marked
quarter toward eleven when Strahan entered
They marked a quarter past eleven before he
got away. To begin WITH the officer liz charge
consumed an eternity in teiegraphing tor an
ambulance; and tlAn another eternity was
wasted while he required Strahan to write out
statement OF exactly where, when. and how
ne had fallen In with the woman, and to sub.
scribe and swear to 1T with due solemnity.
But finally Strahan was free. He did not
larry 10 learn the extent OF the old woman's in
juries. She was still unconscious when he left
As he cleared the station house vestibule a ter
ribe hope sprang to life within him. He had
not been absent more than three hours alto
gether. Perhaps-perhaps his fire had lasted
longer than he had thought 1t would, Ger
tainiy the fires warmth had outiasted the fire
Itself. Perhaps 1t was not yet too late!
he ran. Hope endowed him with fresh yigor
lie ran at break neck speed up 9Th avenue. He
turned into oath street. Yes-thank God!-the
grocers shop on the corner was still OPEN Into
the grocers shop, like a mailman, he dashed
few frantic gestures, f1uttering five-dollar
Dlll-and again he was in the street, now bear
ing great bucketful of coal and kindling wood
But before his studio door, he halted and
hesitated. Hope and courage suddenly forsOok
him. He was afraid to enter-afraid to lift
the curtain and confront the truth The prob
Abilities mad now reversed themselves in his
mind. Three hours, three mortal hours, In
that time what u vast tragedy the cold had