Smyrna times., 1886-03-03
A Life for a Life.

He went into his private Office and
closed the door behind him. He did
not trouble to lock it. What was the
use In moment or two more all the
prying glances. all the inimical presence
of other human lives against his own
would be as nothing. They might dis
cover what they chose. As for that, the
discovery was already made But again,
what matter? He would be beyond
the reach of it all in another minute of
time.
He opened his desk and balanced the
cold steel of the weapon in his hand
Even Mt that instant his subjective
metap lysical. temperament, too COM
ple'e'y wrought. asserted itself and he
ha a fleeting feeling, looking at the
polished barrel as though it were a
sentieat thing; and in the grip of its
sc ly, death-ike quiescence supreme,
conscious potentialities seem to lurl,
cruaching and ready to spring
Then he raises his hand slowly. He
rm-el an imnerceptible interval of
tine with the cold, circular pressure
AGAINST his temple. Then closed his
eye7.
\ blow like that of hammer hurled
iac', the uplitted hand. The detona-
ii ~ filed the room with sharp, deafen-
i'g reverbera.iOn and the density of
Slowly clearing smoke Through the
"ul between them, Arthur Ives met
P.''iieIds eye with a steady gaze.
FArn. MS the realization of what he
hal been wrenched back to face rushed
o.r the latter, he raised his clenched
fist:
" How dare you! How dare you :
Wat had you to Go here ?"
The other never lost his calmness.
" Take care. Don't be abusive. I've
saved you from being coward-that's
ALL
And what have you saved me for /:
To drink my disgrace to the dregs ?
To"
Stop! I've saved you to give you
the chance of redeeming yourself. I
believe yOu are an honest man in spite
"f-thnse accounts. No one knows of
t"m but myself yet. And no one shall
j 'oW. I give you n fair start. You cln
bin over again. You have ability
""'aEh. Yau can commence anywhere
'.~l aud make your mark"
Ives hal spoken in level, unmoved
vFc He leaned slightly against the
''+n and raised one hand to his upper
liz Penfeld stood opposite him. The
one was fair of superb physical
strength, lightly carried; homogeneous.
az one with himself, bearing the stamp
OF success in his clear eyes, in the un.
conscious, perfect ease of every motion.
Tne other tempest-tossed, driven by
temptations, by clashing instincts of
goot and evil, looking older, though in
reality the younger, his dark eyes rest
l"7s with inner conflicts, his hair
sre'ked here and there with gray with
~ the lust few months. An instant
Pt.iicd eaal steadily at his bene-
Lc"s- "ce. Justice in the worlds
a'ysses would scarcely Indicate the
distance between these two!
Why do you do this for me ?" he
then said slowly Il have done moth
ing for you but defraud you to the ex-
tent Of several thousands"
Il have told you why 1 did it. Be.
cause believe you to be an honest man
Notwithstanding. As to the deficit I
will make it up now. If ever you can
pay me back, very well. "
That same night Penfeld. his past
wiped out behind him, left New York.
When we say that mans past has
been wiped out behind him, we use q
figure of speech The words, the acts
the attitudes we have spoken, done,
taken, which we have thrown to the foul
winds Of heaven, hoping for their ami.
hilation, return upon us in q cloud Of
cohesive atoms, accompanying us by
day and by night forming an impalp
able part Of our personality. There arc
times when we forget the doggine
shadow. To some natures it is rarely
perceptible load. Penfeld's was not o
that type His past had become
functional part of his consciousness
1t was a crouching presence he la,
buried deep, but every now and then j
stirred with a sluggish, creeping mo
ton that turned him cold and SCENE,
ready to leap.
OF late, q more healthy tone, though
had taken possession Of his mind. Tbes
intervening years had been morall
rehalyilitatiRg. He had prospered h
held his head with frmer poise. Wor
had purified life. There were moment
when he felt that strenuous atonemen
might truly pass an obliterating spong
over the stigma Of past degradation
He perhaps did not know himself ho'
much oftener these glimpses Of a blesse
mirage had come to him since he Ia
met Bertha Ellworth. She seemed
make all things possible. In the pur
light Of her radiant eyes the base allo
OF ones nature slipped away as dis
figuring garment The soul stoo