Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-02-13

neat mOOO, seemed SuOOenly 10 SHOW ulIu
the promise of rich, free, bounteously
lavished gifts. At last! at last! She had
starved him hitherto; goaded him, pressed
him hard; allowed him to slip into depths
from which the better half of his soul re-
coiled; cursed him with temperament
in which binding follies could, under
circumstances, rise like blood-red cloud
before the vision. But if now she turn
ed toward him in her rich caprice, if she
gave him this boon!
The transition from the glaze Of the
street to the cool darkness of the little
drawing room was dazzling for mo-
ment. He saw Bertha, wealth in white
garments, rise, and he felt the fugative
touch of her hand. There was some
one else in the room. A man. Miss
Ellworth turned to offer an introduction.
Pen6eld's pupils had adjusted them
selves by this time. He saw distinctly
who the man was. An almost impercep-
tible suspension of expression showed
him that the other gave him chance to
ignore former acquaintance if he chose.
Penield did not avail himself of the
chance.
ssMr. Ives and I have met BEFORE he
said.
He understood the whole situation,
intuitively, at once. There is look in
woman's face when she is surprised in
the presence of the man she loves which
no man, the more if he loves her him
self, mistakes. That dual consciousness,
always SO prominent in Pepfeld, made
him wonder, heetingly, at his own calm
ness.
Il did not expect to meet you here"
he said.
81 have been here two MONTHS" Ives
replied.
Penfeld remained every moment of
the time that conventional call re-
quired, and he and Ives talked during
the interval. Bertha Ellworth, as he
finally got up, put out tremulous hand.
She had nothing to blame herself for. If
her inexperience had mistaken for one
brief moment-a feeting emotion for the
coming of the king-other women have
gone through that same episode as many
times without pangs of conscience. But
Bertha Ellworth's soul was of finer fibre.
Penfield walked straight through the
broad sleeping streets of the moonlit
town out into the burning country. Over
the hot fields one reached the cliffs; from
the cliffs of the white rocks one saw the
sea. There Penfeld stood some little
time with unseeing eyes that fixed the
rippled cobalt blue, against which the
sunlight struck in diamond sparks, then
suddenly threw up both arms and dashed
himself face downward on the ground.
From such mad frenzies of rebellion
against fate it is our wont to turn With
all the disapproval of sanctifed re-
spectibility. If a man has any strength
of character he accepts the inevitable
like man. This is our verdict followed
by shutting of the lips with an expres-
sion which one may designate as the
personally saved one" one. But if
man has not your strength of mind and
character, oh, my brother, what then?
Penfeld, torn, rent asunder, cheated, as
it appeared to his blinded senses, by that
luxuriant moon which had glared on with
a horrible meretricious Indifference to his
despair, raised his clinched hands to
heaven, like Lucifer, the fallen star.
Life had been against him from the first |!
He had stumbled, he had sinned, he had
tried to redeem himself, he had done
what he could, hehad prayed, hoped, had
faith; a golden vision had flashed across
his sight to lure him on, he had loved,
and now she had been snatched from
him-fascinated, drawn away, by the
man to whose magnanimity he owed
everything-the very breath he was now
able to breathe free under the vault of
the sky! And that man had everything
already. Integrity, purity of life, success.
all-compelling charm. Do you think
that thought made the cross easier? Nay,
a thousand times harder! You turn
with horror from the man I draw? II
make him no better than he was.
When the daylight was nearly gone
Penfield got up and walked back over
the refreshed fields. He stumbled slightly
at times, as one may who is dazed.
He had to cross the railroad track as
he got back to the town. As he ap-
preached the slightly depressed embank-
ment a horse and buggy appeared, near
ing it at the same time. Though it was
now almost dark, Penield recognized the
silhouette of Arther Ives in the driver.
Ives, he knew from what he had told
him that afternoon. had his temporary
quarters at the other side of the town.
Some one passing evidently spoke to him,
for the horse was suddenly reined in.
A second later sharp, shrieking whis-
tie rang through the gloom, The even
ing express was coming. Ives horse
plunged, reared, dashed forward. Taken
off his guard, with his rein hand relaxed
and his head turned to his interlocutor,
Ives made an Intellectual effort to check
the animal. At that very moment the
headlight Of the locomotive loomed up
the track like bulls eye and the night
was filed with a laundering rumble |
The horse now completely wild, careered
down the embankment
Who shall say what passed through |
Penfeld's brain in that unreasonable /
fash OF time? Was it simply the instinct |
Of man to save man? Was there, as |
drowning people are said to see all the
past in the twinkle Of q ~, percep-
hon OF tho psss dehk Z hsroic desire toi
payi il - q the pevsr 4 voluntary