Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-02-04
xa.-Ga7zsaa - 81 seessesa7g
ysE .l:s,::4S .:%:: .s;s Y. sess.:4t III
@ ~s'ss Y. 4 -: IA S-~' f~9S
\. -DLESS.Sasrsi n ly,-,Tg -:
BrefoD
BY CHARLES ]. BELLAMY.
Copyrighted by the Author, and published
by arrangement with him
BY CHARLES J. BELLAMY.
CHAPTER XII.
A NEW GALATEA.

red spot on either cheek, and her eyes seemed
preternaturally large and bright. At first
he fancied it was out of joy at seeing him.
Then she smiled as If she had not thought of
it before, but with "a strange gentleuess that
was intensely pathetic.
"You don't come as often as you used, but
You have always been very good and kind to
me, Philip She said vaguely, as II rehears-
ing the virtues Of the departed,
His heart came into his throat, and he
could not speak. Was this her coming back
to himi 1t was more like II funeral. She
motioned him to sit near her, and then start
ed and seemed to listen
"Have been very cold and hard with you,
Philip, when yon wanted me TO love your
She laid her hot fingers on his hand but her
eyes wandered lingeringly around the parlor
walls.
at is nothing, my own sweetheart he an
swercd her anXiously; "only say you love me
now"
Sho did not seem to hear him. ~ must
have made you suffer. l did not understand,
you know, what it all meant
She had taken his hand and bent over
toward him with n troubled look ON her face.
She rested one hand on his shoulder, and her
lips almost touched his forehead.
''Do you forgive me- She said softly, and
yet her voice was as dispassionate as an
angels whisper.
"Why, there is nothing to forgive" Philip
answered, his words of love frozen on his
lips, there was something so terrible in the
mysterious mood that was upon her but
do you remember" he added with forced
smile, "what you promised for tomorrow
"To-morrowf' she drew back from him
fearfully: Tomorrow she repeated as il
the word had some mystery in it. "liaye
promised You anything for tomorrow"
II was not Bertha Ellingsworth at all, as
he had known her--it was rather as lie
had dreamed she might be- In the common
est of women are elements of character,
germs of emotions, that in their height and
fused together can glorify her to a creature
of resistless power and dignity, with holy fire
shining in her face. 1t is the sleeping god
dess men worship in women, for worship is
the truest form of love, and when that wor-
ship is lost the part of love for which man
would make a hero of himself and rise above
every groveling faint in his nature is lost,
too. A woman may sin and not repent; she
may seem us shallow as tho surf on the shin
ing snnd just before its ebb, but so long as a
man believes in the goddess i'll her he waits
on her folly, he strives to gid over her sin
in enrolling reverence for her possibilities.
"Wby, tomorrow was the day you prom
ised to let me talk Off
81 remember She drew back from him
and clasped her white hands for a moment
over her forehead; land have you been
thinking n great deal of iti'
'"Why not tonight, Bertha" he begged in
sudden fervor.
But she started to her feet like one in NOR
tai terror "Oh no, not to-nightl'
Then she came near him again, and looked
down with now sad smile as he held her
hand to his lips. "You don't mind very
much, do yout l am not very much of "A
woman really" she said wistfully "if it
wasn't for the habit you have fallen into"
Then she glanced at the clock on thu
mantel.
She followed him to the door.
''How sad the moonlight is. am afraid
of it," she said as she held out her hand to
him.
Then he heard broken voice coming, it
seemed long way to his ears.
''Oh, Philip aren't You going to kiss me
good-good nightf
His passion he had thought crushed came
over him ina storm. He gathered her yield
ing form in his arms as if he never would
lose her again, and kissed her trembling, an
swering lips dozen times and her wet, anx-
ious eyes.
Bertha, will not 60" he whispered hur.
riedly. II cannot leave you So"
But she had gently released herself from
his embrace She tried to smile at him
through her tears.
"No, no, you must GO" Still he hesitated
till strange eagerncss came into tho blue
eyes. mo, no, you must go. Goodby,
Philip"
As he went down the steps and out of the
gate, the chill Of the last expression in her
eyes hung about his heart Then he stopped
and looked about. She had closed the door,
but something white fluttered on the step.
1t was her handkerchief, with the perfume
she always used in its delicate folds. He car
ried it to his FACET was almost as if he
touched her He stood hesitating moment
"a moment big with issues to them both
He remembered her tender words and the
rare caresses she had had for him; he forgot
the undertone that had SO painfully inter
preted them. 1t was as if he had tasted of
some priceless vintage of wine. He would
return IN an hour and taste again. All, he
had waited patiently for the moment when
this woman of stainless marble would turn
to f1eshl And now his foolish heart counted
all its hard lessons for nothing, but beat high
with triumph. Tomorrow" She under
stood him, then, but how modest and timid
she was. Tomorrow would be for them
both the brightest day of their lives. She
was not startled at herself now, no wonder,
at the revelation of the depths of such a
heart. She wanted little time to calm her
self; to get wonted to the new woman that
looked out of her eyes.
He had made up his mind, and the moon
went under black cloud for anger But it
was only for an hour; then he would come
back.
Market hall was crowded, and Curran was
speaking at pitch of imprisoned eloquence
beyond anything Philip had ever heard
"What overwhelms you is your own ener-
gies fused into weapons of deadly warfare; it
is their cunning which turns your myriad
hands against yourselves. Where else can
they find the force to vanquish youi The
rich are but few. Whose hands but yours
are strong and numerous enough to carry
out their plansf The longer You submit the
stronger they entrench themselves with your
flesh and blood Every week some new trade
or profession is invented to mako respectable
and steady some new discovered method of
living out of the poor; every month some new
law is passed in the interests of the money
power
He paused for moment and then went on
with more bitterness. Every month the
upper classes grow more Indifferent to the
foundation on which they rest-of throbbing,
agonizing human flesh. Not satisfied with
the terrible natural distinction between
wealth and poverty, they invent codes of
manners and devise elaborate systems of
what they mincingly call etiquette Mar
riaSe with the poor is incxcusable Even
familiarity with inferiors-a great breach of
''propriety" they call it. They ask not is
man honest and true hearted, is he kind? but
is he wealthy or did he ever soil his hands
with works Not is a woman beautiful, is
she modesto these are of little account; but is
she well-that is, richly-connected. If her
father cheats others she may be admitted to
their circles; if he is unfortunate enough to
be cheated, never. All, the shame of it. that
makes no account of hundre.ls of millions of