Wichita eagle., 1888-08-14

1
saged the gathering Of storm. She
hoped, with fealing Of pity new to her, tia;
1t might be clear for en- hour or two on The
morrow, that the burial Of the little child
might not BE made drearier by clou6ed skies
and a driving rain. Not far away, on the
marsh, surrounded by broad pools which re-
hected the distant glow in the sky, she saw
the tail chimney Of a steam derrick and a
low barge ike shape that seemed to be an
chcred in the mud She did not give herssli
much time to speculate DOW. Night was fast
falling, and a little ahead she saw the tiny
brook she sought. But think a moment!
Was it the right place! She hssitated for
an instant in doubt end perplexity, then
looked quickly about to determine her bear
ings by some familiar landmarks. There on
the bluff were the square outlines of her Old
home, just visible against the sky, and there,
OF to the right, far beyond, were the harbor
lights. Just little further on, then a sharp
turn to the left, climb up the rocks to the
! little bench that lay between the bluff and
shore, and she should find the flowers. She
pressed hurriedly on to gain the place before
it should be wholly dark. She knew q way
up the bluffs, q steep and winding path, by
which she could gain the lighted upper street
when she was done IF only she could once
find the flowers, the dewy, spring flowers,
with their faint, sweet O0or and their fresh,
sheltering leaves. All worldly thoughts
seemed TO fall away from her, the weight OF
disappointment and care was lifted from her
| heart, and she felt Like an eager child, bent
on her innocent quest.
But what was this-the solid ground Civ
ing way beneath her feet, every step taking
her deeper and deeper into bottomless ooze,
her feet drawn down and held as if by lead
en- weights! This was not the way it used
to be along the banks Of the little brook In
a moment the full horror of the situation
! flashed upon her. Deceived by the dim light
or rendered careless by her own wandering
/ thoughts she had strayed further from the
town than she had supposed, and what she
had mistaken for the Little brook was really
an estuary of the sea, bordered by treacher-
/ Gus boys, portion Of the great waste of tide
land which the company were seeking to re-
] claim. Quick and sharp came other recollec-
tons. She remembered that children had
been lost there when at play She remem-
/ bered that every now and then some man or
woman had nlyseriously disappeared from
sight and knowledge, and it had been wills
! pered about that they lad been last seen
/ walking along the border of the tide lands.
/ But these were poor people Of the lower
classes. about whom the Vanderpools had
| given themselves little concern. She remem-
bered now-ah, how sharplyl-that she
had read with a curling lip that
portion Of the young engineers ar
| gument before The harbor commission
ers, when he was pleading for permission to
go on with his work, wherein he had advanced,
as one 81 his strongest pleas, that many lives
would be saved by the completion Of the
enterprise. And now she, Judith Wander
pool the last Of her name, was about t.
succu,nb to this most unheroic destiny. 1t
was better So She would have chosen this
very way Of death if she might. She had
been tortured by one dread over and over
again during these years of poverty and
privation, and she gave little hysterical
laugh as she remembered it now If she
should have broken down and died in the
midst Of her unsuccessful struggle she had
not the wherewithal to buy her funeral
shroud. Now no one would know, no one
would care.
Oh, the terror Of it, Not death. Many
were there who would know her and greet
her gladly; father, mother, brother, friends
Of her childbood-the only friends she had
kept. But that last thought To drop out
and never be missed; to leave behind her not
human being who would care Why should she
grove over it now7 She had of her own will
separated herself from all human interests;
che had never cared for human companion
ship or love.
But oh Godl she did care She knew it
now. Face to face with this terrible and
Sb had n, 1on lode Of
herself. Nursing her foolish pride and fam
lily traditions, measuring all the world by
false standards, she had wronged herself most
Of al. What was it that had so touched her
In the humble home she had just left, break
ing down the barriers of her own reserve,
drawing her on and out of herself, until she
tcnged 10 claim some little part in itf What
was it but the glad aud sacred atmosphere Of
pure family affections Oh, her life had been
erupty; empty. And the one human love
that she might have had-she knew it now
would have made her happy woman, she
had scornfully rejected. Oh, If she could only
live her life over. il she could but take up its
tangled threads again with cleared vision and
BUNDLED heart.
1t was then that she sent up her first and
only cry for help. Hitherto she had been
silently resigring herself to death with
calnness and dignity bedtting Vanderpool
Now prolonged and alourntul cry went out
over the marshes, startling the Eaagulls,
which rose end wheeled ainlessly about
against the darlen.ng sky. The cry was
taken up and answered Ear out On the
marshes. Tbere was q sudden CONJUNCTION
about the barge, lanterns flashed outside, and
by their light she could see darl forms NOV
Ing about. But sLe--ste was sinking, sink
ing
When size carle to herself she was In her
own little room. It was very quiet and CON-
Portable. Her landlaiy fitted in and out,
with look Of earnest concern on her care
worn face. So the world was not so hard,
after all Ske-the Gorgon-seesned glad
that her delinquent lodger was alive, and
said no word about the rent overdue. Some
body had pulled the lounge, on which she
lay, up TO the stove, and there was FIRE
there, the first for many weeks, for Ter own
fuel had given out in February, and she had
been freezing ever since-freezing heart and
body. and what was that brewing On the
stove, that sent such delicious fragrance
through tie rooml
"Now, my DEAR" said the Gcrgon, pouring
something into O clumsy esrthen cup and
handing it 70 her, just you take this cup ct
coffee ard BIT Of no. roll. and it'll set you up
IN no tine. You've been looking peaked and
Icis'abie tLia long time. Folk that feeds
theirse!yes don't take DO proper care. I've
been thinking, this long while, that If you'd
just take your Living along Of me
r1,j c-iva ioccnrs IN Sair-