The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-01-13

soul within me, l walked ON owe,
! every road and path that had been
familiar to our feet in all the ter
years that had known her.
After a length of time. of which
had no perception whatever. 1 came
upon She river ripping peacefully be.
tween its bright, moon-lit parallels Of
gold-twig willows. In the blacl
shadow Of the large elms. near tn,
jimson jungle, l had overheard thu
Judge and Bogus Leatherwood, on tho
day after the fateful arrival of Mar
tin -, to whom l attributed all OF
the evil that had come upon me. wave
after wave. in these few days. sweep
ing away my boon companion, and
the only woman l could ever truly
love! In that black shadow was
lying boat. 4 small, long steamer, in
almost complete silence. without
steam and with no fires nor lights in
view. With great start in my whole
being. l sprang along the bank. and
ran down the narrow staging and UP
the little stairway that led to the
cabin and the upper deck. As ]
reached it. door opened, and Il glad cry
rang in my ears. and she fell into my
arms, clasping me about the neck, and
renewing the clasp at brief intervals,
while her lips were pressed TO mine in
the frequent breaks in that torrent OF
pitifully glad ordinations.
20, l kuew you would come.
knew that nothing could turn yo,.
away from ME! / said-I told him-l
told all of them that if all the world
rose up in arms against us you would
remain true to me forever. My dar-
ling! my darling You have come as
alone knew you would
In the overwhelming joy of the mo-
ment l forgot FAM forgot all the in
cidents of that evening. 1 held and
pressed her to my heart! How could l
think of aught else.
20 Judge he has come! He is here
l told you he would come! And now
do you sec him. Come and speak to
him! You were his dear friend al
ways. Tell about the mistake. Tell
him your noble part in it all!' Judge
Banks came forward from the shadow
of the narrow guards. Even then l
could see by the faint difrused moon
light that ho was pale. haggard and
greatly agitatcd.
My deah young lady," he sad. TAX
ing her hands firmly in his own, 'you
must go in to your mother fob little
while. l have something of the ut
most Importance to tell Mistuh Silkut
alone, mind you, alone" He had
drawn her forcibly away; and l. feeling
the hclplessness suddenly forced upon
me by an accusing conscience, did not
resist-did not utter word.
20 Judge! so many things have oc-
CURED to part Us and keep us apart.
And somehow 1 feel like l dare not
leave him--like l leave him forever if
leave him now"
Great as was her agitation that of
the judge was greater by the measure
of his habitual self-control. He hcsi-
tated. dropped her hands. took two or
three steps away, and then whiriing
about came upon her with his teeth set.
''You must obey me, child. It is
fob Your good as well rs othe's. Go
in foh little while. 1 will call YOU"
He took her strongly. and I shall
never forget her dropping figure in
the door Of the little cabin with her
face turned and her large brown eyes
fixed upon me with a look full of anx-
iety, love. foreboding.
This is bad business, Silku:," said
the judge. stcrnly. "Ihadn'. the least
hint that you didn't intend to keep
youth promise TO iuh.''
why, Judge. it was told all over
town that You had married her Your
self! What / did was in utter despera-
tion!' l gaspcd out, as l arose and
faced him.
a piece of infuhnul nonsense" said
the judge. darkening and flushing
painedly. II had got huh fathuh's
pahdon fwom his own sovcweign, and
l had some jest with him about taking
huh in payment 1t was all a joke. "
''And yOu-she is not married." l
said, feeling that the boat and river
and all were slipping from under my
Feet.
mo, sab: And nuvvah will be.
She won't mahwy mo,s. An IL ncv-
yah thought of it,"
Then. for the sake of our two lives,
let me go with her, Judge. She does
not know it. She is going away and
may never know it. Or if she does
mo. no. Silkut, yon don't know
hnh!" said the Judge, shaking his
i L