Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-05-31
But Curran had begun TO sneak.

The light of the mans noble genim had
flushed his pale cheeks and flashed bsauti-
fully in his steel blue eyes. His voice, that
had seemed weak and unsteady as he be-
gan, rang out its bell like tones again as he
saw the sullen faces soften under his match
less power.
"He has made your village blossom by his
love; he has brought smiles to your weary
children's faces; he has planted hope in a
thousand desperate hearts Do you ask me how
l knowl / see it in your eyes. l see it in the
way your heads rest on your broad shoulders.
And will you use your new manhood to do
him injuryp
But the man with the bandaged head had
reached the platform, and at this very mo-
ment, when the orator paused to let his
meaning sink into the hearts of the people,
he touched Curran on the shoulder and whis-
pered few hurried words in his ear
The people saw their hero's face blanch.
He turned to the fellow with look that
would break mans heart, and seemed to be
asking him question. As the agitator lis
tened to the reply his knees trembled under
him and he sank into chair, and still the
messenger of evil bent over him and kept
whispering with poisonous breath into his
ear. At last Bales stood back from his vic
tim, who bowed his head upon his hands.
Curran's whole body shook with the violence
of his passion.
The inert people waited. They knew moth
ing else to do Their hero might have died
before them, they would never have thought
to stir from their seats But he rose at last,
and Bales grinned diabolcally behind him.
They would hear another story now.
"Friends, you have heard what I saidn
He spoke as if great weight was upon him
and his voice came slowly ''Irepeat it, be
patient with your young master; he means
well by youn
But Bales rushed forward and, tearing the
bandages from his head threw them upon the
platform at his feet. Disease had settled in
his bruises and his face was frightfully
swollen and disfgured. He might have been
O. ghoul or gnome instead of human
being.
Revenge him, men," he screamed, throw
ing up his arms, eff you have any spirit in
you. l have just told hin-some of you
knew it-how that boy has stole his wife and
spit on the laws, as if they were not for the
rich like him.
1t was more like groan than shout that
vent up from the crowd before him, which
only waited a word from the bowed, broken
man they loved, to become bloodthirsty
mob. Would he give them that word? He
had leaped to his feet and thrown out his
long right arm in its grandest gesture, and
the murmur of the people died down. His
face was as white as a dead mans, an ashy
white, but his eyes flashed lightning.
Whose wrong is it then, this hideous crea-
cures or ninel will settle my own griev-
ances, / need no mob to right me-" Then
Curran paused a moment. When he began
again it was in lower tone. "Besides, the
man is wrong" his voice trembled like a
| child's. 81 have no--no.n he almost broke
down, Il have no wife.l AMI am not well
| must go to my bed but before go want
| to be sure you will make no mistake tonight
or tomorrow" He folded his arms across
his broad chest in q sublime effort of self
| control. His blood boiled in mad fever, every
moment was worth world to him, agonizing
| pictures floated before his dimmed vision, but
he would not stir from his post till he had
| conquered this mob. "Philip Breton has
| shown himself fair to you, be fair with him.
Il he never did another thing for .you-he1vhe
| has yet deserved your-your patience You
will excuse me now, Twill see you tomorrow
but need rest. Can depend on your He did
| not even look at them; his attitude, as he
waited with downcast eyes, was of a man
| who talks in his sleep.
"Yes-yes,n shouted the people, and ther
he turned and stepped off from the platform
He came down the aisle very strangely. Al
| first he would hurry and notice no one Then
| slowly, then faster again. Then he would stoI
short and put out his hand to some perfect
stranger.
Many eyes watched him curiously when he
separated from his eager friends at the dool
of tn hall and walked rapidly away II
Curran had turned off to the road that led tc
Philip Breton's house on the hill he would
not have gone far alone, but he did not ever
look that way so long as the half tanned mot
could see him. And the people scattered in
| disappointment to their homes.
But Curran is no longer walking in his first
| direction; he has turned on his heel and made
route for himself across the fields His face
is pointed toward the lights that yet shine
down at him from the stone house on the hill
And the roads are not straight enough fol
the errand he is on, nor is walking fas
enough, he breaks into a run. Now he fall
over low fence SO violently that limt
might have been broken, but he only loses hi!
hat and runs on, his long hair shaking down
over his pale set face as he runs. His breath
comes like the putting of locomotive; HI
can hear his heart throb louder than his foot
falls
What does he seek? What will he do whel
he looks again on his faithless and dishonoret
wife and on the man who has put this dead
liest shame upon him? Punishment can wip
out nothing, vengeance never assuaged on
pang of human anguish yet. But mercy o.
pity or reason are fed from his maddenet
soul tonight, while the furies whip him on.
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