Wichita eagle., 1889-08-24
MEHALAH.

Look you here, GloryG the moon is full,
and that always makes hirn madden. have
10 keep him short Of food, and strap his
shoulders, or he would tear the walls down
in his fury"
."Let NE attend to him." asked Mehalah.
sYou'd be afraid of him.
81 should pity him" said the girl "Re
and are both wretched, both your victims,
both prisoners, wearing your chains"
you have no chains round you, Glory"
Have noti l have, invisible, may be,
but fruer, colder, more given to rust into
and rub the flesh than those carried by that
poor captive. l have tried 30 break away,
but cannot. You draw me hack"
II told you 1 could. 1 hive threads to
every finger. can move YOU as l will
can bring you into my arms"
"That-never. You may boast Of your
power over me. You have q power over
me, but that power has its limlt IS. l submit
now, but only for my mothers sake. Were
she not dependent wholly on Inc, were she
dead, would defy you and be free, free as
the gull yonder"
Elijah put his hand inside his door, drew
out his gun, and in a moment Che gull was
seen TO fall
''She Is not dead" said Meha,lah, with a
glean Of triumph in her sad face.
''No, but winged The wretch win 1utter
along disabled She viii try to rise, and
each effort will give her mortal agony and
grind the splintered bones togetheran and make
the blood bleed away. She will skin little
while above the water, but at lsngth will
fall into the waves and be washed ashore
dead"
-, %o
mo, viii not"
The shutter was dashed of its hinges, flung
out into the yard and the two CHASTITY hands
were again seen strained through the bars
Again there rang out in the gathering night
the piteous cry, ''GloryI GIoryl Gloryl"
''By God, you hound!" yelled Elijah, and
he raised his whip to bring it down on the
white wrists
81 cannot bear il! I will not endure It'll"
cried Mehalah, and she arrested the blow
She caught the whip and wrendhed it out of
the hand Of Rebow before he could recover
from his surprise, and flung it into the dixie
that encircled the yard
You are civil" sneered Elijah. "What
are you in this house2 A servant? Then
speak and act as one"
A hard expression settled on Mehalah's
brow.
'Do what you win with that brother of
yours. am Indifferent to him and to his
fate. Everything in the world is all one to
me now. Ii you had let me think for the
poor creature and feed him, and attend to
him, | might have become reconciled to being
here; | could at least have comforted my
soul with the thought that was miniStering
to the welfare Of one unhappy wretch and
Tightening his lot. But now" she shrugged
her shoulders ''Now everything is all one
10 me- l can laugh" she did so harshly.
There is nothing in the world that care
for now, except nay mother, and l do not
know that / care very much for her now. l
feel as if | had 10 heart or that mine were
frozen in my bosom"
You do not care now for your mother!h
exclaimed Rebow. ''Then leave her here to
my tender mercy, and 80 out into the world
and seek your fortune. Go on the tramp
like your gypsy ancestry"
Leave my mother to your mercyi" echoed
Mehalah. TO the mercy OF you, who could
cut your poor crazed brother over the fingers
with a great horsewhip! TO you, who have
stung and stabbed at my self respect till it is
stupefed; who have treated me, whom you
profess to love, as | would NOT treat marsh
brier. Never. Though MY heart may be
summed OF OStO y eb nave lsIILCIeuI HlSIIuCb
10 stand by and protect her who brought me
into the world and nursed me when | was
helpless As for you, do not hate you any
more than | love you. You are nothing TO
me but a coarse, i'll conditioned dog"
She walked moodily away and regained her
room She went to the window, the window
that looked toward the Ray, nd drawing the
curtains behind her, remained there, her
head sunk, but her eyes never iwavering from
the point where her home had been when she
was happy, her heart free, and Der self respect
llnmangled. So passed hour4after hour. There
was full moon but the sky was covered with
clouds white as curd scuddang before a north
west wind. The moon was dulled but hardly
obScures now ard then, and next moment
giared out in naked brilianuy.
Everything in the house was hushed. Eli
jah had gone TO bed Meha lah had heard his
heavy tread on the stair, and the bang of his
door as be shut 1t; it had reused her, she
turned her head, and her face grew harder in
the cold moonlight.
Then she looked back towards the Ray
There yoDder on the marsh was something
very white, like paper, tapping and flashing
in the moonlight. What could it bel II
moved a little way, then blsw up and fell
and tapped again Was it sheet OF paperi
Ii So how came it not to be swept away by
the rushing windl No, it was no sheet OF
paper. Mehalah's curiosity WAS reused She
opened the window and looiieii out AT the
same moment it rose, futtered nearer, eidied
I'D. and fell again A cloud dt-ifted over The