Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-05-07


reeking, horriblei 1t seemed to stand apart
from him, yet e was himself utterly
changed and frightful with deformity.
For only little space he stood and stared
at it, pressing himself back against tho
shrubbery, then the weapon dropped UNI
consciously from his hand, and with cry
Of terror he fed through the wood. His
blood seemed on fire. Where was his horsea
It was up there toward the mouth of tho
canyon among the shad-bushes! No, he had
thought Of bringing it there, but had
left it secreted in a clump of will
lows back along the edge of the
mountains. But what need had he Of
horsea he had killed q man. He looked
behind him in terror Where should he got
Home to his mothera My God, no! Not
where any human eye would ever look upon
his face! They would all know he was o
murderer! a murderer! Where was the re-
volver! Let him put out the flames OF
shame and horror that were burning in his
heart! He stopped, and painting heavily,
opened his hands wide before him. What
had he done with ltl Why, what was this
running out Of his sleeve and across his
hand and dropping from his fnger-endsa
Blood! blood! and he sprang sidewise and
turned round and round holding tho drip
ping hand away from him and looking at it
wildly and shouting at it with oil but in
sanity. In o moment he stood still, save for
his painting and quivering Of limbs, and
almost laughed. Why, it was his own
bloodi That was all right, let
it run. But where did it come FRONT Oh,
here was bullet-hole through the top of
his shoulder! That was odd; who had In
ficted It'll 1t had seemed as If he had heard
two reports when he shot at Elchard; per-
haps it occurred then; il so, in the strain OF
the moment he had felt nothing. He looked
steadily ahead Of him for little time but
still breathed hard. Some one had at
tenn pied to take his life at the same moment
he had attempted Richards What an in
slant in which to send human spirit to its
maker' Just when it had foully sent another
soul before it! Nay, would they not both
have appeared before God In the same
moment, the ono happy and pure, the other
mad and reekinga He shuddered and
looked up at the sky 1t was blue and deep,
and white focks Of clouds were still moving
across it; then he went on, with his frenzy
fallen to q dead heaviness Of heart that
seemed fit to drag him to his knees.
In q few moments he came to the foot Of
the mountain. He felt sick and diszyI he
would look at his wound-well, let it
bleed; perhaps God would have justice
done now. He caught hold of the sage
brush and pulled himself up the mountain
side q few rods, and sank down just below
q huge upshooting splinter Of stone and
all his strength, he could not. His tongue
seemed thick and refused to articulate,
while objects about him had o strange and
hazy aspect. Was he dying, or was it the
reaction after so long period OF strife
and emotion. He turned and looked ut the
valley he loved; there was the distant viii
lage, his mothers little house among the
trees on tho hither side, Burl Hartman's
cabin beyond it near the pines, the fields
ixilo l 1oxrf ha nv
road Of phosphor, but all seeming to rock
| and glimmer together as in o dream.
| Suddenly some moving object upon the
| left challenged his eyes he reused himself
and turned toward it; Paul Elchsrd, droop-
ing over his horses neck, sods riding into tho
mouth Of Eagle canyon! and with q cry his
would-be slayer fell forward in the chapar-
| raj and was silent. 1t was q dead faint; the
long struggle with his heart, the tragedy
that closed the strife its swift reversal, and
| the sudden change Of his whole relation to
life, swept away his failing consciousness.
Even the ox-like Orson Beam could no long
er stand to tho task; when the invisible
burden was lifted he fell. For long time
he lay quietly In his darkness, resting it
seemed, then started, opened his eyes,
sprang up, and looked about him. Was 1t
truea Had he not fallen asleep last night
here among the chaparral and just awak-
his wound softly oozing! But was the horse
man who had ridden into the canyon real or
| but . Pigment Of his fancya He threw on
his coat, tore away his shirtsleeve and twist
ing it into knot thrust it into his wound,
then went crashing downward through the
| bramble.
Soon he was near the little plot or green
which opened upon the road, but as he
| pushed into it with eager foot the gnawing
question at his heart melted into great fear
When he lifted his eyes would not Their
sweet capacity be blotted QUIT their ability
to ever again present him with the delights
of happy vision be destroyedi Would moi
that form which Trean loved, and which
had yielded him such gentle greeting, be
lying there beside the road ready to blast
hint
Ne, it ,Oa. not thersi A great thrill Of. re
lief swept through him; he flung his arms
upward with q cry Of joy and turned about
the revolver was lying before him; hi
crushed it into the soft earth with his-foot
crashed back through the tangle to his
horse, vaulted into the saddle, forgetful o.
his wound, and rode away . free man.
A free mani All, NO. For an hour thu
sense that delighted him was not unlike
the gladness of one coming from an impris
oning cave Of horrors into the clear air ani
quiet sunshine. But it did not remain
darkness followed, distrust Of himself
doubt Of his acceptance, after such an at
tempt, by the Great Father to whom b
had so often opened o clean and tende
heart. The intent, the motivei All, was b.
not after all murderera No; the injur.
10 the other, whichwould In large part hav
made him criminal, had been escaped. Ye
his soul was blackened; he felt it heavy ant
lotahsome within him. Like thousand
more among those mountains, his was al
honest nature, scrupulous in word an.
deed, and in the beginning drawn to thi
system by its seeming nearness to the Al
mighty, to become in the end bemuddle.
and befooled by priestly tricks, until tn
brutally material and the spiritually fin
were blended and confused into one. Go
had become to this people not the Eterua
Spirit, creating, informing, sustaining an
pervading all things, but q man Of body
parts and passions; one who had risen t
sovereignty through animal increase; on
who was at the head of creation throug
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