The Fort Worth gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-189?, 1891-04-23

had retained all, and there was not the
slightest break in the continuity of her rec
objections. But there VAS little comfort to
be derived from the certainty that she had
not been dreaming and that everything had
really taken place precisely Is she remem-
bered it. She would have given all she pos
SeSsed. which was much, 10 return TO the
hour Of noon on that same day.
IN so far as 4 very unruly nature ca4t1s
derstan6 itself, Unorna understood Hhe
springs of the actions she regretted knd
confessed that in all likelihood she wC& al
do again as she had done at each SucceSSA
stage. Indeed, since the last great ouy
break of her heart she realized more than
ever the great proportions which her hye
had Of late assumed and she saw that -
was indeed ready, rs she had said. 10 d e
everything ana risk everything for the sd !,
of obtaining the very least show of passiGS
in return. L was quite clear 10 her since
she had failed 50 totally. that she should
have had patience. that she ought To have
accepted gratefully the mans Offer Of
Drotherlv devotion ana trusted ~ time 10
bring about further and less pLatoujc de-
velopment But she WIS equally sure that
she could never have found that patience,
ana that If she had restrained herself to
day she would have given way tomorrow
She possessed all the blind Indifference to
consequences which Is chief characteriS-
tic OF the Slav nature when dominated by
passion. She had shown il in her rash
readiness TO face Israel kafi.a at the mo-
ment OF leaving her own house. If she
could not have what she lOuEcd for. sue
cared as little what became OF her Is she
cared for kafkas own fate she had
but one object, one passion, one
desire. and 10 all else her indiher-
ence was supreme. Life and death in this
world or the next We're less wei@hty than
feathers i'll Il scale that measures hundreds
of tons. The very idea of balance was for
the moment beyond her Imagination. For
a while. indeed, the pride of Il woman at
once young, beautiful. and accustomed TO
authority, had kept her firm in the deter
minatiOn to be loved for herself. as she be
lieved that she deserved 20 Oe loved. and
Just so long as that remained. she had held
her head high, confidently expecting that
the mask of indittcnce would soon De SnIv-
cred, that the eyes she aGGTGd would soften
with warm light. that the hand she wOT,
shipped would tremble suddenly. as IhOugE
waking TO life within her own. But thaf
pride was gone, and from its disappearance
there had been but one step to the mosti
utter degradation OF soul TO which . woman
can descend, and from that again but one
step more TO Il resolution almost stupid i'll
its hardened obsJiGacy. But IS though to
show how completely she was dominated
DN llt U!dll WHO'LL Sllt OOUlil HOT w III. even
her last determination had yielded under
the slightest pressure from his will She
had LEFT her house beside him with the mad
resolve never again to be parted from him.
cost what it might, reputation, fortune, life
itself And Vet ten minutes mad not elapsed
before she found herself alone, trusting
to mere word OF his for the
hope of ever seeing MIN again.
She seemed to have no Individuality left.
" - had SnnsnD and she had CDrr,..s He
had commanded and she had done his bid
ding. She was even more ashamed of this
than Of having wept, and sobDed, and
dragged herself at his feet. In the first
moment she had submitted. deluding her
self with the idea she mad expressed. that
he was cOnSIgnlng her TO prison, and that
her freedom was dependent on MS viii
The foolish deluson vanished She saw
that she was free, when she chose, to de-
scend the steps she had Just mounted, to
go out through the gate she had lately en-
tered, and TO 20 whithersocver she
would, at the mere risk OF meeting Israel
Kafka. And that risk she heartily de
spised, being thoroughly brave by
nature. and utterly Indifferent 10 death by
force of circumstances.
She cOmfOrted herself with the thought
that the Wanderer would come to her once,
at least, when she was pleased to send for
him She had that loyal belief in his sin
cerity which even in the worst characters
is inseparable from true love until violently
overthrown by iIrefutabIe evidence. and
which sometimes has such power rs to re
turn even then, overthrowing the evidence
of the senses themselves. Are there not
men who trust women and women who
trust men in spite of the West betrayals'
Love is indeed oftener the inspirer of sub
jective visions, creating in the beloved OBJ
ject the qualities it admires and the virtues
it adores, powerless TO accept what it is not
willing to see, dwelling in fortress
guarded by intangible, and therefore indie
structible, fiction, and proof against the ar
tilery of facts. Cnorna's confidence was.
however. not misplaced. The man whose
promise she had received had told the truth
when he had said that ne had never broken /,
any promise whatsoever.
TO BE CONTINUED. 81
81