Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-01-16

OcuNCE NV tAbAA "NS 49,
tuously twisting its way, following the
curves of the Arkansas. while the old |
stone Titans keeping watch on either |
side gossiped of the event in hoarse, |
whispering echoes 1t was frowning'
gray day, when the wind was rioting in
the shadowy canyon like thoughtless |
child hooking at the dignity of age,
whistling weird harmonies as it heavily
hurled its might from one rock wall to
the other, buffeting the bristling pines
and spruces as though to compel the bare
roots to loose their grip on the repelllng
rocks, blowing the foam crested waves
of the river into madden hurry every lit
tie while in wilder frenzy of diablerie,
throwing itself crafty into the spinning
of whirlwlnds of dust that vriled the
landscape like fog.
Once or twice above the echoing roar
and rattle of the train sounded the boom
of distant thunder, and people turned
for the moment from their papers or idle
talk to glance up at the narrow strip of
sky, like twist of ragged gray ribbon,
showing far away above the mighty
rock walls that hedged them in, specu-
lating with the comfortable Indifference
of people we'll housed as to the chances
OF SJOrlu. II WtlS Il local tram, anu
most of those who looked, dullel by
familiarity to even this grandeur, saw
nothing of the rich harmony of color,
the ineffable beauty of the vast walls
piled block upon block, thousands upon
thousands of feet, until, like castles of
race of giants, their towers and pinnacles
seemed touching the swirling clouds of
the sky, whose frowning mood seemed
so perfectly attuned to this rugged
grandeur-looked at it all but barometer
wise, seeing only that the storm might
blow over. Well for man that the dull
eyes of the flesh may one day be cast to
earth, else even the glories of heaven
would presently pail upon the sluggish
souls made free.
More Indifferent than any, Anita lay
back in her chair wellnigh pale and still
as the dead. She was physically cx-
| hausted to a degree that her superb
strength had never known before, spent
and beaten by the storm Of passion goad
ing her on to feverish activity through
all the long night. She had not thought
of sleeping, going about the preparations
| for her journey with a care for small de-
tails as punctilious rs though there had
been weeks to spare for the planning
All alone in the still night, her one serv,
ant sleeping undisturbed, she had gone
! about putting her house in order as
though to grace the coming of some IA
vored guest, pushing a char in place
here, adjusting the fold Of Il curtain
there. emptying the wlthered flowers
from the vases, even threading fresh
ribbon in the ends of bureau scarf,
and, with new knots of ribbon, pinnin9
the clean cover on pincushion. Each
garment in the basket of clothes fresh
from the laundry had been carefully laid
in its place, and, though her fingers had
trembled over their task, they had yet
never faltered nor bungled over all the
dainty stitchery she was accustomed to
lavish on the weekly meudiug. And
when her feverish fancy could devise
nothing more to occupy her restless
hands, when her one trunk was packed
and her curt note of explanation to
Donald had been written. out on the
piazza, in the cool gray preceding the
dawn she had gone, pacing back and
forth in the same mad hurry until the
glowing lights of the eastern sky were
reckoning sleep drugged world to up
and make the most of another day of life.
She was not woman to whom the
relief of tears came readily 1t seemed
rather as if her passion spent its force
inwardly, until her heart felt full to
bursting with the inrushing torrent of
pain. Dry eyed and outwardly SO quiet,
with all her cool thoughtfulnesS and
housewifely painstaking. that long
nights vigil had been rack of torture
unspeakable, leaving her spent and worn
as from long illness; and there was q SEN
Bation of passionate relief in lying rest
fully back in the luxurious CAr, feeling
that those dark hours We're left behind,
that her feet vera fairly across the rubl-
con of hesitation. For in all her mad
hurrying she had not been able to stit1e
i the wifely instinct that would bid her
pause and measure we'll this step, to
weigh more carefully this punishment
, she was melting out to Donald Octopus
t like, duty seemed clinging, striving tC
| hold her back, but her mad passion but
strove the more to wrench her free from
! that insistent grip. She knew that in
spired deviltry could have devised nc
revenge more cruel to Donald, and the
2 demon that possessed her but laughed
1 the more hideously in triumph at the
j thought,
t And now the fateful step was taken
Of no avail to question the consequences
- now, to measure the right and wrong
t 1t only remained to keep her glance
y from wandering backwtGd-to look only
t to the goal ahead 1t seemed SO cleal
i before her staring eyes-the stretch o.
i warm toned gray walls, the old weather
h stained chapel at one side. rising, isolate
g as ship at sea, from the vast stretch o
n hot, cacti blotched plains. She coulC
$ even fancy the quivering radiations o
/ heat in the air. and see tle lizards sun
l. ming themselves by the wall. But within
it that old Enclosure, grim as a fortress
:; would be brightness ant welcome, ant
II best of all, cool, refreshing rest. 1t wa
always cool in the dim Slla, where he
mothers hammock used to swing, TIN
great silken hammock with its fringe
Of Darti -c0lOrai taSSalS II which AMT: