The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1893-12-07
her shoulders, and was out into semi
darkness of the unfamiliar corridor.


She slipped along, painting and
stumbling, half afraid, half exhilerated,
her lips widening into contorted
semblance of smile, and her tears
cold on her cheeks. Her being was
animated by sudden revulsIon from
the torpor which had bound her so
long, all her energy bent on evading
her husband for yet little while.
1t seemed SO long since she had been
alone-quite by herself to think. All
alone! All, she never would be that
again.
She gave little sob and went on.
She could hear her husbands light
step behind her as she swung along,
humming a bar of French song.
Cecle fancied she could see the tender
light in his eyes.
She heard his touch on the handle of
the door at last-heard 1t open and
shut with clicking sound; and then
she descended the stairs which COM
municated with the little door in the
wall bounding the kitchen garden, and
was out in the starlit gloom, with
the silence of the night about her.
1t was an eerie night. The moon was
whitefaced, and the frost glimmered
pallidly over all the landscape. She
gave long, long sigh and stretched
out her arms to the world about her.
She thought she would go as far as the
lake, at least. She could see it flash
and culver between the branches of the
trees.
She sank down when she reached 1t.
High above her head lost, pale star
lolled in the silver bosom of the sky.
The old moon looked askance at her
from the lake. She tipped her face
over the bank suddenly, and with a
mournful sort of vanity bent to examine
her features.
Her beautiful eyes with their full
white lids locke a reproach at her,
the red lips had twisted themselves
into an uncompriomsing knot, and the
low brow had line of pain between
the pretty arch of the eyebrows.
"Phyche at natures mirror" NUT
tered voice behind her
There was scorn and Impotence and
bravado in the voice, yet it was
pleasant one. She heard a trampliug
of dogs feet on the fallen leaves, a
clear whistle close to her shoulder,
then the muzzle of rife came with
thud to the ground and someone stopped
toward her.
Sam on the premises of Warren
Hall, may ask I'm afraid am mad
vertently trespassing.'
Cecile got upon her feet and put out
an unsteady hand. Her heart seemed
to beat very close to her throat, bar
ring her words, and sending torrents
of blood to her face. Her eyes were
fractions.
"Jack!" she stammered..
She crushed her hands together be-
meath her cloak, and tried to stand
composedly beneath his scrutiny.
"Ah" he said, finally.
He moved back as if satisfied then
swooped forward and made a motion as
If to take her hands.
moving from where she stood, hardly
breathing, in fact, watching the dogs
smiling among the leaves, vaguely
conscious of the necessity for saying
something, and not knowing very well
what to say
81 thought you were dryad or wood
nymph, you sat so still, worshiping
your image in the water. You have
all your old vanity, Cecile."
She nodded, still with her eyes on
the dogs
"Won't you snake hands with meg"
He drew off his gloves, and extended
his hand.
"Are you married, Cecile2"
"Yes.n
"To Richard Warren2"
eyes"
81 read it all in the pepper. Are you
surfeited with congratulations Mine
are truly sincere"
The wind caught her cape and blew
it aside, and Cecile's hands found their
way into his. The moonlight showed
her Dalton's face duskily as she looked
up, in all its masterful beauty. Their
eyes were on level, and after a time
Cecile blushed and drew her hands
away.
"My Cod" Dalton said heavily. "Te
think that you and l should ever come
to this. To stand with wasted hearts
looking at each other, afraid to speak
afraid to be silent"
"Don'tr' Cecile said sharply.
"Cecile, how did we ever drift SO fan
from the Utopia we planned out fol
ourselves2 Do you know what it is tt
stand upon the threshold of life ant
calmly admit that it is sinking timber
That is where l stand today"
Cecile mechanically pushed a pebble
into the water with the toe of her boot
and counted the ripples as they BROKE
over the lake.
eve are none of us free agents." she
said after a pause.
"Free agents We are the slaves o
a God whose supremacy we never &C