Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-11-25

peated, reached Prue Oddwsy's ear
And swift had been the result Aus
tin Redd, dismissed, had been seen
pale In the awakening from his intox
ication, half-bewildered and half de-
FAINT, taking to his ship again; MOI
had he ever returned. The white
house with the green blinds old
Capt Oddway had built and where
the heiresS had lived, had been sold,
and all the OddwaY money given by
her to an institution in another
town, aud Prue had gone to abide, q
hermit, in the two-roomed cottage
at Jagged Point.
Could, in view of such eccentric
happenings, the tongues help passion.
ately wagging? Prudence-high-spir-
tied, naughty Prudence. never liked
was now ostracized. "Who was she,
anyway" now shrilly demanded Tenn.
perance Wisher for the hundredth
time, "that she should say that mo
man should ever marry her for any.
thing but herself Did she think
herself so different from all other wo-
man-fOlk?"
A mad gust blew in the window,
| insecurely closed, and John Wisher,
rising was almost glad of the diver
sion.
That same gust struck the house on
ia :ged Point and one after another
| followed. The rain began TO beat in
under the door and Prudence auto
maticallY rose to mop the floor. 1t
had grown so dark that she lighted a
small lamp By mechanical action
OF her brain, in spite Of the thoughts
that absorbed it, she remembered that
the tide was rising, that it would be
high at 10 o'clock. The thunder Of
the surf, as it broke against the
tongue of rocky land, formed even
now a booming BACKGROUND of sound
for the whistling Of the northeaster.
She sat down near the table under
the lamps and fell unconsciously into
an attitude of waiting. ALI her
senses were in an extraordinary state
of exaltation. That past Of three
years before had come back as II it
were even now present. She saw
Austin Redd, his eyes, his hands; she
heard his voice. She heard him say
that he loved her and her heart beat
to bursting with the pleasure and
the pain. Then she beheld, lived
through again, every moment of that
last interview. She threw the
words, spoken in his intoxication,
into his teeth; tainted him with his
bad habits; he had led, before, the
reckless life Of sailor, whose youth
full blood is hot, but he had promised
her to live differently, now that she
loved him; and how had he kept the
promise? Once more she heard her
self uttertng the bitter, contemptu-
Gus, angry words and his, deflantly,
had followed. Then she spoke her
final dismissal and he had left, white
and furious, and she had had no word
of him since; nor wanted it.
Nor wanted it? Oh, God! The
want had never eased, the longing
had never been quelled! She sprang
up. She was suddenly aware that
she had been sitting there, with the
lamp, motionless, seeing only her
visions, for two hours. The clock
marked $3.50 and she had an immedi-
ate consciousness that something
that everYthing-had changed about
her. The wind had veered from
northeast to east, to east to south.
1t shook the house, it hurled itself
against the walls like living thing.
But this was not all. That farther
boom of water had come nearer, a
crash-not wind, this time-burst
against the house. She was at the
window the next moment; she looked
out. Behind the clouds there was a
full moon. It lightened the gloom
with wan pallor. The tide had
risen far beyond it's high water limit;
it surrounded the solitary edge on
the narrow, rocky point
At a glance Prue saw all. Be-
tween her and the mainland stretched
level strip of sandy beach. The
water was doubtless not so high yet
but that if she could struggle against
wind and tide she might still escape,
traversing through the pillows that
sandy strip. This she knew, yet she
paused Then an almost ecstatic
light broke over the rigid features of
her white face. From a cupboard
she took photograph, never once in
three years looked at. She threw
herself upon her knees before the
table; she bent her lips her tore
head, upon the picture; she chung to
it with hungry, passionate hands.
Let death come: What could it take
from her? She had lost all. Her life
was long yearning, never to be full
filed. In little while-out there
there would be rest.
So soon? Still with her face buried
against the picture she was conscious
or the bursting in of the door. In a
moment more the water would come,
cold, burying all things a long
Sleep then-perchance-she would
hear the beloved mans voice once
more saying, Prudence"