Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-09-25
CHECKMATE.

IN the center of the room stood woms
an in a poor, plain gown. Poverty spoke
| from her dropping mien as we'll as from
the troubled expression Of her pale face
as she drew her thin mantle more closely
over shoulders. Her great limpid eyes
gazed intently at q slight, gray haired man,
who stood, with his back turned toward
her, at one of the long windows. With a
weary, duplicating voice she at last broke
the leng silence:
LEO, have you no kind word for me!
Have really come in vain?'
eyes, in vain," he answered harshly.
81 have often told you plainly that we are
separated forever, and that you have moth
ing to hope for from me. You alone have
brought about your loss-against my Will
and now you must bear it alone.
"You know how / loved you, and you
left me to isolation, to an unhappy old
age-left mo to follow an adyenturer-
and why2 Because one night at ball he
had softly whispered, I love you But
now you have found out what this love
observation-disclosures and sorrow Is it not so!'
eyes, Leo, sorrow, bitter sorrow, but
also unspeakable happiness. You cannot
understand that, as you do not know my
| husband. You have hated him from the
first and will not realize his worth He
could earn better living for me, but
honor him doubly because no misfortune
can induce him to degrade his art he
aims at the highest and will attain it
the great future after all his better strug-
giles. should never have como here to-
day-but-but, the child, Leo-my child
| is ill. r"
The last words broke from her lips like
panied cry.
Her brother shuddered, but still stood
| at the window, gazing angrily out at tho
| dark sky.
In few moments a servant came and
lighted the lamp and placed tho chess
board under the light, brought polished
box, which held the carved ivory men, and
started from the room.
The man looked unspeakably weary as
he took his seat in front of the chess table
and arranged problem with trembling
hands. Somehow he could not keep his
mind on the game, and his eyes constant
ly gazed over the board into space.
The lamplight lickered and almost died
out filling the room with pale twilight,
| in which black balls sending out many
colored flashes danced up and down. Sud
denly these balls burst and flooded the
place with green light.
Cold shoulders ran over the chess play
er's limbs, for right in front of the table
stood sinister presence, who held a scythc
| in his bony right hand and an hourglass
in his left. Through the rents in his
worm eaten garments cleaned the white,
| 1eshless bones.
Death laid his scythe and his glass by
| his side, drew chair to tho table and
said, Come, old man, we will play game
together for your life"
| Life has the first move.' Oberst heard
his fearful opponent mutter, and as he
raised his arm over the table to move
pawn a little white hand was laid hinder
| ingly ON his arm.
Startled, he looked around and saw
| beautiful little girl standing by his chair.
| Her face was round and rosy, and her
| golden hair and blue eyes were much like
| his sisters when she was a child. ,a.... B..
MAY not play for your begged the
| little one, and them without waiting for an
answer, climbed into his lap and made
| herself comfortable
| Yes, yes,' laughed Life in pure joy
| and moved q piece so foolishly that Obersts
| hair stood on end with fright, for he feared
| that this first play would lose the game.
But, strangely enough, although Life
| had played so incautiously, Death seemed
| to be Blind and made no use of the ad-
| vantage given him.
| Oberst sighed with relief and even en-
| tertaincd bold hopes of victory. He fol-
| lowed the game SO closely that he scarcely
noticed that the burden in his lap grew
| constantly heavier, and that the child had
grown to beautiful girl.
| At last Life overlooked single move,
| and Death pushed his knight into the open
| ing. A second poor play, and Life lost her
| queen-tho most beautiful piece of tho
| game and its principal strength.
Oberst glarcd angrily at the now ma
ture woman, saw her alter move by move,
saw the color leave her face and tho wrin-
kles appear ono by one, saw her eye dim
and the gold of her hair change to dull
gray.
| "Be merciful, cruel Death! Let mo tako
back this one play. You will always havo
| time to win. will not lose just yeti
| will not die!'
| "Ncver" roarcd Death glazing from
| his empty cyesockets. "There is no hopo
| for you, useless Life. You can do nothing
moro in the world"
/ Oberst's heart almost stopped beating,
/ for he knew that his own life was the
stake of the game.
He saw the end approaching move by
move Death constantly throwing out
| that fearful threat, "Check-a check to
| Lifel''
| Lifc's king was in peril, and there were
but two possible moves-a wrong one,
which would lose the game, and right
one, by which the king could save himself
behind the three remaining pieces.
| These three pieces beckoned the solitary
| king and seemed to have human faces
one the features of lovely child; the sec
ond, of sad faced woman, and the third,
of man with thoughtful, earnest ex-
pression-the face of that hated creature
on account of whom Oberst had lost his
| well loved sister.
Which would she plays If they were
| ~ p1,f no oil