Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1895-12-05
r,iss2. on me UNITED sIATEs BOOK COMPANY.

|, On the world, he sat down at his desk
md tried to write. But it was impossi-
bic. The place had grown sitting, his
heart was beating to the verge of suffo-
cation, and an unconquerable desire to
get out under the sky, into space, light
and air made him seize his hat at last
and, stepping over the low threshold of
the window into the garden, take the
path that led into the country.
He walked rapidly until the limits of
the town were reached and stretches of
young grass broken by the turn1ngs of
a railroad track took the place of houses
and shops. The distant putting Of train
sounded through the soft, spring even
ing and the oft recurring tinkle of a
bell from home going COW.
He was alone in the twilight, but the
peace he craved would not come. His
heart was ON fire. Questions came crowd
ing OH him that filed him with fear.
The words his wife had spoken rang in
his ears, and his answer:
sit is lel''
It was. 1t must be. But still a turbu-
lent unrest chilled him and made him
sad.
He had always held that the man
who was incapable Of friendship with q
woman was contemplate, and now,
when the germ of an unalterable friend.
ship for Marian had taken root in his
life, would he not believe it still? II
was bitter sweet, half welcome fasci.
nation that made him wish toserve her.
There was some pity in the feeling, too
a great deal of admiration, but most Of
| all, in spite of her many moods, a sym.
pathy with her that filled his life. But
it was friendship nevertheless, and he
would not renonnce it for all the gossips
in the town. When, despite his reason.
ing, his heart gave q wild throb Of
warning, be would not believe. He had
confidence in himself. The women who
chatted to Jenny were beneath his an.
ger. Jenny was quick tempered, sus
picious, unreasonable little goose. How
Marian would despise them all if she
knew of it'll
Marian--a sweet name; q woman
with fire and sweetness, brain an6
heart. Her restless, indomitable spirit
craving constant change, was an encour
aging proof of the existence of the sou,
that would some day be quickened to 6
fuller meaning of life. Beneath all hel
frivolity he could read this. If he helped
her, if they understood and liked eacf
other, was it wrong, merely because she
was a young and beautiful woman, ht
a man?
He had never tried to adjust his life
to suit the restrictions of the people
around him, who measured their neigh
bors by narrow moral footrule ot
their own. Why should he now because
a thoughtless charge had startled hin
from dream to fancied, half awak
ened sense of dangerp
A strong gust Of wind in his face anC
q raindrop as large as bullet reused
him from his absorbing introspection.
He looked around in wonder. The tint
ed evening sky was obscured by clouds
like large, black scrolls melting furi
ously together. The west, that he hat
last consciously seen bathed in lam
bent purple, was now lurid shifting
yellow, and wind leaped from the
hills, sweeping Thousand eddying tri
fles before it and bending trees unit
they crashed and swayed like an army
of giants threatening mutiny. In mo
ment the landscape was swallowed NJ
in storm and darkness.
1t was like the breath of passion de
scending on q quiet, sunny, self sus
tanned life and sweeping all before it.
blotting ont beauty, triumphant in toss
ing broken hopes and resolves as heed
lessly as the wind tossed the leaves
After his aggressive inward assurances
Of his own strength, it came upon Lar
remore like the shock Of a discordant
laugh.
"Foolr the wind shrieked, and wher
he reached home, his face white, hi
heard it still in the shrilly gusts thai
shook the windows as If clamoring fol
admission.