Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-08-06


Cured to me that / might need it.
Don't look SO frightened, Andrew.
There wasn't any danger. If I'd been
| disposed to hurt myself with it l
couldn't have done SO. l was only try
ing to shift the thing from the LETT to
the right side of the couch because my
left arm is getting weaker all the time.
| But l waited too long. There was no
need of any hurry on your part. l
had just strength enough to hold the
| pistol. | couldn't have lifted it to my
head if 1 wished to without the aid of
a derrick By Jove! what picture of ut
ter helplessness l was at that moment"
Amy, who had been leaning, almost
faintiny, against the casing of the door,
recovered herself sufficiently to stagger
into the room. When Lynde saw her
great change swept over his face.
Did you see all this, Amy?" he asked,
| gently.
She sank down beside him, weeping
like frightened child. He soothed her,
laying the hand that still obeyed him
upon her golden hair.
Il must be a particularly melancholy
rascal" he said, that you and this
| great fellow should jump at once to the
conclusion that was going to end it.
He motioned to the negro to leave
the room, and then continued:
Its useless, little one, for me to
palter with the palpable facts. I'd bet
ter tell You the exact truth about all
this And here it is: Life has been
cruel to me, and for myself, can ex-
! pect nothing of this world. But as long
as you are in it, l want to stay. This
room is prison, but if it were a dun
geon, and l were racked with every tor
mert, L would still wish to live if You
| lived too. While there's room enough
| for both of us I'll take what comes
I'm useless certainly but that can en-
dure. It's only when l become worse
than useless to you that / shall wish to
go. I'll know when that time comes;
you've promised me that / shall. Let's
not think about that. Doubtless l shall
| wear out first. I'm deadly sorry that
this foolishness of mine frightened you
SO, but now you know the truth, and
you won't be frightened any more. AZ
flicted in this dreadful way, I'm hap
pier at this moment with you beside me
than l was in the old days of youth and
health before you had given me your
love"
She begged to be permitted toresume
her former life, devoting herself en-
| tirely to him. If David Chase could
have heard her plead for that sad priv
ilege; he might have felt Ike giving up
the game, for he was a good judge OF
sincerity.
Arthur Lynde would not listen to his
wife's request.
''On the contrary" he said, I've
made up my mind to send you away
from the city altogether. Brooklyn is
not my ideal of a summer resort. If
had been able to put foot upon the
| ground we would have been away long
ago; but never will be carried about
the country on shutter. Ills own
| house is the place for man like me. I'd
have sent you away, but You seemed to
be having a coed time until recently.
| Now you must go. You know I'm to
have that soulless German scientist in
the house after tomorrow, and he'll
probably want to experiment with me
twenty-four hours day. He can't cure
me, but he can have lots of fun with me,
and, if I'm judge of men, he won't let
any of it escape him. So You see I
could hardly have you with me very
much of the time. The summer ism t over
get, and the heat of the city is telling
upon You. I'm going to send you to
join Mrs. Mason's party at Crescent
Beach"
Although she outwardly resisted this
suggestion, Amy inwardly welcomed it..
Perhaps it would be the easiest way of
separating herself from Chase. She
would stay only little while, she told
herself, and would then return to her
duty. The details were arranged with
out difficulty, and on the third day
after the suggestion had been made,
she departed for Crescent Beach.
She was warmly welcomed by Mrs.
: Mason and many other friends, among
whom was Walter Carroll, who had ar
rived the day before. This young man
had learned of her intended journey,
; and had communed with himself very
seriously
1T would be highly improper" he
had said to himself, ''for me to fol-
low Mrs. Lynde. Chase might do it,
but will not. And the only way to
avoid doing it is to get to Crescent
Beach first and wait for her"
Carroll had secretly appointed him
self the guardian of Mrs. Lynde. He
had loved her when they were boy and
girl together at school, and had never
gotten over it. Her marriage had hurt
MN worse than all the other ills of his
lie combined. And second to that was
the spectacle of Chase's influence over
her. But for his complete confidence
IN her, the second would have been
worse than the first.
What is man to do in such a case as
that? To see good woman dazzled bv
; the Vaccinations of thorough scoun-
urel Is one of the commonest spectacles
OF this mortal life, but method of pro-
cedure which will be effective and
steer clear of scandal is most difficult to
frame; Carroll was young, and natur-