The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-05-30
THE ROANOKE TIMES SATURDAY. MAY 80 1896.

~AS ~'ssO oooAA Ni6SAh6. AhCto WAC uO Acy
in the lock. but at his touch the cover
flew open, and ont poured the contents
blue, green and gold, like glittering
rush Of water broken beneath tho sun.
Tho cabby's heart stopped beating.
"Diamondsl'' he cried softly. Then he
grasped at the window ledge. for the
creature gave howl Of anguish.
Good God, they give no lightr'
And the echoes chartered back, mo
light No ightp'
There was a long silence. The huddle
ON the floor rocked to and fro, his face
buried in his thin hands.
The moon had sunk and the sky was
clear as dark glass. A cock crowed
somewhere i'll the east. At that sound
the wretched figure raised its head OPP
posite him was door with fan shaped
transom over it, and as he looked it
grew gray and then rosy. Some one was
coming; now even the cabman could
hear the light creak of steps. Nearer
they came, nearer. The door opened.
and little figure peeped into tho room
tho little figure of woman, shriveled
and very old.
The man by the fireplace sprang up.
As the woman's eyes met that CHASTITY
face she gave u cry. "Judas' she
screamed, "Judas!' Then she tottered
and slid i'll Il heap at his feet He kicked
ut her, but she only lay there, gibber-
ing: What do you want? What do you
want?'
At last he answered her.
1t was black; it choked met was
so dark-oii, SO dark! have come back
for the light they promised me- They
said L should find it here; that without
1t my soul will be blind-blindl Do you
hear me? Help me find it! AS you were
my wife, help me find it''
The woman crawlcd to her knees i,cr
eyes raised to his. and the terrified cab
man, watching through the window, saw
that the kerchicf folded across her bose III
was bright as if a lamp glowed behind
it.
The other man saw it, too, and his
white claws shot out, burying them
selves i'll her breast When he had fin
ished, he held III his stained and drip
ping hands the woman's heart. 1t quiv-
cred, like the bruised human thing it
was, but the light shining from it never
wavercd, lighting the hollow of the
mans hand and the hollow of the great
room, his face and his loose, white lips
smiling widely, and tho pit of his
throat, that was black rs the gate of
hell; lighting, too, the tumbled, tram
pied body and the star dust of spilled
diamonds
He paused an instant, he whose name
was that of the dead, then he turned
and bounded toward the window. There
was smash of glass, and the cabman
felt those smeared fingers at his own
neck.
Now take me back where I came
from. Be quick, or else - He did not
finish his threat
The cabby gave a sick gulp, as if his
throat We're full of paste; then he was
dragged over the ground and flung into
the seat of his cab. The creature sprang
after him, grinding him against the
dashboard with its bony knees, where
the poor cabby clung frantic with ter
rOr, as they fed, pounded flew down the
road.
When tho cabman opened his eyes
again, there was Il great burst of sun
shine. Above his head shone the heav-
ems, deep as the core of Il sapphire and
far away he could see the blue haze of
the city streakcd with gray plumes of
smoke. In the grass lay his shattered
cab, and high over his head, its pearly
summit seeming plunged in the eternal
azure, rose a marble shaft. On it were
carved these words: "To Judas Withers.
Erected by his loving wife
The letters were of gold. but the
morning sun had touched them into
words of fire Julie Closson Kenly in
San Francisco Argonaut