Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-08-29
CHAPTER Z

l.
Under an early morning sky beside
That ocean TO which the heart Of man
Iea.. instinctiyely. percbance a. symbol
ina ~ it, glorious freedom that which
he bugs tu, but never can te. man and
pirl were walking. absolutely blind and
inscus ate 10 the heavenly influences
srGund them, though the causes for their
indiil erence were wide rs poles asunder.
Tie man was scientist, too wholly
engru-sed in subject that, sleeping and
waking. never left his Consciousness To-
he aware OF his body at all or Of any
agreeable sensations affecting that body
the other because with all the strong,
sweet influences 70 life crying out to
her she was forced to gaze only en- her
own heart with IT'S seething revolt, Its
tmpotent horror thrust back upon itself,
20 endure all the degradation, the hor
rcr Of nm existence that did not belong
TO itself, but was sacrificed, quick and
Cuivering. on the altar of discovery.
A distant clock struck the hour Of Z.
Tho girl lifted her face for moment to
the pale sky, recreated over again for
hcr, for every one of us, each day, and at
the same moment there burst upon them
rUund the corner of the cliffs something
also new, in blood, in heart, in pure joy
fulness and rainbow glory Of love-two
young lovers, arm in arm and breathing
cUntraband bliss from top to toe.
"Fools, muttered the scientist as the
pair. ike bunch If warm crimson roses
dividing dry fieshless bones, passed be-
I.,a III. L.. a
girl stood still TO look back, az she al
ways did when she met the handsome
young pair If lovers.
Irresponsible, gay, chatterinS 10 To che
dozen. Just ~ you will sec two mites,
wholly engrossed with one another, start
oil intent upon some delicious childish
game forbidden by their elders, they
were apparently getting fast out of sight,
IA usual, when ono Of them stopped,
and she, too. looked back at the figure
ut the corner Ut the cliffs, which turn
ed and hurried after the gaunt man who
had not even missed her.
'Oh, Williev' cried the younger Of
the frivolous ones, tuning pale, an
image of thoughtless youth who has
looked in the face OF old ago as in q
mirror and is affronted ut the refiec-
ton. why didn't we turn hack sooner?
He freezes the blood in my veins Cole
ridge mus. have had just such man
rs that in his mind when he described
his Ancient Mariner and. oh. that
poor. poor grill"
Will Cassilis took prompt advantage
az that corner IL tho cliff. which had
proved ut once the opportunity and dis
covery ~ more Ahan one pair of lovers,
and kissed her warm again before he
said.
The man is i'll, probably dying, and
wish Inc had chosen any other pl,ce tu
die In, ~ ho seems to affect you IN ~
extraordinary way"
He will never do" cried Mamie
"He was never born. he is nothing hu-
man, though what he is no one knows.
Don't you SEQ tho fisher people shrink
and turn pale when he passes by? He
Just locks mt them with those awful
eyes, and their bodies shrivel up, ordi
nary life IL suspended. and some horri
BILE unknown influence takes Its place
when he is near. You have felt it your.
sclf. Willie, only you are obstinate and
will not own it,.
"Sou see he is DID," said Will decid-
eily. land we are Young It's atrophy of
the Insscles. Of heart. Of everything. and
of course we don't understand il. IL
must be awful to be like thst-awful. ~
He stretched his long athletic limbs
in all the rejoicing strength Of five and
twenty. and keen. alert, swift footed. he
looked y lover to be reckoned with and
only outstripped with difficulty as he
took his sweethcart's face in both hands
and squeezed II mp together so Us to kiss
~ much OF IL all ut once as he possibly
could
IL was one Of those kissable little
faces of which the lovableness strucl
one first and the beauty after, will
something, too, vt the winning aud pa
thetic trustfulncss Of u child. as si,
stood ON tiptoe with one hand on hi.
shoulder. Ii sometimes troubled him
that pathcssS look. but she always ex
planned il by saying that beside him she
WIS 50 very, very happy!