The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-10
Stories of an Inland State.

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found Mr.. Everett, brooding, head in hands
| In chair, in the twilight. She knelt or
the floor at his side and he placed his arm
about her, but said nothing.
| Father" she said. Il have borrowed
this from friend 1t VIII tide you over for a
little while. 1 am young and strong and
mean to seek livelihood for myself. You
must not discourage me now by protest
| ing
| 'Nelher' he cried feebly.
| I'VE must not talk, or you will weaken
! ne. Go on seeking employment. You
| are not the first man 10 be out of tune with
| the world, and you must seek your pitch.
Let me seek mine. Perhaps if we part,
/ and see each other no more the sting il
| the memory OF other days, tie stimulus Of
pride will die away. When that is gone
I am sure I will be happier, very much
happier. It is not the dread of the ap-
partitions of the future that torments us.
Ghosts are Of the past-and after ail-only
ghosts. Give me kiss-there. II is less
cruel than word by meaning less, happier
by meaning more-a kiss. Good bye
He never saw her again. The yeast Of
desperation raised him to newborn ener-
gy, lifted him again into the active world,
filed him with dreams OF restoration 10
his former glory. ana left him at last
clerk at a dingy window where he could
see the building where he had once been
proprietor, happy IN dreams and in the
senile belief that the past had galloped on
around him and was waiting him on the
road ahead to restore him TO his own. But
the child he had adopted, whose marvellous
beauty had flied him with pride who had
shared his reverses with such noble placidi-
ty, he never saw again.
On the street the night seemed to cling
to her Ike an evil mist, passing through
her lips and polluting them, rotting in her
lair, and nauseating her. But as she went
on, this moral assertion of Nature grew
until she combatted It for very breath and
In combating IT put il down. She passed
q night-walker. with head down and paus-
ed before him. He pressed on by, then
stopped and came back to her, but she
turned quickly and walked away heetly.
She met others and brushed them closely,
causing them to stop and follow her. Now
she remembered she was hungry. Now
she forgot it. Still she watched the figures
passing her, distorted in the night like
enernes, the gnomes who people democ
racy of sin. oh, the democracy of SIN and
the madness of it. Shall she glory in her
purity? Shall she glory in her beauty?
Shall she glory in her pride? Shall the
purity of her soul be dragged to immola-
ton? Shall the glory OF her beauty be
cast bait into the sluggish. sliney stream
OF crime to catch vermin born of its reek
and breathing in its stencil? Shall the
beauty Of her pride, in its towering
strength, topple down below, to seek the
damning level, which denies it can look
up, which never can look down, but which
holds the world TO the condemnation of an
awful equality, the equality of universal
degradation, and universal sin. Shall the
sun of her eyes go out before the sickiy
droop Of ribald dissipation and the
splendor of her tinted skin, sacrifice It's
bloom TO the sallow bleach OF wantonness
and vice? Shall the tender winsome
ness of her lips come to the vulgar smrk
Of common invitation? Shall her soul.
from ethereal heights drop to the under
world. and its polluted people, who pardon |
themselves with the plea that others are as
they are and all are equally debauched, |
and wallow there, in the mire of ulcerous |
degradation. happy, In the moments thrill !,
Of passion happy in the moments drunken |
stupor, happy in the moments debased |
triumph, otherwise wretched, desperate, !
uIStIdGSut, lniSeTdDiy Uefidlit, lIiiseTdDiy CT
fering the mental balm to their souls. that !
all the world sins with them? Oh. the |
democracy Of sin and the madness of It.
With what wary modest hesitation, |
she went on, down the smooth slope With |
what conscious value of her form and face |
and of her purity With what laxity OF |
and surrender Of womanly dig
nifty. With what madness of brain. and |
heart and soul, she longed to make the
awful leap. With what blindness TO the |
OF her pure love for the man who
had chosen another. With what awful
thoughts of vengeance against him, she
went on. down the smooth elope where the
black tide of putridity wrapped its victims
In its sitting gases.
She had passed into a park and was fol-
lowing one Of its winding paths when a
man accosted her, a man Of genteel dress
but nlaudliI with liquor SO that he caught
her by the arm to steady himself and be-
gan broken, vehement, foolish recital OF |
bis pleasure at meeting her.
She felt the touch of his hand ard re-
vclted. The pressure Of MS fingers SEEM
ed 10 burn into her very heart and soul.
Every fibre in her body jumped and quiv-
cred with the violence of offended feminin,-
ty, and its innate unplucked purity.
With a face drawn with pain, with eyes
blinded by food Of overwhelming shame,
and with body burning an indignant wo-
manly protest, she tore away from him.
At the same time she heard a voice and
saw that some one had grasped the man
by the arm and was assisting him TO keep
his feet. The drunken man collapsed upon
the ground in heap and the other pulled
at his arms.
Look here, Willis the man said. IT
have been looking everywhere for you. We
must get out Of this. You would ruin
everything. Why will you touch liquor?
Come. have you no sense? Get up!''
In her stupefaction following the revolt
IF her moral nature she stood still ana
heard these words without noting them
Excuse me- said the man above the
drunken fellow. You could oblige me by
on mind ?"
II will help" she said.
The man who had made the request.
,traightened He could not tell why.
Something had surprised him in the wo-
Tan's reply Was Il her voice.
Together they lifted the drunken man
Ip and putting him between them lifted
him along through tho park and out of It
Ind UP neighboring street The second
nan halted al fight Of steps leading from |
/ house TO the sidewalk ana thanked Nell,
saying he thought he could get him into
the house alone.
II have been Of service them" she said.
Yes" he replied steadying his charge.
Il am hungry" she said. would you
are II I asked for something to eat?'
'sCerts.niv r,nr', he -enEsi so vnn are |