The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-24
Stories of an Inland State.

| paused and studied him as he worked And
! in the minute observation of her eyes was
| there not some prescience of vision, which
| foresaw the d:reful future and tried to
| garner all the advantage vouchsafed for
| il in the short remaining time of its Fife?
Were the light of her eyes rioting in the
! last instant of their glory? She watched
| him take up the bottles one at time and
place them in the basket. She noted the
| form Of each bottle. the clasp his fingers
| took upon it, the motion of his arm as ne
deposited it, the varying shadows in his
coat as ne bent and Strengthened, the color
of his face in the light, the black shadow
from the rim of his straw hat upon his
forehead, the doubling of his chin as he
bent the slight opening of his lips, their
closing again, the gloss of his black hair,
the slow breathing movement of his chest,
the shift of his foot, its shape, the style
of his shoes, the cloth of his trousers, the
hang Of his coat, the color of his neck
tie, a small frayed edge of his tail. white
collar, the conical dash of white in the
pupils of his eyes, the purple tinge Of a
closely-shaved beard. the redness Of his
lips, the two marked raises which reach
from the rostrils over the center OF the
upper lip; the shape of his ears, pointed
elvishly and close to his head, perpen-
dicular fall Of short hair before each ear:
the rims beneath his eyes, the play OF
wrinkles from the outer corners Of his
eyes down through his cheeks, the lightly
marked eyebrows, arched and perfectly
formed the long eye-lashes. and their lift
ings and droppings; the shadows on the
wall about him, the curling designs Of the
wall paper, with their confusing regularity
of pattern, the rough mating beneath his
feet, and every stain in il, and the compar-
alive darkness OF one spot and the light
ness of another; the bench on which the
chemicals had stood; its color, the grain
of the wood, a knot, a dsscoloration here.
place which had been whitfield clean there;
the window and each item of its construc-
ton, the nail-heads covered with putty
where the paint had scaled off, the lines
of the painters brush on the woodwork,
a pin stuck in the SASH the latch In the
center, its construction, a cobweb and
its irrad:ating flaments, a fly caught In its
meshes and dead; the construction of the
walls Of the room, where they were untrue
and the corners were uneven, the base
board and the dust upon it; the books up
on the bench, their form, the lettering on
their backs, the Streaks in the surface OF
the edge of the closed pages, the square
of light falling through the door; the geo.
metrical figure it made, its several angles,
the figures of the hall carpet 1t struck,
their texture, the length of the nap, here
erect, there crushed under recent foot
fall, the darkness outside the square, its
d:st:nctness from the reflected light and
further away the blank darkness in cor
rer, its misty texture, the white wall thAe
reached above it, a crack in the plaster
irg from where it started and into the
dark corner where 1t Disappeared; the
slight bulge which accompanied it on its
z:g-Zag course.
Her eyes seemed to devour II all, as II
they were things apart from her and her
will
She was looking upon him now steadily.
She saw his arm go out, and as his hand
turned and fingers lifted shadow passed
over them; she saw his fingers move in ev-
cry joint as he picked up small vial.
She saw the vial, small, with a widening
top, filled with colored liquid which She
fancied she saw tremble into little waves
as he touched it. She saw him lift it, his
eyebrows lifting. his eyes Frightening, a
break of wrinkles near his lips; slight ex-
piration from his lungs, the opening of his
lips, the distention of his nostrils, the
doubling of his chin, the increased flush
ing OF his cheek, the turn OF his body, the
flash of shadows across his form, the move
ment of bit of hair on his forehead, his
arm raise. the rigidity of his fingers hold
ing the vial, the turn OF his ankle as he
changed his posture, the bending of one
knee, the slow ascent of the liquid between
his eyes and the lamp, the tremble OF its
surface, the squirt OF inspection in his
eyes the shadow of his lashes on his cheek,
the broadening smile on his lips. the vague
CLEAN of his white teeth, the lowering of
the chin the red reflection of the liquid on
his forehead, the trembling shake OF his
arm, the dash of the liquid in a miniature
storm.
How death came 20 that 1.-the figure she
did not see.
She fer hand upon her and vague muir
murings pain, and an awful sense OF dark
ress. Some one was lifting her, then re-
leasing her There was an awful storm.
The tempest ragged about her and within
her Now she knew some one was near
her now she was unconscious. Again she
awoke and felt the supporting arms. She
struggled to stand in the darkness and fell
Again some one was supporting her. She
tried her sense of sight, and swooned
Again she was conscious, and raised
her hands to her face and held them there
not knowing il. Many were talking near
her She could not distinguish words. Now
she was running onward. Now lying in
raging torrent. Now she heard a word-her
own name-Nell. Who was calling her?
Her mother, Mr.. Everett, Mrs Reuter-, Jo-
seph? Why did they not come? Where
was she? Stin murmurs and her own
name Some one had her in his arms. He
was running. Now he had dropped her.
She raised her hands again TO her face. She
could not get 10 her eyes. She reached her
hand out. Some one took it firmly and she
heard the words and knew the voice.
For Gods sake. Nell, can You stand?'
It was John Wright who spoke.
She did not answer. but stood upon her
feet and found her voice.
Tell me-" she cried.
Not now. The house in ruins. We will
be pursued Do you wish to go with me or
TO remain?'
She did not answer.
He repeated the question.
II will go with you" she said.
Her hand had been wandering over her
face.
where are we now?" she asked
Here. Trust 10 ne"
81 cannot see"
.'You are hurt" he said, with sob. y
have bandagei your eyes. On, my GOD,
NELL On, my God"
Old John Wr.ght's house was wreck
from the violence OF one OF his explosives
The walls had parted and the whole was
a shspeless wreck. Re had been benunb-
ed, bu, not hurt. He had torn himself
from the ruins CROPPED in the darkness
and among the plaster, glass and brick for
Nell He had found her n the midst o.
the remnants o. q wardrobe. He had