The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-10-08

courage, ana remembering MS curse,
she repeated the thought, and wept that
he had ever lived. :
Slowly and uncertainty she arose and
walked to her desk on the other side OF
the room. Almost mechanically she
took up her peR and without knowing
the words:in fashioned she wrote:
Your curse and your memory are
alike to me. The evil l have done you
does not compare with what you have
visited on me. go to join one whose
life may be as you say, but whose heart
is still true and pure"
The brown eyes were fearless and
dull and the hand was firm that folded
the note, placed it in an enve:~7e and
addressed it. The determirai. to go
and be done with everything hat had
been her life was on her and -. heart
beat madly at the thought of freedom.
She went from room to room, gather
ing few necessary articles of wearing
fore the hall rack, pinning CT her hat,
and debating which gloves she should
select. With womanly instinct she g.
ranged her desk neatly, and placing the
note she had written in conspicuous
place she walked firmly toward the
door.
Without one look backward, without
che thought of the home she was .eav-
ing, of the friends she was never to
know again, she passed through the
portal ard out into the night.
For Il moment after reaching the
veranda she paused. She did rot care
for the rain, and yet she realized that
she should not venture out in such Ii
storm. She would not return or tke
other covering and walked quickly
down tic few steps and reached the
gravel walk.
Then she stopped. The click Ct the
iron gate ard the sound Of voices
reached her cars. People were coming
TO the house and she knew she ought
not lie observed leaving at such time.
Quickly she turned and secreted herself
in the shrubbcry that guarded the walk
from the lawn.
The noise of approaching footsteps
grew louder, and she peered anXiouslE
through the darkness. The idea struck
her that it was strange her husband
should have brought home friends III
such storm. Then she laughed, for she
thought how funny it would be for the
friends when he read her note before
them. Indeed, the devils mood was on
her.
Now the party were almost upon her
and still she could not see. A sudden
flash of lightning and her gaze fell upon
four men, who bore between them what
appeared to be heavy load. The glare
showed her the presence of large
number Of people near the gate.
"She may be there where the light is"
voice was saying. my God, who will
break it to herr"
They paused and she crouched lower
in the shrubbery. The rain beat pitt
lessly upon her already drenched and
shivering form. A thorny branch tore
her cheek and drew the blood, but she
needed it not. Her senses were as numb
as her body, and she did not realize what
it all meant. She wondered vaguely
if she was needed, but her one thought
was to get away unnoticed.
Another voice came through the dark
ness and downpour. The speaker was
so close that she was startled and the
shock almost brought her back to self.
HE had just fallen when reached
him. We would better carry him in"
Slowly they moved. forward, and, i'm
PEELED by something she knew not
what, she rose and followed. The rain
fall drowned the sound of her foot
steps and she reached the veranda
unheeded just as they deposited their
burden under the shelter. One of the
party stepped forward to open the door.
1t was not locked and yielded to his pres
sure.
A broad sheath of light fell upon the
strange scene and Lit up the still re-
Ginning mass on the floor. One of the
men turned, and, seeing her, respect
fully removed his dripping hat. She
did not recognize him, and her eyes
swept slowly over the others without
discovering familiar face.
No one spoke and this seemed strange
to her. With painfully unwilling steps
she moved to the burden the men had
laid down and knelt before it. She did
not want to kneel there and wondered
strangely what the visitors would think
OF her. With the movements of an au-
tomaton she lifted the cloth and looked
down upon face that gazed back at
her unrecognizingly. A dark-red streak
across the temple and cheek told her
all she had not known before.
"You will carry him in," she said, and
the voice sounded strange to her. She
rose and, stepping forward, opened the
door wider and allowed them to pass
inside.
1t was the room she had quilted only
a few moments before. The men again
deposited their burden on the floor and
stood about awkwardiy brushing the
rain from their clothing. One cleared
his voice preparatory to speaking, but
his words died before being uttered as
she glanced at him. The flare of the,
gas lights and the patter of the rain
drops alone broke the stiffness.
She removed her hat and dripping
wrap and walked toward the desk. AS
she reached it she noticed something
white lying on the cover. Picking it up
she saw it was letter addressed to her
husband and in her handwriting. This
was strange, she thought, and she tore
the envelope and read:
Your curse and your memory are
alike to me-"
PauSinp she fl1rned ronnd a.d Eel