The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1897-02-19

lust as he was losing MS HOlu Luz u :
second time and pulled him to t.
footing beside her 1t was nothing )
bit of spontaneous helpfulness,
none the less the incident served 10
oren the question which Philip had jas
dismissed. He sat down at her feet TO
recover his breath while she gathered
handful Of the rhododendrons.
"Did it tire your she asked.
'No. not very much. WASN'T think
ing of that. Twas trying to bring myself
to the point of telling you something
that you ought to know"
SIS it about yourself?"
"Yes.''
She sat down beside him to arrange
the flowers. 81 am listening" she said,
encouragingly.
The opportunity had come, but
Thorndyke trified with it. do you
know why 1 came to Alabama?" he be-
gan.
"Why, yes; it was on account of your
health, wasn't it?'
cit was; but did you know that nv
case is quite hopeless
81 knew you thought it So"
81 still think so-the doctor as good
as told me it was; and yet, do you
know, that just now feel that under
some circumstances [ might win my
way back to health and strength
again?"
''That's the way you ought to feel all
the time; it's more than half the battle"
Thorndyke remembered Protheroe's
words and wondered if he had repeated
them to Elsie. 81 suppose should, but
! can't. 1t was just as you lifted me
over the edge of the rock; it seemed as
if you gave me a new hold upon life out
of your abundance. Queer, wasn't it ?"
This was not at all what he had begun
to say, but the words chose themselves.
Its astonishing what retrospective
field the mind will cover at a pinch.
isn't it? Now, in that half second while
you were helping me got a telescope
Glimpse of my whole life, and it's al
ways been the same way-some one has
pulled me up over the hard places before
could even try to do for myself. And
it's taken the color out of everything;
there has never been anything left
worth living and fighting for; if there
had been might be able to make some
show of resistance now"
"I'm afraid don't quite understand
you," she said. 81 thought everybody
had something to live for"
81 presume most people have; and in
my own case the uncharitable might say
something about sour grapes. That
wouldn't be true, though; it wasn't
until knew I couldn't live that 1 cared
much about it. And there is every rea-
son to suppose that, with the fear of
death removed, life would go back again
to the same old dreary round and be
more undesirable than ever"
She rose and fastened the bunch of
rhododendrons in her belt. "Do you
really mean to say that you have no rea-
son for wanting to live? Would nobody
be sorry if you died?"
Thorndyke killed his opportunity
with one blow. eyes, there may be
some who would be sorry; perhaps you
a different matter; I'm not good enough
to want TO live to oblige my friends, nor
bad enough to want to die to spite them.
Let's go and find the Pocket you were
telling me about"
1t is an open question as to how liter
ally the most sincere person can afford
to be taken in a conversation which
bears upon his own personality. Doubt
less Philip meant to say what was in
him at the time; nevertheless, repent
ance came afterward, and with it more
good intentions. While Philip the SELL
estimated was as little like Philip the
real as might be, yet there was unde-
niably an accusing conscience which
the self-known Philip sought to muzzle
with the fiction that the afternoon was
still young. Unfortunately, however,
opportunities for the saying of reluctant
things do not grow upon every bush,
even upon a sequestered mountain top.
and Philips conscience was still unap-
peased when, an hour beyond the rhodo-
dendron, they came out upon the rim
of crater-like valley cutting a dec;
cash in the mountain. Itwas cll;ptcal
in shape, with wooded sides slantin.
down from the base of the cliff line
small cornfield in the center; but there
was no sign of a house, nor of any road
leading down from the level of the
plateau. A clear stream gushing from
beneath fiat bowlder at the foot of the
southern slope splashed riotously
through the length Of the valley, to VAN
ish again into the mouth Of low
proved cave at the base of the northern
cliff.
''The happy valley of Rasselas, with
the inhabitants left out" said Thorn
dyke. ''Is this the Pocket?"
eyes; the Devils Pocket, the noun
taineers call it,
"Why 'devil's'?" asked Philip.
I'm sure l don't know; father says
it's because some people like to name
things after their patron saint"
THAT'S a quaint idea; but the name
fits rather better in this case than it
usually does. There is always some
thing suggestive of the weird and I'M
canny In valley that has no visible out
let. How does the man who hoes that
corn ever get down to it,"
"Oh, there are several ways to get
down, though not very many people
know them.''
Il suppose you know some Of them;
can't we explore it?"
Il think we'd better not try; it's get
flDrr To- 70 I'd