The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-07-23
Stories of an Inland State.

interpreted as being a signal from her that
she had known of his sin and demanded
complete explanation.
Listen" he said taking a fresh grip on
her wrist without in the least looseniag
MS hold in order to do so. Listen. Luz
ella Banks. 1 am a mnster. 1 am
wicked. 1 am dark purple wicked. Ny
very name is crime. l flourish in the
night, in the dark. 1 hide from the light.
run from the smiling sun and shun the
garish, warish, darish day. Lucilla
am william. 1 am. in fact. Lucilla, a
dangerous mani"
She gazed upward at him with something
between an inquiry and a smile, for she did
not know whether she was to laugh APP
probation, or TO look horror-stricken in due
respect 10 the terrible recital.
Listen, Lucilla," he went on. 81 am
gilt-edged terror, and what's more, Luz
| ella -"
He paused, expecting her TO scream.
"And what's more, Lucilla, don't give a
DAMN
Then she did scream. First and last it
was not much of a scream, but in its de-
monstrative effect it must be classed with
screams.
He noticed her palpitation with satisfac-
ton and placed one hand on her shoulder
and looking her in the eyes continued:
Fear not, for am a dangerous man"
Her look of inquiry increased al this con-
| Trajectory statement.
Fear not, Luciila," he said strangely
perslsting in it. 1.-The blackness of my
heart is open TO you as a book-for you to
read therein the deepest secrets of my
| life. l conceal nothing. 1t is there for
you to read. Lucilla. in large type"
She now raised her eyes to him and said
coyly:
| Mr.. Martin. l do not believe you
Fair woman" he said, swelling again.
! DO not be deceived. Do not let the natural
but damnable exterior of this man charm
! you away from the true light. This is Mr..
| Douglass Martin, Luc.lla -
Il know that Mr.. Martini she said.
He noted something just then. with brim-
ming joy. He loosened his grasp on her
wrist and she did not withdraw it.
Douglass Martin" he continued. ''Un-
dertaker. Grave Mr.. Martin. Sympathetic
Mr. Martin. fearful Mr.. Martin. In white
! gloves. Lucilla. In black coat, Luclla,
II wall eyes. L1cila, In slow and measur
ed step, Lucilia. Lies. Lies! Lies! Luz
ella. Nothing of the sort! Fraud, Never
felt bad in my life. Never dropped sin
cere, salty tear for a living soul; never
body. Hated the gravity; wanted TO laugh
at the corpse; hated the white g loves;
wanted to yell to the widower with a laugh
You'll be married in the year; hated SOL
emnty; hated gravity; hated tears; hated
funerals. Always busted inwardly with
laughter. Always laughed in my sleeves
when 1 chucked em into the boxes and
screwed the poor helpless things down; al
ways seeing people make mistakes: Get
red in the face and buster my insdes loose
with holding it in when the relatives find
that this woman has been buried in her
best dress instead of leaving il for her
daughter, always finding some old jane
kissing another in death when they both
would have scratched each others eyes out
living. Everything's funny in life to
me. The sun says: Smile Douglass Mar
tin, damn you, smile. The chirp!ng birds
say Laugh, Douglass Martin, laugh, you
fool And the whole universe is fun,
Luclla, boss fun; the universes a minstrel
joke, Lucilla, with a double meaning, and
have to sit and stave myself in with
gravity. 1 can laugh, Lucilia. I can
roar. l can whoop and boiler and scream
at joke 1 tell you 1 am wicked, dark
purple wicked want to laugh on the
gravest occasions. l have every minute to
conceal what is bubblng against the inside
of my lips to boil out and wreck me and
my business before the world. What would
they think of me, Lucila, il l went to a
funeral and all the time L was screwing the
lid on 1 would be whistling Yankee Doodle
and should 1 say: Lift her out boys, and
chuck her IN her hole. Look at that cas-
ket, amt it a beaut? Look a them handles.
There's forty per cent net on that, which
is the tribute ON vanity. On how badly
the family feels for their poor ma that
when she was alive You can't fool Doug
lass Martin That's what l want to say,
Lucilla. But 1 must jam it down, Lucilla,
jam ii down into my very existence. out of
sight of the world
Surely Mr.. Martin she said. 'It is no
crime TO laugh"
Not for you, Lllcilla, not for you.'"'
Nor for you, Mr. Martini
You bid me laugh, Lucilla. You bid me
persevere openly in my so far concealed
sin"
Il do not believe we should conceal Cur
real feelings. Mr. Martin" she said. 1--WE
should be as God created u.s.
His eyes frightened at this in a way
that made the little woman believe she had
made an unfortunate admission and he was
about to take advantage of il. He said.
however:
But an undertaken is an exception.
Laughing would blight him. It'd drive
customers away ike smallpox, LuciIla.
No. l must conceal my feelings, my true
feelings. No matter what they are must
conceal EN-. / must be perpetual living
fraud. And 1 just come 10 you TO let you
know that I am fraud, that I am VII
ian!'
He had not taken his one hand from her
shoulder or the other from about her wrist.
The hand on the shoulder now Strengthened
out gently so that MS tinger-tips touched
her white neck softly.
Mr. Martin. You must not say that"
she said sweetly- You are not william"
Yes / am I am whited sepulchre,
Lucilla, concealing the truth in ne"
But you should not Mr.. Martin
'Lucilla," he gasped do not tempt
me TOO far Do not command me TO take
the iron-bounds away from my true feel
iHgs."
but do" she said looking archly at
him.
Take care. Lucilia." he cried. Take
CARE With a delicate rapidly the hand
on the shoulder crept along until ms fin
gers curved about her slender. white neck.
You command me 10 uncurtain my bosom
thoughts Blame yourself. LuciIla. Il you |
have unclaimed wicked man in your own
presence, Lucina- l shall not conceal my |
inward thoughts. You have commanded |
ME 10 show you my w.ckedness, Lucilla, |
and l shall show it
"Ar Martin she said Struggling her /
shoulders under the pressure of MS fingers /
on her neck.
You have commanded 70 knox my I,
thoughts. Luciua, and you shall know 4
them