The Delta independent. [volume] (Delta, Colo.) 1886-19??, 1897-09-10

a hasty breakfast. and was sitting,
smoking, upon the veranda- The doc
tor and the nurse were with Burlington.
The letter ran thus:
Dear Madame: Acting In accordance
with the Instructions received from my
master. have been compelled to leave your
house and take your son with me- We can
camp at the hut on tho island" (dark had
described this hut to me with enthusiasm:
II had been built by his father and was well
prov.sioncd for tho purposes of duck sh oot-
ing), land Mark. as you know. will be
safe and happy there with me. dare not
take the chances of exposing the boy to
the fury Of a powerful mailman Yours re-
spectfuily. madame. DEMETRIUS."
Nancy brought me this carefully writ
ten epistle, and with it message from
her mother. Mrs. Gerard was pros
trated by the events of the past "a hours
and unable to leave her room. She ap-
proved the flight Of Demetrius.
He is certainly faithful" said Miss
Nancy.
"Why are you not lying DOWN." 1
asked, severely.
81 could not rest while-while the
thunder is in the air. Mamma has just
given me the key to the puzzle. She
has told me that Mr.. Burlington is q
madman-that he has a terrible grudge
against father, and wishes to murder
poor Mark. How horrible!"
every horrible" said. gravely.
"And you," she continued, "were sent
down to stand between Mark and this
dreadful monster. I did you an in
justice. Forgive me-"
She held out her hand frankly, with
IN air of good-fellowship which argued
the lack of tendcrer sentiment.
"But the monster" she continued,
with aslight shiver, sis surely helpless?"
"That. Miss Nancy, we do not know.
We think so.'
"Mamma also told me that he had
once tried to murder father, and in
see that the mere telling of the story
upset her terribly. Oh, Mr.. Livingston.
my heart misgives me when think that
I'm responsible for this man being here.
What have / done in my folly and con-
ceit?"
Her distress was most painful to wit
ness; and naturally l offered some
crumbs OF comfort, pointing out that
she had acted according to the dictates
of her heart, a woman's wisest counsel
or, and doubtless for the best, ulti-
mately.
'Why has this man," she asked, fierce
ly, "bcen suffered to heap such wretch
cdness upon the heads of innocent peo-
ple?"
Twas silent.
Have you nothing to say?" she de-
manded, hotly.
There is reason in everything" I
answered-"the inexornble logic OF
cause md effect. believe that the an
swer to most Of our questions may be
found, il We search patiently. The
problem of human suffering is 10 be
solved, but not by random guesswork.
The sufferings of such O woman as your
mother are to be evidence Of q future
state od existence"
Shc listened attentively to my crude
response, softer light suffuxing her
fire eyes. The tAouGht struck. mo that
both Of us, She ~ we'll ~ I. had taken
life too lightly and needed the discipline
Of reflection. To me personally things
in general Ind begun TO assume strange
pIopoh IoiASs bOksto VI NY AAso~Ahs~AssAS
dwindlcd to mole hills, and vice versa;
substance melted into shadow; the ideal
absorbed the real. The process is often
rapid, and, like q trip across the English
channel, most upsetting.
Yesterday" said Nancy. after n sig
nificant pause, II particularly noticed
the sunset. The line Of surf. with the
light behind It, was purple. not white;
and yet I knew, Of course, that it. was
white. 1t is so with the human souls
we meet; their color depends upon the
light, and our own eyes deceive us.
And there are always the two roads.
one leading to Heaven-on earth. l
mcan-and the other to-"
"The land of regret. May you never
set foot thcre!"
spoke warmly.
"Thank you; you would"
''Turn myself into n sign post for
your sake. Most assuredly."
We gazed calmly and dispassionately
into each others eyes. Perhaps. all in
all, IL was the bit.erest moment Of my
life, for / saw that she had guessed my
secret and remained unmovcd; and yet
the leaven Of sweetness was there.