The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1898-08-30


him in a scanty livelihood A scamp,
my dear, with but one ending before
him. "
The words haunted the girl, stirred
again the accusations which she had
levcled at herself. Whatever road this
most unworthy man might be travelling
she hated the thought that her hand
should have thrust him stepor two on
the despairing journey.
Quite by accident or by fate's ruling
for what we deem accidents are often
but the careful planning Of fate-she
heard where Richard Felgate lived.
With her courage in both hands, with
the sublime beauty Of her innocence
shining in her eyes and glowing in her
! face, she went to see him.
1t was a bold and desperate measure,
/ but she had been rendered bold and des-
perate by those growing self accusings
and by her pity for this outcast. His
suggested iniquity frightened her, but
his suggested doom was still more APP
| palling. She carried resolutely before
her the memory of his pleading voice
when he had begged for her forgiveness,
the remembrance OF tie weary, reckless
face
"There can be nothing wrong in it, -
she said to herself. ''Tnere oaa surely
be nothing wrong in anything which is
done for pity-which has good for it's
ultimate aim. -
He was sitting alone-brooding with
his head in his hands--when she enter
ed his untidy and neglected studio; he
cfo fa5 cto o~~l,1
She rushed to her mission with hurried
words fearful of delay.
MIR. Felgate," she said, holding out
her hands to him, ''you came to me
little time ago, and I refused to hear
you. am sorry. Will you believe that
! am sorry?"
He took her hands, looking into her
eyes ipcredulously. "I' m afraid don't
understand" he said. "Who sent you
to me?"
THAT is ungenerous of you"
"Ah, forgive me, - he cried quickly.
81 am ungenerous indeed. But your
visit is such a surprising one; you come
like light into this dreary place.
Surely it should not be dreary, Mr..
Felgate. Where one does the work one
loyes''-
"Worll! have long ceased to remem-
Der the better meaning of the word. -
"But that should not be-" she said
earnestly. "Indeed, have heard SO
much about you that r. She stopped,
confused.
"And, having heard so much about
me. you come here?" he asked gravely.
Yes, because want to help you,
Mr.. Felgate.''
"To help me? You've set yourself
task, fear, Miss Roughton'
"Ah, please don t laugh at me- -
Laugh at you, child! 1 am nearer to
tears than laughter, think. did not
know that there We're such women as
you left in the world. 1t has not been
my fate to find them. Come-tell me;
how will you help me?'
He was SO gentle and so much moved
and there was such grave consideration
in his eyes that she began to loseher first
fears of the monster. 'sIf it be in the
power of any woman-and have heard
it said that a woman has such power
I'll try to draw you back to better
things You must not mind if I speak
plainly. III try to be your friend, if
you will let me; I'll make you take up
your work again, for the work S sake"
She stamped her foot and set her small
white teeth hard "Come-is it a bar
gain?" She held out her hand to him.
/ In the name of all sweet and holy
things" he answered her solemnly,
Yes. !" He put the hand to his lips.
That was the beginning of the strange
business; the end was to come i'll anoth-
er fashion. She began to discover soon
the magnitude of the task she had set
herself, to see that this was not thing
to be lightly taken up and as lightly
dropped. Small and frail woman as she
was, whose life had hitherto been al
most purposeless, she grew to understand
that she held this man S soul in the grasp
of her two hands, that he chung to her
with the desperate energy of one sud
denly awakened to his peril, pleaded to
her with those weary eyes of his to
watch and have faith in him.
More than all, it required constant
tact and care, this delicate business
Even her power sometimes Went for
nothing, and the whole gamut Of after
repentance and renewed promises and
prayers had to be gone through. Times
there were, too, when serious measures
were vain, when jesting served better
than prayers, when it was possible to
laugh him out of some new recklessness
Or folly.
Then came new development.
Tongues began to wag. In her innocence
in the keenness of her desire to help
this man-she had not thought of that
possibility; her clear young soul refus-
ed to take in the strangeness of her Wis
its to man against whom SO many
doors were closed. That she believed in
him-believed in the sweeter, better ma
ture of him-had been sufficient to her.
The friend-a discreet married WON
an, worldly wise-who had first men,
toned Richard Felgate's name was the
first to voice the whisperings. She took
the girl aside and sharply questioned
| hor