Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-09-10

'sMr. Hodge said Mrs Mather,
leaning forward a little breathlessly
lyon are good man. "
"Yes-that is to say replied Mr.
Hodge, growing quite red and plunging
for bis handkerchief, I'll try to be. =
lyon arei" she repeated with en-
phasis
But while the selectman and the
pretty widow were discussing fate, free
will, foreknowledge absolute, Sally Law
ender was following her husband
through the bypaths Of the river wood,
the viewless feet Of fear falling before
her and her tired eyes full Of horror
Of she knew not what. At first Hum
phrey had not seemed to notice her.
Then he shouted, "This way nowp' and
Come oni Come on + and ''I'il lead you
a danceW and then silence, and all the
time he maintained his gigantic strides
to keep up with which taxed her run
ming powers. The wild smilax vines
tangled her feet. the boughs he parted
few back and bit her face, a snake
slipped kissing under her shoe, the
briers caught and tore her gown, the
thorns scratched her hands and her
ankles and her feet were wet with the
DOGGY places through which they tram
pied.
She took no heed of any of it, all her
thought active only to follow her hus-
band and keep him from doing himself
a mischief. Sometimes he fingered
moment over brown sunlit pool, and
she hurried with all her poor strength.
Sometimes he wound his way out of the
wood aud threw himself down on the
steep brink of the river, where quick
motion, a slipping foot would end all,
and she hurried again to sink down
gently in the long grass and the nod
ding daisies beside him and lay her
hand on his arm and wonder in O blind
way at the indifference of sky and wa
ter to her trouble. Then it was up
again and tramp away. She had no JOY
of the soft waning afternoon, whose
light she had many a time before
thought like that which might shine
across the hills of heaven. She had not
seen the blaze of the sunset. She did
not feel the coming of the purple, dewy
dark nor hear the wild lamenting of
the whippoorwills, and when near mid
night, in the hard, cold shining moon,
they reached their own door she had no
other sensation than that she must walk
on forever.
She lighted the lamp mechanically.
The fire in the stove was not all gone,
and the broth she had left in the oven
was still warm. The doctor had said,
she repeated to herself again, that he
must be made to eat She poured him
out bowlful, and he took it ravenous-
ly, while she drank cupful herself.
And he ate the oustard pie she put be-
fore him with no idea what it was he
ate, his wide and burning eyes red, it
seemed, with the fire in his brain. Ii
only she could make him sleep! The
doctor had said sleep would be his sal
walton, but when she had offered him
any of the anodynes il had simply
aroused his fury. She had hated to de-
ceive him, but there was no help for
it. She slipped dose into the cocoa,
whose own slightly bitter taste disguis-
ed it. But just as he had taken the last
of the cocoa be saw her putting the vial
out of sight 'Don you come near me
with that poison stuff" he shouted.
"I'll pour it down your own throat Of
you do. Herel By king | will any
way And with stride he had seized
the vial in enc hand and his wife's chin
in the other, and in a minute the whole
bottleful and death with it would
have been her portion, for she could not
escape the terrific grasp, she could only
lift her hand and lay it on his shoulder
in the way of an old earess. A shiver
ran through him. He trembled at the
touch The vial slipped to the floor
Here" he cried. "Ain't you the wo-
man sold to Tom Brier once? What in
nation you here for anyhow! Git out
of this, neck and crop. And he lifted
her as if she had been leaf and sent
her flying through the door. Then he
shot the bolt home and stalked into the
bedroom and tumbled as he was upon
the bed.
Sally Lavender lay on the grass where
she had fallen, too tired to pick herself
up, too wretched to know that she was
tired. 1t was under the thick leaved
shade of the apple tree where no dew
fell Before she could gather what had
happened she was asleep.
She woke with start when she had
slept perhaps an hour, full of terror of
something unknown, which resolved it.
self almost instantly into something too
we'll known. She was icy cold for half
moment, and then she was burning
in glow of indignation from head to
foot. But as she wrung her hands the
touch of her wedding ring controlled
her like a talisman. sit isn't him; it
ISN'T him ~ she sobbed He'd never
do it in the world. It's the strings all
1angling whichways. And, oh, it does
seem so cruel But mustn t, mustn't
and he so good and gentle and lovin W EN-
he IS all there And We said it-though
he slay vltN!ll I trust in him-aEd
perhaps it's my trial-oh, dear Lord,
help me to bear the burden, and Lord,