Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-11-17
CHAPTER XIV.

JEALOUSY.
Again seven days passed before she
revisited me. Inded, her visits had
always On interval of seven days, or
multiple of seven between.
Siuce the last, a maddening jealousy
had seized me. For, returning from
those unknown regions into which her
soul had wandered away, and where
she had stayed for hours, did she not
sometimes awake with a smile? How
could be sure that she did not lead
two distinct existences?-that she had
not some loving spirit, or man, who.
like her, had for time left the body
behind-who was all in all to her in
that region, and whom she forgot
when she forsook IT, as she forgot me
when she entered IL? 1t was a thought
l could not brook. But 1 put aside
its persistence as well as 1 could till
she should come .gain. For this l
waited. l could not now endure the
thought of compelling the attendance
of her unconscious form; of making
her body, like living cage, transport
to my presence the unreSisting soul.
| shrunk from 1t, as true man would
shrink from kissing the lips of a sleep
ing woman whom he loved, not know
ing that she loved him in return.
1t may well be said that to follow
such a doubt was to inquire too curl
ously: but once tho thought had be-
gun, and grown. and been born, how
was l to slay the monster and be free
of its hated presence? Was its truth
not a possibility? Yet how could even
she help me, for she knew nothing of
the matter? How could she vouch
for the unknown? What news can
the serene face of the moon, ever the
same to us. give of the hidden half of
herself turned ever toward what
seemed to us but the blind abysmal
darkness. which yet has its own light
and Its own life? All I could hope for
was to see her, to tell her, to be COM
forted at least by her smile.
My saving angel glided blind into
my room, lay down upon her bier and
awaited the resurrection. I sat and
awaited mine, painting to untwine
from my heart the cold death worm
that twisted around it, yet picturing to
myself the glow Of love on the averted
face of the beautiful spirit-averted
from me, and bending on a radiant
companion all the light withdrawn
from the lovely form beside me. That
light began to return. "She is COM
ing, she is comingv' I said within me.
Back from its glowing south travels
the sun of my spring, the glory of my
summer" Floating slowly up from
the infinite depths Of her being. came
the unconscious woman; up-up from
the realms Of stiffness lying deeper
than the plummet of self knowledge
can sound: up from the formless. up
into the known, up into the material.
up to the windows that look forth on
the embodied mysteries around. Her
eyelids rose. One look Of love all but
slew my fear. When l told her my
grief, she answered with n smile of
pity. yet half of disdain at the thought.
IF ever / find II so. / will Kill my.
self there, that / may go to my Hades
with you. But II am dreaming Of
another how is 1t that / always rise
in my vision and come to you? You
will go crazy If you fancy such foolish
things" she added. with n smile of
reproof.
The spectral thought vanished and
l was free.
"Shall l tell you," she resumed COW
ering her face with her hands. "why
I behaved so proudly to you, from the
very first day you entered the house?
1t was because. when l passed you on
the lawn, before you entered the
house. I felt strange, undefinable at.
traction toward you, which continued.
although | could not account for II and
would not yield to it. l was heartily
annoyed at it. But you see 1t was of
no use-here / am. That was what
made me so fierce. too. when l first
found myself in your ROOM"
1t was indeed long before she came
to my room again.
lTo DE CONTINUED.