Kootenai County Republican. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1899-1903, 1899-09-01

presence crushed down again upon nv
soul Were We both mad that we should
talk of lover We who must say fare
welll Could forget her youth and my
affiiction and helplessnessf Ten thou
sand times no. and my very love for
her must save her, even although joy
less LIES eventide We're the price paid
kissed her opee. and yet once again,
and then released her. but she still held
my hands. How / had the courage to
say to her what did Is q mystery to
me now.
"You have helped ne 10 bear my loss,
but of course We mnst forget all this.
for now that am blind
Il have eyes for both Of us. she
cried.
1T is your woman 5 pity that speaks
now" rejoined. "You will live to
thank me yet for speaking like this If
loved you less. might let you sacrifice
yourself, but l want you always to
think we'll of me. 1t was too bad Of me
to think it was Jack you mean. when
you referred to some one in the cave
But You remember the part You played
for him on che Macarthur You think
too much of others.
Ibid you think that when l saw you
both in trouble on the Macarthur l was
going TO withholdtne little help it was
so easy for me to giveg And now per
haps you forget that 1t was in order to
save us you risked your life, and-and
met with this .
Think of what blindness means"
hazarded. ''its helrlessness and useless
ness
IF you We're deaf and dumb as well
as blind. it would make no difference.
she rejoined.
And then to Justify myself in 1
eyes-if any justification We're needed
Il told her only what she had right
To know after what she had said
confessed how Of late | had worked
for her father not from necessity but for
love CT her; how, when had spoken to
her in the cave, it was not only because
my worldly position Justified me, but
because could not conceal my real feel
ings any longer.
"Yuu think it would have made any
difference to me il you had not possessed
a penny in the worldY" she asked.
81 don't think it would-to you, I"
was my answer, but it would To me,
because then l could not have had the
courage to speak as did +"
Then I'm afraid you are hardly the
man took you for. " she rejoined. with
forced assumption of her old manner.
! had been mole than human If my
resolutions had not ~aycrva sa~., h.s
| ground. as it We're, my heart under
my heel and honestly strove to do the
right 1t was dishonorable 10 temporize
would find the sqnatter and ask his
pardon, and he being n sensible man,
would look at the matter in the same
light as myself In the after years she
would he glad that she had been saved
from the blind man. ! told her as much.
And now she astonished me, for she
said
Il have told him everything al
ready.
/ There was the sound OF footsteps
which / thought might be her father 5.
Instinctively and quickly, fear. tried
to withdraw my hands from hers. bul
she would not release them What
would the squatter or any other right
i minded man think of my conduct In
this matter? The thought filled ME with
! shame, and now he entered the tent.
Though my eyes saw him not, still by
some intnitive sense | knew il was Mr.
Mackenzie. He greeted me in a kindly
fashion. and his voice betrayed no sur
prise.
lost no time in telling him what
had To say. | was afraid that he might
think had acted dishonorahly in tn.
matter. Certainly appearances were
against me. 1t was not too late how
ever. TO rectify matters. as / had jus
told Miss Mackenzie. Would he allow
me to explain and then perhaps h'
would be more ready 10 make allow
ancesi
"Norah has told me everything. h
said in kindly manner, "and | can
not well see how can blame you.
but. sir, consider my position -
when l married Norah mother. :
the squatter interrupted, mistaking IN,
meaning. II was not better off thai
psvkaps you are now. had a Ei0 not
and she had G3. COO 1t was with tina
commenced lie in this country. No
can I see how can judge you from
that standpoint
But explained that he mistook IN.
meaning and that IL was my blindnes
that had now come between us. for, O
course. | could not think of holding he
~ that imperfeetiy made avowal
"Yon re qaite right as to that. sal
the squatter, ''for Of course you re nov
Handicapped from business point q
view Yon could hardly expect other
wise. you know. Still one doesn know
that your sight Is altogether destroyed
II there was any definite
But interrupted here. telling hir1
as had told his daughter. that it wa
no, a question Of means Had nc
possessed ths wherewithal should hsv
taken i5y departure long ago. merel
wanted TO assure them that If under th
altered circumstances they did some
what alter their attitude toward me