Arizona republican., 1901-03-18

weary. Gods mercy will not alwayi strive. Besides, you are lying. Yol have never loved. If you had you coult not have deserted me for such a."
 'Vahatha, listen. To say have no loved you would be the blackest lit ever uttered without, or within, tht portals of hades. To say I love yor would be needles repetition. You hay$ heard it from my lips. seen 1t in ml eyes. It has echoed from your owr pure, sweet soul. Like the dew thaI creeps unheralded and unseen into thu famished heart of the stricken fowei and wooes it back to life and hope, SC you have crept into my heart. and there, dear, you are enshrined."
 He stopped a moment to wet his fe' vered lips with tongue that was hot and dry and continued:
 "I know my unworthiness. You are as far above me as are the messengers of light. My great love is my only title to equality. But--I have been tempted Great God! You know not how terrl- bly! And the soft fingers of sin closed my lips so I could not tell The God you worship, dear, was taken far up on the top of high mountain. and shown the hills and valleys and sunny glens; the rivers and lakes and natures bon nie woodland parks, and he was told that all he could see would be his if he would not kneel down and worship the donor. The devil has grown wise since then. Had l been offered all that your God was shown; had he tempted me with all riches and honors and fame and success, I could have spurned his trltling offer and knocked the deVi' down for his insult to my honor. But he offered me more than these; he off, cred me more than heaven. or long life or surcease of sorrow, He offered you. l looked upon his matchless gift and-fell. Now l must take my penal ty; but. hear me, dear, ! am not dis consulate. for l have had my compen- sation. Your lips have whispered son nets of love. Your dear eyes have filled my soul with living ecstacies, Your kisses have been so sweet that the gall of an eternity of sin will not be bitter.
 T have forfeited your respect, your love, yet l cling to 1t now as. though twere the wings of hope"
 "I do not understand you. Jack. What strange fantasies are iieetins through your brain?~
 They were standing upright now. her eyes so intent that they seemed to be be searching his very soul.
 "Let-me tell--you all. His words oozed out like drops of blood. Let me lya ola st of The burden of my sin had crushed my man. hood dear l am not-your Jack All these miserable months l have been playing the williams part. l did not mean to ruin your life. But-when looked into those dear, soulful eyes, my love broke its leash and strayed and could not control its force. tried, o how I tried to bring it back, but l was triumphantly dafied. I reasoned and ca- joled and commanded and was answer ed by mocking laughter Then--thrr5 came moments of blssful submission to fate and-sweet rethargy, and thrills of delicious gladness. and--and- o. darling! I would not give you up II could."
 His face was lighted up as with a great joy. and his heart was all agiow with the fervor of his great love. And she? We'll, her dear heart was all a-fiutter, and If he had taken her ir his arms then she would not have said him nay.
 For one moment Jim was every 'nch a king, and looked it. Then his great love was beaten back upon itself by his reinforced manhood. and he went on while his face lost its light and took on the livld hue of death and despair.
 'Bu; in striving to attain my soui 5 desire I had no right to sneak, satan like, into your Eden and bribe you to be untrue to another. The thought brings utter debasement, and l walloW ln q s,ough of despondency. It makes me feel like another Esau, with my hand against every man and every mans hand against me"
 Do not think I fell without strug- gie. As time sped you became more to me than life, than heaven, than ambi- ton. than God. I loved you to ador- ation. Still I struggled with love Inch by inch. step by step every day the awful, unequal fight went on. would think l had conquered, ana peace, like a night-fall, would settle around me, when one look from the eyes l adore, one touch from these lily fingers, a word from the lips that are sweeter to me than life. and the walls of my city of refuge would tumble about my ears, and l, a defenseless knight would surrender to blissful captivity. Some of the memories of the past weeks are lovdier than the eyes of hope, and some are more hideous than a devils dream God is not the only one who has spent his night in Gethsemene."
 His voice was solemn in it's intense earnestness, and his face was knotted with pain. Vahatha devoured him with her beautiful eyes. She was as one in a maze. Glimpses of light H.