The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-04-13

| F1ntsh your letter. You Will never
leave this room alive
A long pitiful sob broken the stiffness,
and Mcleod was looking into the
| preachers face in vain for a ray of
hope.
! Suddenly CASTOR burst into the room
trembling with excitement. my God,
Doctor, what does this mean?" he cried,
| Selling the revolver.
| Mcleod sprang toward CASTOR, groan-
ing end crawling toward his feet. Save
me Gaston-the Doctors gone mad-he
is about to kill mel"
"Charle, 1 must!' pleaded the
preacher.
mo, no, this is madness. ! thank
God I am in time. missed you at the
speaking and hearing a rumor of this
SANDER I hurried to find you. [ saw
Your study open and read your letter.
1 knew I'd find you here. I'll manage
Mcleod"
| The preacher sat down crying. Nc
pue Nsep slq OF NoBq peIMBIo peu poor
was hopping his face. CASTOR walked
over to him and said with slow trem-
bling emphasis:
| 81 give you twelve hours to close this
office, wind up your business, and leave
this county. In the meantime you will
write a denial of this SANDER satisfac
| tory to me for publication. If you ever
| open your mouth again about my foster
mother or put your foot in this county,
1 will kill you. I expect your letter
ready in two hours
| CASTOR took the preacher by the arm
| and led him down the stairs and back
to his study. In the reaction, there was
| a pitiable breakdown.
| "Oh! Charlie, you've saved me from
| an unspeakable horror. Yes, l was
mad. 1 was proud ard wilful. I thought
I knew myself. Today, 1 have looked
| into the bott ON of hell. l have seen the
| depths of my own heart. Yes, l have in
me the germs Of all sin and crime. I
am the brother of every thief, of every
murderer, and every scarlet woman of
| the stl Gets that ever stood in the stocks,
| or climbed the step of a gallows"-
Hush, / will not listen to such talk.
You are a man, that's ALL" interrupted
| CASTOR.
But Gods mercy is great" he went
on. 'I have tried to live for my people
| and my country, not for myself. If /
| have failed to be a faithful husband,
| this is my plea to God, 1 have not
| thought of myself, or of my own, but
of others"
| After an hour he was quiet, and turn
| ing to CASTOR he said:
Charlie go tell your mother to come
here, 1 want to see her."
When she came, and sat down beside
| him with quiet dignity she said 'NOw,
Doctor, say what you wish; Charlie has
| told me much, but not all. Let us look
| into each others souls today
II only want to ask you, dear" he
| said tenderly, "just how far your
| friendship for this villain may have led
you. I know You are innocent of any
| crime. 1 only want to know the meas
ure of my own guilt"
you know, john she said, using his
| first name, as she had not for years, che
| has always interested me from a boy, and
| in the darkest hour of my hearts life,
when felt your love growing cold and
| slipping away from me, and my faith
in all things fading, he attempted to
make vulgar love to me. l repulsed
| him with scorn and have since treated
him with contempt You know that l
| kissed him once when he was boy. 1
| have told you all. What do you pro-
pose to do?'
What will do, my darling?" he
softly asked, taking her hand: begin
anew from this moment to love and
cherish, honor and protect you unto
death. You are my wife. l took YOU a
| be autiful child, innocent of the world.
| If you have failed in the least. l have
| failed If you have stumbled in the dark
ever in your thought, | will lift you up
| in my arms and soothe you as a mother
would her babe. If you should even fall
| into tie bottomless pit, into the pit and
down to it's lowest depths of hell, l
would go, and lift you in the arms of
my love. To break the tie that binds
us is unthinkable. vt has passed into
| the infinite. Not only are our souls one
| in 2 little boys grave. but there is
something so absorbing, so interviewer
with the hidden things of Nature in orr
union that l defy all the tieuds in PER-
dtion to break it. Love is eternal. And
your love for me was the great fixed
thing in my life like my faith in the
living Cod
ooh, John, you are breaking my heart
NOW, when L lDlHk tldI L UOuUleu your
love! | could have hrooked your anger,
but this overwhclms mel"
ct has always been my character"
he gravely said.
Then l have never known you until
| now"-and in a moment she was sobbing
on his breast, the years had rolled back,
and they were in the sweet springtime
of life again.
ITO be concluded next Sunday)
SHOT IN HIS LEG.