Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-01-17
Sail.
LOMAN.


quietly; please go on"
Well, the end game soon, and one
d day we were gathered around
atching him as he slipped away from
us as quickly and as silently as Johns
boat vanished from our sight this af-
, ternoon. He lay utterly motionless and
voiceless His wife knelt sobbing be-
side him. while Bess sat on the bed
close to him. her blue eyes wide with
wonder but with no fear in them
He looked at her inquiringly: DO
you read Kipling, Miss Evans?'
Yes. some"
do you remember what he says
about Ameera when she lay dying?"
She shook her head. What does he
say?"
She made no sign when Holden en-
tered, because the human soul is very
lonely thing, and when it is getting
ready to go away. hides itself in mis-
ty bcrderland where the living may
not follow.
These words seemed to ring in my
ears almost as if someone had spoken
them aloud. as | watched Frank pass
ing and making no sign, AID thought
he was gone. when suddenly the baby
called him: Papa. Papa, verify be-
lieye that his escaping soul turned on
the verge between this world and that
misty borderland' beyond. to answer
her. for. as she called him, he opened
his eyes. looked at her, then at his
wife. and spoke their names family
He stopped abruptly. A light wilma
sighed through the dropping willow
branches, and crept out over the wat
er in thousand shining crinkles. The
pendulous leaves of the poplars on the
side of TIE steep bluff rising from the
sandy terrace battered like the sound
Of falling raindrops. From the upper
air the call of a bird dropped clear and
sweet through the stiffness.
DO seem to you"-a puzzled frown
drew his heavy brows down to a black
line over his keen eyes-'like a person
easily deceived by appearances, or cas-
lily tricked?"
A little smile of amusement grew
around the red curve OF her lips.
Anything but that" she answered.
"Why?"
Because that is what I am half per-
suaded at times that | was-a credu-
lous fool. tricked in some way. And yet
Il know that | was not. But" with an
impatient sigh. 1T is all so inexplica-
BILE by any merely logical process of
reasoning"
What is?'
The frown deepened. For moment
his eyes. oblivious of her and their
surroundings, looked back into the
past. Then he began. speaking slowly.
as if searching his memory for every
detail:
About a week after Franks death.
I was sitting alone in my room, which
was on the second floor and at the
rear of the house.
There was but one door to the room,
that opening into the upper hall. On
the side opposite the door was a
window. while at the back end of the
room was fireplace with CRATE. In
the CRATE stood large jar of roses
that filed all the open space. My table
stood nearly in the centre of the room
and in front of the fireplace.
ON coming in | had closed the door
behind me. dropped into a chair by the
table. and picking up book. had be-
gun to read. No sound broke the silence
of the room, save the twitter of the
birds outside. or the voices OF chill
dren playing. AS | sat, had an unob-
structed view of the entire room. ex-
cept the corner just behind me, and
that was filed with bookshelves.
81 am particular in describing to you
all these minute details. in order that
yen may judge for yourself whether
anyone could have entered the room
unknown to me and tricked me in what
afterward occurred.
"Glancing UP from my book as
turned a page, my eyes mechanically
took note of the familiar objects be-
fore me; the books the pictures on the
wall. the clock on the mantel just
pointing the ha,f-hour and the jar of
roses in the fireplace, mass of pink.
fragrant bloom. Sianting in between
the partly open stats of the shutter. a
ray of sunshine fell across a dish of
pansies on the window-sill. making
them look like whimsical baby-faces,
all a-smiling. The quiet sunny room
was certainly empty of any human
form except my own.
Dropping my eyes to my book. re-
sumed my reading, when instantly
something impelled me to lock up again
and there before me. standing at tne op-
posite side of the table. between it and
the fireplace and not five feet away
was Frank. He looked perfectly natur-
al in every respect. He was dressed in
dark suit that was familiar to me.
His face wore the same pleasant smile
| used to know so well. but his eyes.
though kind, had a strange. grave in
tentness in their steadfast look that
impressed me as an appeal
las the fact of his presence flashed
upon me in that swift glance. he spoke
to me: Dick. want Bess. want her
to come to me-
Why do you want her to Gomez
l asked. DO you think il would be bet
ter for her to go to you than to stay
here? Have you any knowledge of flu
ture evils that might befall her on
earth?'
No, l have not he replied; but
want her with me =! went to her today