The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-26


and feathered wood folk when forsook the
Indian path to make prudent circle of re-
connoissance around the cabin in the maple
grove.
Happily there was no need for the eau
tionary measure. The hunting lodge was
undiscovered as yet by any enemy, and
when showed myself my poor black vas
sails ran to do my bidding. weeping with
childish joy to have me back again.
Since old Darius was still at Appleby
Hundred Thomas ranked as major domo.
and babe him post the blacks in loosely
drawn sentry line about the cabin, this
against the chance that Falconnet might
stumble on the place in searching for me.
For made no doubt his Tory spies would
quickly pass the word that was not with
Abram Forney's band, and hence must be
in hiding
When all was done flung myself upon
the couch of panther skins, hoping against
hope that sleep might come to help me
through the hours of waiting Twas a
vain hope. There was never a wink of for
getfulness for me in all the long watches
OF the summer day, and 1 must lie wide
eyed and haggard, thinking night would
never come and making sure that fate had
never before walled man in such
dungeon of despair
There was no loophole of escape with
honor. The heavens were brass, with all
the horizons narrowed to a bounding wall
to hem me in on every side. There was no
sally port in all this wall save one-the
one that death had promised to open at the
dawn. The promise had been broken. True,
death had thrust the key within the lock
and 1 had heard the grating of the bolts.
and yet the key had been withdrawn and I
was left prisoner of life.
There was no hope of other outlet. Now
there was space to view 1t calmly I saw
how foolish was the thought that Margery
would connive at any breaking of the mar
riage bond. She would bear my name and
hate me for the giving of it; would go on
hating me, thought, TO all eternity, but
she would never take her freedom back
again save at dead mans hands.
1t was thus that each fresh scanning of
the prison wall that shut me in this
dungeon of dishonor fetched me once and
again to this one sally port of death. And
when 1t came to this, that had searched
In vain for other outlet, you will not think
1t strange that 1 sat down in spirit at this
own hands.
1t was not love of life that made me hesi-
tate. AT twoscore years he who has lived
at all has lived his best and If he live
beyond the turning point of youthful ardor
he must beg the grace of younger men to
linger yet little longer on the stage which
once was his and now is theirs.
No. it was not any love of life for life's
own sake that held me back. Twas rather
that the Ireton blood is linked up with that
thing we call conscience, heritage from
those supplemented ancestors to whom the
suicide was soul accurst-a soul impeni-
tent whose very outer husk of flesh and
bones they used to bury at the crossing of
the ways, with sharpened stake to pin
| ion it.
Twas this ancestral conscience made me
cowardly; and when the sight of my ia
theirs sword-Darius had rescued and re-
stored 1t to its place upon the chimney
breast-woud set me thinking of the Israel
| itish king, and how, when all was lost he
| fell upon his blade and died this horror of
| the suicide came to give me pause.
Besides, that way to right the double
wrong was not so clear as 1t might seem.
As matters stood, my living for the present
was Margerys best safeguard. Till she be-
| came my widow and my heir-at-law the
mercenary baronet would play his cards to
win her honorably. l doubted not he d
make hot love to her. but while she stayed
| a wife and was not yet a widow he'd keep
his passion decently in bounds, If only for
the better comprising of his end.
But from this horn of the dilemma I
slipped to fall upon the other If my living
| on as Margery's husband was her safety
| upon the altar of my dear lads friendship.
| What would he think of me? How could
| go about to make it plain that had robbed
| him for his own honor's sake-that ii was
not but fate that was to blame?
These questions came up answerless like
| deep-sea plummets where no bottom is. 1
| saw the way no farther on than this, that
1 must go straightway to Jennifer and tell
| him all. Beyond that point the darkness
was Egyptian, and L could only hope that
| tricky fate would turn again and blot me
| out and make ii plain to Richard and to
my dear lady that love, and not base
treachery, had set me on to do as 1 had
| done.
In some such dismal grindngs of the mill
| of thought the hours of waiting were out
| worn at length, and when the sun was dip
| ping in the mountains in the west 1 rose
| and washed me in the brook and afterward
| constrained myself to eat what Tomas had
prepared for me.
| air, and underneath the canopy of leaves
| the wood was darkening on to twilight
| when 1 made ready to be gone. Because L
| thought l might have need of ii before the
| night was done / buckled on the heirloom
sword. and telling Tomas and the other
blacks for their own safety to keep an
| alarm guard waking through the night
| sailed forth upon my errand.
| I've wished thousand time as / sit here
| before the fire and jot these memories
down in grabbed black on white that I
could conjure UP for you some speaking
| picture of this scene primeval in which the
| story moves.
True, It's nils ana valleys are the same,
| the river keeps its course and in the west
| the mountain sky line is unchanged But
| here similitude is at an end You've hacked
| the virgin forest into shapes and fringes
where once ii was an ample mantle scanned
only by the rivers and frayed here and
| there at distant intervals by the set
| tiers
Beneath this mantle lay a world unlike
| the world you know. Plunged in its furtive
| depths you felt the spell of natures mys-
! terry upon you, the mystery of the hoary
| wood, age old, stepped In the nepenthe of
| the centuries. In brightest summer day,
| which in these forest aises became a misty
green translucence, the silence, the vast
ness, the solitude laid each a finger on you,
bidding you go softly all the way. But in
| the twilight hour the real held still more
| fantastic shapes to awe and alright the
alien born.
was not alien born. From earliest child
| hood | had known and loved these forest
| soiitudes. Yet now, when L little
| lad, the twilight shadows awed me. Here
| IL was gnarled and twisted tree trunk
/ so like a crouching panther that / sprang
| clearer vision came. There ii was the figure
/ of a man gliding stealthily from tree to
/ tree IL seemed, keeping even pace with me
| as IL with sinister intent.
| / pushed on faster, drawing the sword to
/ keep me better company. though inwardly
| i scoffed and jeered at this new twittering
/ of the nerves. What threat was there for
| dogs / had TO fear were bred in British
| kennels, and there was never any lack of
/ clamor when they were beating up cover.
Yet this persistent shadow chung upon my
4 footsteps until from casting furtive chances
| sidewise / came TO holding IL craftily in the