The Elbert County tribune., 1903-11-12


rays OF white. Guiveriag sunlight, that
n woman does not boast of her honor
as man boasts of his NO" she
went on slowly. "A woman never talks
her code of honor; she lives it."
'Of course she does-in way" he
answered, reassuringly "A woman
goes 10 church on Sundays. she sends
her dimes TO foreign missions, and her
dollars to college settlements. She does
ali that sort of thing; but where is her
code of honor in the treatment of the
women about her and the men about
her-especially the men about herr"
Especially the men about herr she
repeated, ''just as IL woman treats n
man with one-half the duplicity with
which he treats herr
He threw back his head and laughed
at her.
at is the same old story" she went
on, half scornfully. ''the old sermon
that perhdious man has always
preached against innocent woman!'
"Why take the affairs we hear of
every day" he said. the things that
happen to our friends. Do you know
what 1t is that changes the poor little
farces into high tragedies? 1t is wom-
ans lack of candor. her lack of n GER
tain sense of honor"
Il demand a case in point she in
e. terrupted imperiously.
.And when 1 prove my point;"
y "Then l shall prove miner'
They both laughed. Then he looked
over the green water at the gray,
desolate rocks His face became
serious.
''Well. the man in question is not
particularly strong nor wise nor good
still
"Still he has the certain sense OF
honori''
Eyes. he has that. II he had not.
should never rake up for your amuse-
ment the dead ashes of his past. Years
and years and years ago he became
engaged. The girl was baby of
eighteen and he was even more of a
baby of nineteen. They loved as Da-
bies of eighteen and nineteen will love.
and ilfs-was beautiful dream
"Wns she pr.ity?"
"Yes."
'.But-she lacked tie certain ser Sc
of honer:"
''She had the woman's code. She
would read her Bible all night 10 Il
dying pauper. and the next night would
send some fellow who loved her. whom
she had made love her. straight TO the
devil Her name was Constance.
He went abroad. He was three
years nt n German university, and they
wrote to each other every week Then
he Travelled. he saw the world. aud he
found that life is not beautiful
dream.
THE awakening came in Rome. 1t
was September and the night was hot
and close. He had gone to his room
directly after dinner and had started
n letter to Constance. All that was
best in him went into these letters; all
that he was seeing. feeling. dreaming;
his plans for the future; his memories
of the past: all this was crowded into
letters to the woman he loved. But on
this night he found 1t hard to write.
A low. persistent murmur in the room
adjoining troubled him. He thought
the occupant was merely drunk. still
the sound coming back ceaselessly
filed his mind with vague uneasiness.
He forced his thoughts on his letter
and wrote page. Suddenly a brass
bahd, passing below his window. dis
turbed him. 1t was insolently playing
McGinty'-playing 'McGinty' in the
sacred city of Rome! When the blare
of brass instruments died away in
the distance. the haunting murmur
had risen TO higher key.
"'God, give me life, lifer
1.-THE voice was a cry. and my friend
dropped his letter and started TO his
feet. That man in the next room was
an American-was ill-was probably
alone.
mo one answered his knock, so he
turned the knob and entered the room
The sick man sat up in bed and stared
Mt him.
"'You have come Mt lastr he cried
Il was watching for you, Grave-dig-
ger-
THE doctor. whom my friend sum
moned. leaned over his patient and
gave him n hurried examination. Then
the doctor rubbed his hands and muir
INJURED softly:
"'An interesting notwithstanding
ana desperate
Constance Is calling-calling-call
fng. and 1 cannot go TO her. They are
holding me down. They are trying to
bury mev
''There was n table by the bedside
On the table was n half-burned candle
and photograph propped against an
empty coffee cup-a photograph of n
woman. My friend reached for It..
gave 1t one look. then quietly put 1t
back. face downward. on the table.
'Digging-dl.gging-digging-ah. the
spade struck N'ock.
"'Fever,' said the doctor; extreme
mental tension; outlook tedious-prob-