Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1904-05-11

stairs. She saw the merry notes
dancing in the cloud of gold dust
that the sun shed obliquely through
the loaded lattices of the hall, and
she turned her eyes away from them
and wished the sun would 60 down.
With the darkness her strange con-
straint Of calm might fade away.
She longed to feel more natural.
She passed through the door very
quietly and closed it behind her and
locked it. He had been laid upon
the wide couch where she sat some
times at eventide alone. A white
covering shrouded the great form
that her girls flesh had shuddered
at, had shrunk from SO often. A
ray of dying light glinted where the
head was. When she drew back the
covering the ray shone upon the
gray, swollen face, into which she
gazed for long while. The upper
lip was drawn back from the strong
white teeth. The mouth seemed to
grin callously. She could fancy that
the flown soul of the dead man was
laughing somewhere far off and that
the body which in life had so often
obeyed the spirit with the weakness
of custom still mechanically bowed
to its will, still revealed outwardly
that which was no longer prisoned
within it. Yes, as she looked at the
mouth she felt that the dead mans
soul was laughing.
She wondered why, and as she
stood wondering over the smooth
shaved lawn, past the sundial and
the leaping silver of the fountain,
one came to the garden room-the
man who understood her and had
striven to comfort her.
He did not know yet. He stole
so softly because he believed her
husband was living and not because
he knew he was dead.
He stood at the window and whis-
pered her name, and as he spoke a
rush of JOY swelled through her
heart. She left the dead face un-
covered and crossed to him.
as he gomez" he asked.
Gle is gone" she answered. kiss
me-"
He caught her passionately and
pressed his lips on hers.
GLOW | love your he murmured.
GLOW / love you"
AS he said the words she turned
round from him and looked back
into. the slowly darkening room.
A strange, horrible fancy seized
her.
She thought she heard the dead
man laugh.
"When will you give yourself to
me?" her lover whispered. 81 have
waited SO long! Come, leave your
prison house. Let the jailer find
the cell door open when he returns,
the prisoner escaped"
She answered him:
"He will never return to find me.
He held her closer against his
heart.
"You have resolved to dare all,
then; to dare all for my sake~
A wild triumph shone in her
white girls face, wild triumph
thrilled in her sweet girls voice, as
she replied:
"The prison house has crumbled
to the dust. The prisoner is free. ="
He strained her yielding body in
his arms.
"You mean that you will come,
that you will leave him to long for
you? You will forsake him? | love
you"
But she shrank from him again
and trembled. She looked behind
her into that still, shadowy room
The warm blood in her young body
seemed to freeze. Surely she heard
the dead man laugh again in the
gathering darkness! =,
"You will leave him? You will
Gomez"
"There is no need" she said.
He kept her in his arms. His
kisses never left her face. He whis-
pered:
"Why?"
"He is dead"
He loosened his arms from about
her. His mouth left hers.
She pointed backward into the
room which was now quite dark
"He is there, lying dead. And you
love me, and am free"
She lifted her face to his, and hel
eyes were full of happy tears. But
he looked at her and muttered
curse between his teeth. The love
died from his face and left it hare
and wild with impotent disappoint
ment and despair.
Then he turned away. lie turned
away and went out into the twilight
across the smooth shaved lawn, past
the sundial and the leaping silver
of the fountain and beyond-intC
the night.
He had been the dead mans life
long enemy. He had been close upor
his revenge, and now the soul HI
hated had passed beyond his power
to hurt. He could never wrong hin
through all the years. Why shoult
he stayS
She sank down by the window
without a cry, She could not un
lors<o nd