The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1905-09-20
THE REAPERS AND
THE HARVEST

little cooling voice behind her said
Mamma Yes. dear what Is III
she answered with her mouth full n
lacks. Then. a. the sound Of hei
own voice in the empty room. hh'
threw up her head ana looked abou
her nRhnat. hresthleaa. beads Cd
Precipitation starting out on he
face. suddenly grown paiiid with th'
/ pnilor OF a corpse After an inhthh
she east herself on her knees hhl
beside. half over couch. an'
Hobbed with the abandonment o
despair. Thus Adam found hei
when be came back n was the be
ginning Of the end lie never lef
her alone again. longer than To %
downstairs for an amful Of wood
but even IN the midst Of e9nYefaa
lion sbe would stop and aaY. lbs
tom Now don't You hear It. thi
steps ia the hallway"
70 bo sure. the great emptl
building was fiill p whiapef!gss 81
patorlnga fustiinfs hhs slghlaga
aud mohnlnKa. enough 10 ahak
stronger nerves than hers often 1
I low, Intermittent hum went on. llki
/ the buzz Of Yoices A. times ihei
could all but make out the words %
the conversation That he aatil
fled her. was a draft Of air eirellnl
about IN the fofuuda The football
ho never could hear The voice sh'
said nothing about. and Indeed q
vas a good while before she heart
Il again
But the footballs and the whisper
ingb we're more than she could en
durc Let as so Let ua ieaY,
this dreadful place. she mnrmuret
pleadlnEly At last
Il ana afraid IL IL too iala.@ h.
replied. regarding her ankloualy
IL Is liable 10 snow any day nov
But We will move We viii find
como smaller. ooslcr house shers
there are not 80 many noises and
echoes We Niii 10 and look foI
one right nov
They Naut out under a leadau aky.
and found a residence In toierabis
repair thai gave promise Of dry
quarters. but when the morrow
dawned. the snow was failing la q
cloud. aud any change of base Has
oui ~ the question.
Eve seemed Well on the way 10
recovery ffum her temporary panic
when one daY she heard the little
voice again. After that II spoke 20
her with increasing Frequency.
never when she vas listening for II
and dreadluE IL. or tAs Hhe some
times did, longing for IL, bat always
when abe vas busy and absorbed IN
something else. or waking her up
out Of sleep. and bringing her up.
right Ia her bed. trembling like a
leaf. aud With side eyes staring into
the darkness. II never said aHKht
bot Mamma Sometimes. after e
had spoken. she eonld hear the pat.
i~f Of tiny feet Tn the hallway OF on
the stairs
80 the weeks went by over the
dNsilcrs In the abandoned city. until
one night they wcre aroused by
hearing one Of the horses below
stamping extraordinarily. Alan
sroae and seat down hastily - see
shat VAS amina Ito could not dis
cover that anything was. and re.
turned. shixefinK. NO the stairs The
bed was empty. and In a panic he
searched about the rooms. lantern
In hand Al length he found Rive
covering in 4 corner. "Evei Evei
What is IT. he cried. afraid 10
touch her.
''oh. IL II sou~" she said. 4 did
not know who you we're Mt first
One day. xhsn he had been after
an armfai % wood. she had diaap-
pearei on his return. lie sought
her from room To room At last. ON
the third floor. he came 20 a door
tha, waa locked.
Behind that she must be. and be
knocked. aud called, and brNauEht
with phrases OF love. thar she would
open 20 him. but there was neither
word nor movement Ia response. he
framed 9 desperate resolution. lie
entered the room adjoining the
locked one and. softly raising the
window, crent out upon a narrow
nornice which ran
around the building below this thlrd
tier OF winduWA II was coated with
Ice. and a chance ~ desperate as a
man would care 20 take In am
strait ~ he found tho window fast.
bis daring vas In vain. but Il prov
"a not to ha
lie raised the sash with the heed
fulness neeeasitated by his situation.
and let himself into the room. but
the woman vas ohllvious to hts
presence She was kneeiing In the
vacant room. upon the bare floor.
surrounded by the empty white
walls. with her head dropping. ami
arms moving gently back and forth
a. " HwayiuE q cradle. while she
smiled and erooned a soft lullaby.
The day was ono that drepened
the lines that the year had craven
on bis forehead.
AZ length there came. one eve. n
strange wind out OF the upper sky.
All night IL clustered. aud raved. aud
iaced through the empty streets
with noise as OF marching bat.
talions. And in the dawn. great
masses OF snow began tu come thun-
dcring down from the roofs with
rush and road A January ihaw had
set In.
Now lc, us co. lot ne rois cried
Eve eagerly, aa she woke and heark-
sned. away from this awful place."