The San Francisco call., 1905-04-16

starving devoured the starved. Tnere
was no human love left. There was
only one unselfish. faithful thing. i.
was a dog, and he was faithful to a
corpse. He had no food himself, but he
kept beasts and farnished men at bay
TIL he too, died. licking his masters
dead hand
The words had fallen measlredly.
deliberately. as if each aspect Of the
fearful picture on the background OF
the tempest that gloomed out OF doors.
stood distinct.
There was moments silence. Then
the friar asked: Was that the
dreams end?'
Gordon had turned from the window
and picked UP one of the written Irag-
ments. He read the last few lines
. aloud:
fhe. crowd was famished by degrees. but two
vi an enormous city did survive.
Ard they We're senermes: tney met beside
The dying .cmbers OF altar-plaee
Where had been heaped a mass Or noiy things
o. an unhoiy usaSe; they raked up,
And shivering. scraped with, ,lneIr cod sksle-
ton hands
The feeUIs asses. and their feebls breath
Blew Tor httle life. and mace a tame
"a nich was nlOckerys then they lirted Nd
Their eyes as il grew hgnrer ana beheId
Each others aspeets-saw. and snrfeked. and
Even OF their mutual hideousness they died.
CIAllowins who nv vas upon whose brow
Despair lad .writIsn --riend..,
There was no sound for a while
when he finished. fhe padre sat mo-
tionless, his head bent To him the
picture drawn in those terse lines ex-
pressed black inferno OF human hope
lessness into which he had never
lOoked-the very apotheosis OF the
damned. He rose, came TO where Cor
don stood. and laid hand on hos
shoulder.
My son." he said gently. there was
one darkest hour for the world. But
1t was in that hour that light and hope
for men were born. Every man bears
q cross OF despair TO his Calvary. But
he who bore the heaviest saw beyond
What did he say? Not my will, but
thine!"
Gordon seemed to. hear Annabers
voice repeating an old question: What
do you believe in that Is good. should
like to know ?" The friar had not asked
questions; he had spoken as il voicing
a faith common to them both and to all
men,.
Padre Somalian said no more. He
left the room slowly.
The man standing by the window
had made no reply. In the old days he
would have smiled. Now his brow
frowned haggardly- The age-old an
swer of the churchman! To what null
titudinous human miserie5 Ii had prof
fered comfort! The sinless suffering
and it's promise What an unostenta-
true If it were only truei
What an advantage" he thought.
its possession gives the padre hereI
If it is true, he will have his reward
hereafter; If there is no hereafter. he
at the worst can be but with the infideI
in his eternal sleep, having had the as
s1Stance of an exalted hope through
life without subsequent disappoint-
ment- / have no horror OF the awak-
ening. In the midst of myriads of lfv-
ing and dead creations. why should
be anxious about an atom? 1t will not
please the great T that sowed the
star clusters to damn me for an unbe-
lief cannot help, to a worse perdition
than that / walk through now-and
shall walk through as long as / live."
He spoke the last phrase half aloud.
As long as l live" Why should it be
Tor long: Here-despair: there-nO
worse, if not a dreamless sleep.
why not?" he said TO himself with
grim humor. Il should many a good
day have blown my brains out but
for the recollection that it would
pleasure Lady Noel-and even then If
l could have been certain to haunt
heri''
He turned and threw the window
open and a scurry OF rainy wind
whirled the sheets Of paper about the
hoor- He looked out and down. On
that side of the island the beach had
been only a marrow weedy ribbon
soaked by every storm. Now the wind
that had driven the sea into the pent
lagoon had piled it deep in the turbi1
shadows and the wall fell sheer into,
the gray-green heave., eS sa.ss7.isf
"Of what use is my lifesto any one
in the world2" he argued calmly.
Who is there of all that have come
nearest to me 10 whom ] have not
been curse? 1 am bound to a wife
who hates me. Years will make my
memory reproach to my child
Through me my enemies stabbed my
sister Shelley. my only comrade in
and disappointed. Teresa. whom I
love and have no right to love-what
what have / made her lifeI 1t is a
fitting turn to such a page"
The inner shutter OF the window
fastened with q massive iron bolt He
drew the latter from it's place. put II
into his pocket and buttoned his coat
tightly. A sentence oddly required TO
him at the moment verse from a
quaint. old epistle OF ST. Paul to the
Corinthians, unknown to the Vulgate,
which, written in Armenian, he had
found in the monastery library and
translated to torture his mind to at
tention: "Henceforth no one can
trouble me further; for bear on my
body this fetter." A seemly text for
him it would be soon!
He approached the window.
There was a step behind. him ana
Padre Somalian's voice startled him.
My son, message for you"
Gordon turned heavily. the chill OF
that intercepted purpose cold upon
him. and opened it. 1t was officially
ruled and engrossed-a baptismal GER
tffcate.