The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-11-08

pained ana alarmed, Withdrew her
/ hands from his shoulders "You
mean,'' she said, with dlfncuity, that
| it is going TO end? That you are going
| away? That you are giving every
| thing up? Oh, but you can't. You
| CAN'T she exclaimed, with sudden ex-
| element her fears suddenly overmas-
tering her incredulity. You can't.
You mustn't. The only proof that
could have interfered'-
II wasn't thinking Of the proof"
Then of what? OF what?"
Loder was silent for moment. "Of
our love-" he said steadily.
She colored deeply. "But why?" she
stammered. why? We have done no
wrong. We need do no wrong. We
would be friends, nothing more, and
Lob, SO need friend.'
For almost the first time in Loder's
knowledge of her her voice broke, her
control deserted her. She stood before
him in all the pathos of her lonely girl
hood-her empty life.
The revelation touched him with sud
den poignancy. The real strength that
lay beneath his faults, the chivairy
buried under years of callousness, stir
iC0 at Tic plI III Va Il HCW cluOtiOu. uc
resolution preserved at such a cost, the
sacrifice that had seemed well nigh i'm
possible, all at once took on different
shape. What before had been a bar
rem duty became suddenly a sacred
right. Holding out his arms, he drew
her to him as if she had been a child.
Eve" he said gently, Il have learned
tonight how fully a woman's life is at
the mercy of the world, and how
scanty that mercy is. If circumstances
had been different / believe-I am con-
vinced-I would have made you a good
husband-would have used my right to
protect you as well as a man could use
it. And now that things are different
1 WANT should like" He hesitated
very little. Now that l have no
right to protect you. except the right
my love gives, 1 want to guard you as
closely from all that is sordid as any
husband could guard his wife.
''In life there are really only two
broad issues-right and wrong. What |
ever we may say, whatever we may
profess to believe, we know that our
action is always a choice between |
right and wrong. A month ago-a
week ago-I would have despised a
man who could talk like this and have /
thought myself strong for despising |
him. Now / know that strength is |
something more than the trampling of /
others into the dust that we ourselves |
may have a clear road; that it is
much harder and much less
triumphant than that; that it is stand
ing aside to let somebody else pass on.
Eve he exclaimed suddenly, I'm
trying to do tlifs for you. Don't you
see? Don't you understand? The easy
course, the happy course, would be to
let things drift. Every instinct is call
ing to me to take that course-to go
on as / have gone, trading on Chill
cote's weakness and your generosity.
But / won't do it. l can't do itv' With
a swift impulse he loosed his arms
and held her away from him. Eve.
it's the first time 1 have put another
human being before myself"
Eve kept her head bent Painful, in
audible sobs We're shaking her from
head to foot
Its something in you, something
something high and fine,
that holds me back, that literally bars
the way. Eve, can't you see that I'm
hard?"
After he had spoken there was ST
lence. long, painful silence, during
which Eve waged the battle that SO
many of her sex have waged before,
the battle In which words are useless
and tears of no account. She looked
very slight, very young, very forlorn,
as she stood there. Then, in the OPP
preSsive sense of waiting that filed
the whole room, she looked up at him.
Her face was stained with tears;
her thick, black lashes were still wet
with them, but her expression, as her
eyes met Loder's, was strange ex-
ample of the courage, the firmness, ,
he power Of sacrifice that may be
hidden in a fragile vessel.
She said nothing, for in such a mo-
nent words do not come easily, but
With the simplest, most submissive,
most eloquent gesture in the world
The set his perplexity to rest.
Taking his hand between hers, she
fitted 1t and for long, silent space ,
held IL against her lips. :