The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1906-12-06
DARKNESS AND
DAWN
By HARRY IRVING GREENE
Copyright. by Joseph b. Bow!es.)

In the fullness of their lives there
I comes to many an hour, a day or a
week when the dead weight Of black
! despair crIshes the last hope and the
! thought of earthly existence fills them
| with a weariness uautterable. Then
/ II Is that certain natures walk to the
| Brink, and halffasciaated by its aw-
! full mystery, stand staring into the
| silent depths. while the icy sweat
| gathers On their b-ows and their limbs
| 7hake like windthrummed reeds.
So It came about that Kent stood
/ 'ooking from the BLACK doorway OF
re warehouse into the early night.
It was a long time since Kent had
! been happy, SO long. in fact. that he
sometimes doubted that he ever had
! been. Still, his experience was but
the story of a maa-bItterer than
! most mems. pcss:bly-yet common
/ place enough TO make the details I'M
necessary telling. Suffice to say, he
| had looked from sunset until dawn
| into the muzzle of his own gun, and
| now was telling himself that he had
seen enough of this thing called Life,
and that ne would have no more of
| 1t. 1t was not worth its suffering.
He turned up his collar aad looked
from the doorway again. Coming
down the empty street that led to the
| wharves he saw a woman who leaned
far forward as she forced her slender
form against the burly strength Of
the wind
"You are going to boat?" he IL
! quired.
She looked at his face for the first
| time and answered him rapidly: YES
the Senator. It sails at nine and
must hurry" She steEred to the
pavement and Kent stood WATCHING
her fighting against the wind A wild
impulse surged within him.
What better way to end it all than
a plunge from the deck? A b-ie.
struggle with the waves. a dream o.
fields and music, and then the las
great Inconsistencies. No one would
ever know what had become of him
GossipinS tongues could say no moro
than that he had disappeared.
Il am going to the Senator also
he shouted, hurrying to her side
Take my arm and hang on hard"
She STOPPED short, shot him a qulcl
upward glance and then he felt he
fingers close upon his sleeve. FLUSHED
and breathing heavily they crossed
the gangway and stood before the
Office of the purser.
Yes, the ship is going to sail to-
night" said that official in a matter
of fact tohc. The cargo has got to
go, gale or no gale. But all our pas
sensers have Cancelled their berths
and you two will have the salon to
| yourselves. OF course. you under
stand it is going to be pretty rough
outside"
She nodded and both made their
way to the salon.
From out of the great northeas.
/ there swept that night a gale tina
whipped itself into hurricane
I Huser and more huge rose the steer
/ hills before the laboring Senator
black, solid, battering her front will
herculcan blows, twisting her stee
frame like giant wrestler
From the depths of his big chair il
the salon Kent watched the girl as
she sat nearly opposite him. She ha6
| listlessly thrown aside her hat anG
under the lights of the cabin the
/ dark masses of her hair shone with
| the luster of polished ebony.
Then suddenly she arose and glanc
Ing neither to right or left went with.
in stateroom, while the man, sinking
I lower in the chair. let his eyelids fall
Endlcssly the huge rollers cam,
'iuHueElNS over the wallOwlng Sen
ator. buryins her beneath thei,
black weight, crushing her down into
the depths, but each time she arose
Ike some half drowned thing and
shuddcrinSly shook herself free
For an hour Kent's eyes swept the
length o; the dim cabin listlesslv-
then suddenly he leaned forward
From her stateroom the girl came
creeping and. with one hand agains:
the wall to steady her, she SLOWLY
made he: way towards where he sat
Inc man caught his breath and drew
further into the shadow as she passed
him in the half darkness. A moment
later her fingers closed upon the knob
OF the door leading to the deck as
she twisted and tugsed at it vainly.
"oh. OH" she cried, as she turned
away and covered her face with her
hands. sudden lurch of the shir
threw her towards him and. sprin.inc
to his feet. Kent caught her by the
arm.
Kent knew that one motive ONLY
could have actuated her to seek that
surSe-swept deck; and her motive had
been his motive of the hour before
Bat for woman like her, Ee grew
cold at the thought.
Go back to your stateroon," he |