Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1907-01-25
N.Y. Copyright 100. by the Bobb sMerrnc COD EA
ODE Deluge \
" BY DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS HEGS
BY DAVID GRAHAM PHILLIPS


Ellcrsly harshIy. panic under the COM
napd In her tones.
/ felt rather than saw my advantage,
and pressed ii.
you see what they are doing, Miss
Ellersly," said l.
She passed her hands over her eyes, let
her face appear again. In IL there was an
energy Of repulsion that ought 70 have
seemed exaggerated to me then, knowing
really nothing OF the true situation. Il
understand nowi" said She. Obi is
loathsome!' And her eyes blazed upon
her mother.
"Loathsome," 1 echoed, dashlng at my
opportunity. IF you are not merely a
chattel and A decoy, If there is any woman
hood, any self-respect in you, you VIII
keep faith with me-"
Anita cried Mrs, Ellersly. GO 10
your room"
mad. once or twice before, heard a tone
as repulsive-a female dlve-keeper hector
ing her wretched white slaves. l looked
at Anita. / expected to see her erect, de-
fiant. Instead, she was again wearing
that cowed look.
Don't Judge me too harshly,' she said
pleadingly TO me. Il know what is right
and decent-God planted that too deep in
me for them to be able TO uproot 1t. But
oh, they have broken my will. They have
broken my will, They have made me a
coward. a thing" And she hid her face
in her hands and sobbed.
Mrs. Ellersly was about to speak. /
could not offer better proof of my own
strength of will than the fact that /, with
a look and a gesture, put her down, Then
1 said to the girl.
"You must choose now, Woman or
thing-which shall IL be? If it is woman,
then you have me behind you and in front
OF you and around you. If it is thing-God
have mercy on you! Your self-respect,
your pride are gone-for ever. You will be
like the carpe under his feet to the man
whose creature you become"
She came and stood by me, with her
back to them.
If you will take me with you now,'
she said, Il will go. If l delay, I am lost.
/ shall not nave the courage. And / am
sick, sick to death OF this life here, Of his
hideous wait for the highest bidder.'
Her voice gained strength and her man
ner courage as she spoke; at the end she
was meeting her mothers gaze without
hinching. My eyes had followed hers, and
my look was taking In both her mother
and her father. / had long since measured
them, yet / could scarcely credit the con-
of my Judgment. Had life been
smooth and comfortable for that old cou-
pie, as II was for most Of their acquaint-
ances and friends, they would nave lived
and died regarding themselves, and re-
garded, as well bred, kindly people, of the
finest instincts and tastes. But calamity
was putting to the test the system on
which they had nodded their apparently
elegant, graceful lives. The storm had
ripped off the attractive covering; the
framework. the reality of that system, was
naked and frightful.
Anita, go to your room!" almost
the old woman, her fury tearing
away the last shreds OF her cloak of man
ners.
Your daughter is Of age, madam" said
she will go where she p~leases. And Iwarn
you hat you are deceived by the Lang
ions. l am not powerless, a~nd"-here / LET
have a full look into my red-hor furn-
aces or Wrath-"I stop at nothing in pur-
suing those who oppose meat nothingi"
Anita, staring at her mothers awful
face, was shrinking and trembling as IL
before the wicked, ~pale-yellow eyes and
quiver.ng, outstretched tentacles of a
devil-fish. Clinging to my arm, she let
me guide her to the door. Her mother re-
covered speech. Anita" she cried. What
are you doing? Are you mad?'
Il think | must be out of my mind"
Anita. But, IL you try to keep me
here, ] shall tell him a%ll-all."
Her voice suggested that she was about
to so into Mysteries. I gently urged her
There was some sort of woman's
In the hall. / put It round her. Be-
fore sheer I-realized 1t. she was in my
waiting electric.
u town" 1 said to my man.
She tried TO get out.
oh, what lave l done, What am I
doing!" she cried, her courage oozing away.
me out~-please!'
You are going with me-" said /. enter
n closing the door. L saw the door
of the Ellersly mansion opening, saw old
bareheaded and distracted,
scuttling down the steps.
GO a~head-fast!"I called to my man.
And the electric was rushing up the
avenue, with the bell ringing for cross
ings incessantly. She huddled away from
me into the corner of the seat, sobbing
Historically. | knew that to touch her
would be fatal-or to speak. So waited.
WI