Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-07-11
DAILY STORY
ISOLATION.


came on to the platform, l picked her
out at once by the lines of suffering on
her face. / watched her closely, ques-
iiOning myself as to her bearing if
guilty. If innocent, she gave mo clew.
She did not assume a braZen look or
wear either guilty or penitent one.
She changed her position often, as
though it We're an effort for her to
face so many upturned faces. Could
she do so ut all, especially on n num-
Der of occasions, if she We're a muir
deress? l did not believe she could.
When she rose to speak, she looked
out upon her audience much as any
other woman would who had spoken
before from the rostrum. Few women
and comparatively few men can make
an address, especially an eXtemporaEe-
Gus one. Miss Kennard spoke slowly,
distinctly, every word expressing that
which it was intended to express, and
what she said was of interest. Her
voice was feminine, melOdious and did
voices of women public speakers usual
ly do. On the contrary, it Won me.
She was evidently n worker in the
cause of prison reform and gave re-
suits of her labors intersperSed with
few brief experiences of her own prls-
on career. She did not refer to her
guilt or innocence or blame any one
for what she bad suffered. When she
came TO the close of her address, she
said that she could not have faced us
had she not felt that we We're her
friends. She had already won my
sympathy. This last statement appeal
ed to my reason. \ guilty woman
could not have spoken those words as
she spoke them.
/ went home and TO bed, but not to
sleep. That sad face was before me.
l heard the sympathetic voice. \ priS-
| on has always been horror to me. and
my mind was filled with pictures of
this delicate woman stripped of the
habilimeuts of refinement and clothed
in prison CARA her wealth of hair cut,
| and, thus degraded, thrust mercilessly
| into Il cell.
My resolution was taken. l must see
| Miss kennard. must speak with her.
know her. | found no trouble in MAX
| ing her acquaintance. She knew Il
number of people prominent in the
| work of prison reform, and | was in
troduced to her by one of these. l
made an effort to establish between her
1 f,;.,
call it love. if you will-that might
have existed had it not been for her
conviction of crime, her Imprisonment.
| | sigually failed. She was Il thing
| apart. All of an ordinary life for her
| had been lived before she had been
held up to the world rs accused of a
| criminal act, But one interest had
any hold upon her-the amelioration of
the condition Of prisoners. She never
| spoke of her own case except in rela-
ton to this object. l waited to hear
her mention some incident that tended
to show her innocence, but no refer
ence to the justice or injustice of her
conviction ever came from her lips.
One day l said to her:
Let me hear from your own lips
that a great mistake was made in your
case; that you were innocent of the
charge of which you were convicted"
She looked at me with n singular eX-
preston, an expression of negation.
There was no sorrow in it more than
the habitual sorrow that always chung
to her. And she said:
would you know any more than you
know now?"
Not by reason; by confidence"
"a confidence dead as soon as born.
, No; were it possible for you to have
that confidence you would never have
asked me to speak the words. If
could inspire you with confidence to-
, day, tomorrow you would be consider
ing the pros and cons in my case
whether this or that act of mine de
noted guilt or innocence. There is but
one secret | cannot impart to an indi'
vidual or to the wOrld-the secret you
have asked of me-"
l left her with. It seemed. an icy
hand gripping at my heart. 1 burned
to convince myself. the world, that she
was q wronged woman. If | could
not, it seemed that l would go mad
Then I would say, "Why, even could
do this | could not remove the stain
> the notoriety. the brand of felony"
Then l made up my mind that
must choose a path that should mo-
J. again cross hers. A lover debarred his
love may tell it and the reason why h'
n must resign the object of it Wha
} was there for me to tell? Love? How
\ can there be love without perfect con
y fidence? My reasons? What reason
: that she did not know? l loved, We
s could not love her. l could love an
O other mans wife and if necessary figh
i for her-make q criminal of myself fo
/ her-or I could love her and live limo
: cent, treasuring my secret in my heart
V But this woman on whose life Il sea
- had been set-how could l love her
. And yet there were times when l fear
ed for my reason because l could not
Without adieu or farewell cease
TO visit her. l changed my residence
1t seems that / have been touched b.