The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1907-09-19
Two In One.
[Original.]

She was twenty think it probable
that her face would have. borne the
IMPRESS of suffering, AS it was, she
looked Ike one who had suffered, but
whose features. having the softness,
the pliancyl of youth, did not harden
under the SAL.
l liked to he with Miss Norman best
when She was active. for then she
seemed to forget herself and be what
she really was. Or was she then what
she was not? / could not decide.
What puzzled me was that, though she
was one Of the best appearing young
ladies in the house and it depended
only on her whether OF no she should
be a belle, she seemed Indifferent 10
attention. or, rather, the attention she
received seemed to inspire in her 10
enthusiasm There is a delicate dis
tinctionoin this which it is difficult to
make plain.
We had been together at the Springs
for month when one day while we
were on the lake / began to make love
to her. / had no intention of doing 1T
when | began. / fell into it. | was
pulling the boat, she sitting facing me
In the stern. AS l proceeded she turn
ed aside and let her hand hang in the
water. She made no reply to anything
I said, but presently | saw tears.
Dropping my oars, placed myself in
a half sitting, half kneeling posture,
took the hand that lay on her lap and
said:
'"This is not the way to receive
words such as 1 am speaking to you.
It should be either with Indifference
or smiles. Tell me-explain'
Then the tears came In a torrent.
She drew away her hand and bowed
her head in both hands. sobblng as
though her heart would break. In
vain l implored her to tell me the
cause of ali emotion so strange under
the circumstances. I asked her If she
could not respond to the love | had
spoken. She was mute. Then she
raised her face, asking me with an
impIoring look to desist / went back
TO nv oars and in silence rowed to the
landing.
We walked toward the hotel through
a wooded path. Midway she STOPPED
and faced me.
"Don't love me-" she said with in
tense eagerness, unless you are Will
ing to love death in life. One had
better love corpse than me. a
corpse is dead in all respects; / am
not. She who was l died, and ] re-
NAMED. She was as innocent as a
babe: I am not, for there are times
when I would curse God and die. She
and l are twins, yet one is pure, while
the other hates world sent spinning
in space, its people without the power
to detect, to separate the good from
the evil. Better ship under full sail
without a rudderr' =
"Be calm," / interposed, laying my
hand on her arm. She was trembling
like a leaf. 'Tell me what you mean"
what is court of justice? A legal
tournament between the prosecuting
attorney and the defendants counsel.
And on what hangs the n"isoner's
fate? Circumstances and vita es.
And if the circumstances can't be e2-
planned. and if the witnesses have a
motive to lie? Worse! At every cele-
brated trial one half of the people who
read the testimony believe the pris-
oner guilty; the other half are uncer-
tain But a very few believe her IN
nocent. If she is acquitted, those who
believe in her guilt shun her because
she is to them criminal, while the
rest shun her because she is regarded
as a criminal She goes forth with
the brand of Cain upon her brow.
She can never again be her former
self. If she has friends, the moment
they know of her twin sister they
turn away from her If she has low
er, as soon as he knows, the words OF
love die upon his lips Would to God
that
Her words were choked by q paroxysm
of tears AS soon as she could again
find her voice she finished:
''I am Martha Blake"
l had read the testimony in the case
of Martha Blake, one of those mys-
teries, puzzles. that seize upon the in
tellects of millions and will not let go
till they have either formed an opin-
ion or decided an opinion to be impos-
sible. I had more than formed an
opinion; had felt certain that Martha
Blake was a murdereSs. I stood aghast,
while she turned away and buried her
face in her hands against an oak tree.
The act produced a marvellous impress
sion on me. Here was an inanimate
tree more merciful than /, human
being. The woman / had professed
to love was supported by its strength
instead of mine.
81 never knew Martha Blake, !
said. 81 have known and loved Esther
Norman. This blow is too crushing
for me to rise above at once. 1t has
pleased Providence to try me possibly
more than my strength will bear.
must have time"
Instantly her equanimity returned to
her. We walked slowly side by side
while she dried her tears till we came
near the hotel, where she pointed to