Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-09-03
DAILY STORY
TWO IN ON e.

impress of suffering. AS it was, she
looked like one who had suffered but
whose features, having the softness,
the plancy of youth, did not harden
under the seal.
/ liked to be 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 or no she should
be q belle, she seemed indifferent to
attention, or, rather, the attention she
received seemed to inspire in her no
enthusiasm. There is a delicate dis
tinction in this which it is difficult to
make plain.
We had been together at the Springs
for a month when one day while we
were on the lake began to make love
to her. l had no intention of doing it
when began. | fell into it. l was
pulling the boat she sil%lg 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 l saw tears.
Dropping my oars, l placed myself III
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 l am speaking to you.
1t should be either with Indifference
or smiles. Tell me-eXplain"-
Then the tears came in torrent.
She drew away her hand and bowed
her head in both hands, sobbing as
though her heart would break. In
vain l implored her to tell me the
cause of an emotion so strange under
the circumstances. l asked her If she
could not respond to the love I had
spoken. She was mute. Then she
raised her face, asking me with an
imploring look to desist. l went back
to my oars and in silence rowed to the
landing.
We walked toward the hotel through
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 Il corpse than me. A
corpse IS dead in all respects; l am
not She who was l died, and ] re-
manned She was as innocent as a
babe: l am not. for there are times
when would curse God and die. She
and ] 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 rudder,''
"Be calm I interposed. laying my
hand on her arm. She was trembling
like leaf "Tell me what you mean"
"What is a court of justice? \ legal
tournament between the prosecuting
attorney and the defendants counsel.
And on what hangs the prisoners
| fate? Circumstances and witnesses.
| And If the circumstances can't be eX-
| planned, and if the witnesses have i
motive to lie? Worse, At every cele-
brated trial one half of the people who
| 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 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
| turn away from her. If she has q low
er, az soon as he knows, the words of
love die upon his lips. Would to God
that
Her words were choked by a paroxysn
of tears. AS soon as she could again
find her voice she finished:
81 am Martha Blake"
] had read the testimony in the case
of Martha Blake one of those mys
tellects of millions and will not LET &C
till they have either formed an opin
ion or decided an opinion to be impOs
sible. l had more than formed III
opinion; had felt certain that Martha
Blake was a murdereSS. stood aghaSt
while she turned away and buried heI
face in her hands against an oak tree
The act produced marvellous impress
sion on me. Here was an inauimate
tree more merciful than /, u human
being. The woman l had profeSseG
to love was supported by it's strength
instead of mine.
II never knew Martha Blake"
said Il 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 t
her. We walked slowly side by side
while she dried her tears till we cam,
near the hotel. where she pointed to {
path that led IN another direction.
understood and took the path, while
she went on to the hotel.
I never saw either of the twin sis
ters again. When | returned to tho
hotel after hours Of wandering in TIL,
wood she had left. The few words a:
to her trouble she had spoken to m'