Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-12-04
Ruth shuddered.

ter than you know yourself"
There was a pause, at the end of
which Ruth's living counterpart went
on:
'SThe world would trample on you,
as 1 have said, but that, after all,
would be the least part Of your pun
ishment. The worst part would come
from yourself"
"From myself"
Eyes. You are not a bad woman.
You are weak and foolish, perhaps,
but there Is no evil In you. Your con-
science is ever wakeful, and that voice
would reproach you every day, every
hour, every minute. Along the weary
road you would travel, and ever in your
ears there would ring the haunting cry
the cry of despair, '@Too late. Too
late.' The days would wear into weeks,
the weeks into months, and the months
into years, but that voice never would
cease until the road touched It's end
and you found forgetfulness in death
-"
"Stop!" murmured Ruth, chokingly.
STOP"
''No. Hear me to the end. Tonight
is the great night Of your life. To
every human being there comes once
the supreme te1nptatlon-your tempta-
ton has come this night. Yield to it,
and evermore despair will grip your
soul and remorse will cut into your
heart. Youth will pass quickly, and
with the passing Of youth there will
vanish what little Joy has been given
you. Then there will come the dull
middle years-years unlighted by self
respect and honor, but made wretched
by memory and regret. Then age-and
the last scene of all. And then, when
the, world Is fading from your eyes,
when life is narrowing itself down to
little speck of earth, and You lie wait
ing for the last call, your thoughts will
wander to this night, and you will cry
out in measureless despair. That Is
the picture of your future if you yield
to your great temptation to go forth to
meet Paul Sanford tonight"
"And-and If l resist, what then"
asked Ruth in a trembling tone.
Her counterpart smiled
eff you resist all will be we'll with
you. You will find that you will love
your husband more and more, while he
will be devoted to you in return. In
the fullness of time little faces will
come into your life, which will gladden.
your heart, and this silent house will
echo to the tread Of tiny, joyous feet.
And when you look upon those angel
faces his children and yours-you will
send back the thoughts to this night
and thank God that you resisted af
ter ALL
A long, long pause. The face of this
woman-so amazingly like her own
glowed with divine appeal. An angel
pleading for a lost soul might have
locked even as she looked then.
"You have decided?" she asked at
length.
Ruth looked up quickly.
"Yes," she said In a whisper. Eyes,
have decided"
Then my work is finished. Good
BY"
A mist rose before Ruth's eyes. It
fingered for a few seconds. When it
lifted the woman had gone.
Ruth rubbed her eyes and looked
round the room. Then she rose and
switched on the light. The door was
closed. She was certain that 1t had not
been opened or closed while she had
been seated In the chair. How, then,
had the mysterious visitor-her living
image-come, and how had she gomez"
Was 1t all a dream? Hardly, for she
had seemed so painfully awake-and
yet-and yet-what was she to think !?
The clock upon the mantelpiece
struck 10. She started at the sound.
"He will return in half an hour"
she muttered. "I'll write; yes, I'll
write"
She sat down at the little table in
the corner and took up her pen. When
the brief letter was finished she rang
the bell.
Maggie"
Eyes, madam"
"Mr. Sanford Is calling for me to-
night to take a run on his motor.
Please give him this note and say that
was too tired to come and have gone
to bed"
eyes, madam"
The maid went out and Ruth sought
her room. She was tired and overcome
but in her eyes there was triumph-in
her heart there was joy. For she had
been tried and she had been found true
she had been tempted and she had
resisted.
Half an hour later Paul Sanford,
standing on the threshold of the house,
read Ruth's note 1t ran thus:
Dear Paul-Something has happen
ed this night which shows me 1 cannot
leave with something which can
not understand, but which has shown
mo fha tT1Ith Guidad nv fbiS now light