Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-10-04
tosayrigAs iSsa. n SssIe1ssstli Co
By LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE

nance, touching only ~ theSS AooA
ports and returning always to linger
longest in the harbor Of sentiment.
The gray girl: Strange that her
personality should have come to d"mi.
nate his thoughts in a space OF time
80 brief! and upon grounds OF init
macy so slender. Who and what was
she? What cruel rigor of circum-
stance had impelled her to seek live
lihood in ways so sinister? At whose
door must the blame be laid. against
what flaw In the body social should
the indictment be drawn. that she
should have been forced into the ranks
Of the powers that prey-a girl OF her
youth and rare fber, OF her cultivation.
her charm, aud beauty?
The sheer loneliness OF her. her
grace and gentleness. her ingenious
sensitiveness, her wit: they combined
to make the thought OF her. to him. at
!. least, at once terrible and q delight.
Remembering that once he had held her
in his arms. and gazed into her starlit
eyes. and inhaled the impalrable fra
GRANGE OF her. he trembled, was both
glad and afraid.
And her ways SO hedged about with
perils! While he must stand aside, i'm
potent, q pillar Of the social order Sc
cure in its shelter. and see her bounded
and driven by the forces of the Law.
harried and worried like an unclean
thing. forced. as it might be. to resort
70 stratagerns and expedients unthink-
able, to preserve her liberty.
1t was altogether intolerable. He
could not stand 1t. And yeti was
written that their paths had crossed
and parted and were never again to
touch. Or was it? 1t must be SO
written: They would never meet again.
After all. her concern with. her inter
est in, him, could have been nothing
permanent. They had encountered
under strange auspices. and he had
treated her with common decency. for
which she had repaid him in good
measure by permitting him to retain
his own property. Their account was
even. and she for ever done with him.
7 That must be her attitude. Why
should 1t be anything else?
"Oh. the DEVIL" exclaimed the young
man in disgust. And rising. took his
distemper to the window.
Leaning on the sill, he thrust head
and shoulders far out over the garish
abyss Of metropolitan night. The hot
breath Of the city tanned up in sitting
waves into his face. from the street
below, upon whose painted pavements
men crawled like insects-round NOV
ing spots. t. each his romance under
his hat.
The window was on the corner, over.
looking the junction Of three great
highways Of humanity: Twenty-third
street, with its booming rcrosstown
cars, stretching away into the dark
meas on either hand: Broadway. fork
ing on to the left, Its distances merg-
sing into q hot glow Of yellow radi-
ance: Fifth avenue. branching into the
north with its desolate sidewalks oddly
patterned in areas Of dense shadow
and cold. clear light. Over the way
! TIE park locled darkly, for all it,
scattered arcs. o black and silent
! SPACE, Q well OF mystery.
Il vas late. quite late: the clock
n front Of Doricn's The craned his
: meek to see) made the hour one in the
{ morning; the sidewalks were COM
pasativeNy deserted, even the piilsred
portico Of The Fifth Avenue hotel des-
1itute Of IouOgers. A timid hint Of
.eooiness. foreriaains the dawn. rode
up on the breeze.
He looked MP and away northvard,
FOR many minutes. over house,ops
stenciled black agains; the glowing
! sly, his gaze yearIing into vas; dis
tancea OF space. melancholy tiageins
De conpiexion Of his mind. He fan
csed himself oppressed by . vague IN
sasiness. unacconutable as to cause.
Wlesse
From the sublime TO the ridiculous
Ulfh . vengeance. his thoughts tum-
Asek Gone the glamour o! romance
u Q twinkliaG bsnished by rank ma-
segianm He could have biushcd for
0Aane: he got slowly to his feet. ir.
s1eosste trying TO crapple with con.
OkScn that never before in his exis-
seupe hsd he been called upon TO con
ssdee.
He had Just realized that he was
Aufstrapped for cash. He had givcr
Ais last quarter 20 the csbby. hours
Nsck. He vas registered a, q strange
Noel. under IN assumed name. ua.
sASe 10 beg credit even for his break
IA withcpt declaring his identity ant
sDssesy laying himself open to snpI-
e1Da. aDscUurtesy, Insult
OF course here were ways ont. He
6bsBA ssleposue Bsnnerfran. or any
oensr Of half dozen Acquaintance. ip
sne nornine: bot thas Involved erp!a-
asssoss, snd sfpiana:scss invoisss
1Sksse himself tse bu;f Of his circle
N uany q vesry day.
a., 80.