The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-10-29
CHAPTER XvII.-(Continued.)


All that had been serene partook OF
strange disorder now. Negley should have
made an effort ere this to reach him. The
power that devastated the city and with
unspent violence swept the morne might
have reached three leagues at sea. Saws
that the gray was Interchangeable in the
roof of the world, he could not believe
that all this was one day. Lara
would never forgive him for being whole.
at the price of her mothers eyes. There
seemed no adjustment possible for this
cruel play of his service. lie
called the mothers name softly. but his
words made no impress-called in frenzy
at last. and felt her shuddor in his arms.
Boy
'Yes, yes
''rell Lara that there wa 40 yesterday
no last night And leas. me herein
the dark ~
How long afterwards he never knew,
but he awoke to find himself uttering in
coherent sentences. The woman was quite
dead. The hours drew on into
eternity, but the gray still lived in the
sky. He loosened his arm, and the blood
rushing into the strained limb bore with
it a thrashing pain. The water had cool
ed, but he did not put his burden down.
He had not yet fathomed the extent of
her surrender, nor the signet and color
of her personality upon every word she
had spoken He heard cry
from Lara, and deemed it the encroach-
ment of personal madness. Scornfully he
answered. Again the voice of the wom-
an. He arose and called lcr name. A
shadow darkened the orifice, and he saw
his lady in the sky.
1t may be in this marvellous world,
where men carry on their wars aud their
woSings, some pursuing their little ways
of darkness. some bursting into blooms of
valor and tenderness-it may be that af-
Ter the most exalted passage of agony and
terror, two of Earth's people were return
ed to each other in the strangeness of
these. One swooning at the curb OF an
ancient cistern, under the hot leaden sky,
the falling sea before, and Pelee, with
his tens of thousands slain. on her right
hand the other in the pit below, standing
in the cooling water, and calling upon her
to forgive him for failing in that which
only the gods could do. 1t may be that
in the collection of Earth's tabeaux an
other such film is curled away-from an
other age and another cataclysm.
"Niver you worry your hearrt, sorr,' y
called Macready, to whom the voice of his
friend had brought imperious conscious
ness. man-wise, instead of collapse. "Th'
faint is nothin' IT'S a fortune fur thin
as can faint fur JOY, an no HURT in ut,
sorr. Have you tn strent' [ do tn over
hand up tn chain, wit tn fairest av tin
t'ousand at tn top. sorr?"
Constable placed his burden upon the
stone slabs, caught the chain, and pulled
himself free from the water. His weight
was mountain. The five days had done
what four had not-played havoc with
tue one hundred and ninety pounds of
manhood which struggled upward under
Macready's cheers, and fell across the rim
of the cistern into Macready's arms.
Lara awoke and found Constable bend
ing over her. Her eyes rested upon his
lacerated hand, upon the swollen veins in
his throat and temples. She saw blood
upon his clothing, blisters upon his neck,
sweat and mire upon his face.
The reality came that he was praying for
her to forgive him-because ne, mother
had died in his arms.
Peter. my Beloved" she murmured.
''You say-that mother"
She halted, for the grief uprose in
its fullness in her mind. The day had
put look of horror in her eyes that
months would not efface. But
there was no mortal hurt upon her. Her
nostrils, lips, hands-all moved in their
way of dear perfection. Some time she
would see that he had done his best.
Though he had failed in all else,
he had saved this masterpiece from harm.
But if had not come back. she never
would have known" he pleaded. And
she forgavc me--Tm quite surc-as you'll
forgive nc"
What are you saying?' she cried sud-
denly "What do you mean? 1t is hor-
rible. but / came thinking to find you all
lying here-as they are in the city-all
dead and down-and / have found my
lover living."
Macready and Ernst, afar of, watched
the puffs of smoke and steam rise like
Gray-white birds from the ruins.
Ernst, lad" said the other. 9Th boss
an tn radin' lady are havin' an intel
lechooal repasht in tn cinter av tn
sta-age, be tn ould well. Bear 10 mond
you're a chorus gurrl, an conduct your
silf in accord