The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1908-01-22

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try-never. She would die here. Could
! ask her after that? Could ask any.
way, and be man? know She
would just pine away.
Girls don't pine-only in magma
ton. They are tougher than you give
them credit for
But somehow, Mary seems differ.
emit, said Gordon, thoughtfully He
surprised flush in his friends cheek.
You deserve her, old man. you'll be
very happy. She is the right kind. |
congratulate you with all my heart
An odd lump came into Langford' 8
throat. Despite Gordon's vigorous and
healthful manhood, there seemed al.
ways certain pathos of life surround
ing him.
Il haven't asked her, either, con.
fessed Paul. But you have made it
possible for me to do so-to-night-
whenever l can find a
chance. Take my advice, old man,
don't let your girl go. You'll find she
her yet
Paul left the ROOM and Gordon
paced the narrow confines of his shah
by office-back and forth-many
times. Then he threw himself once
more into his chair The hours were
long He had all night to think about
things. When morning came all his
weakness would be over. No one
should ever again see him so un-
manned as Paul had seen him to-
night. And when Louise should 60
his arms fell nervelessly to the table.
He remained thus moment. his eyes
fixed and unseeing. and then his
head dropped heavily upon his arms.
Alone in the night Louise awoke.
She found it impossible to fall asleep
again. She was nervous. Ii must be
something in the atmosphere She
tossed and tossed and ficunced and
founced. She counted up to thou
sands. She made her mind blank
so often that she few to THU ling to
escape the emptiness of it, .lil her
ewes We're wide and her mind fairly
a-quiver with activity. She slipped
out of bed. She would tire herself
into sleep. She even dressed. She
would show herself. If she must be
midnight prowler, she would wear the
garments people affect when they
have their thoughts and energies on
matters mundane. Drawing the oil
stove close to the window fronting
the street, she sank into a chair, drew
heavy shawl over her shoulders, put
her feet on the tiny fender and pre-
pared to fatigue herself into oblivion
A light shone from the window
across the way. He was still at work,
then. He ought not to sit up SO late.
No wonder he was looking so worn
out lately. He ought to have some
one TO look after him. He never
thought of himself. He never had
time. She would talk to him about
keeping such late hours-if she were
not going back to Gods country next
week. Only next week. 1t was too
good to be true-and yet she sighed.
But there was no other way. She
ought never to have come. She was
not big enough. He. too had told her
knew. And she didn't belong to any
body here. She was glad she was go
ing back to where she belonged to
somebody. She would never go away
again.
Was that Gordon passing back and
m of no
thing must be troubling him. Was
it because Jesse Black had escaped?
But what a glorious vindicati6n OF his
belief in the mans guilt had that
afternoon been given. Nothing lacked
there. Why should he be sorry
Sometimes, she thought he might care
that day crossing the river for in
stance; but he was reseved-he
never said--and it was much, much
better that he did not care. now that
she was going away and would never
come back. There was nothing in all
the world that could make her come
back to this big, bleak, lonesome land
where she belonged to nobody But
she was sorry for him. He looked sad
anu iuuelN. de uiun DelOng TO any
body here, either. Yet he wasn't going
to run away as she was. Well, but he
was man, and men We're different.
And now she noticed that his head
had sunk down onto his arms How
still he sat! The minutes passed
, away. Still he sat motionless, his face
buried.
1t was dark. The yellow CLEAN
streaming out of the window only
served to make the surrounding dark
ness denser. The lamp on the table
cast pale circle Immediately in front
of the office. There was no other
flicker of light on the street. Into
this circle there moved shadow. 1t
retreated - advanced again - glided
back in to obscurity. Was it something
alive, or did the moving of the lamp
cause the shadows to thus skip abouto
But the lamp had not been moved. 1t
burned steadily in the same position.
/ The relaxed form of the unconscious
e,s1