Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-10-06

one brief moment of brave resolve
had lifted it. And the DARKNESS was
more terrible and overwhelming than
| it had ever been.
| There Is no God" was again the
bitter cry of her heart, "or, IL there is
God, He has forsaken me- | am
alone, and there is no one to help
me-"
Her mind, already clouded by her
long sufferings, by her useless sacri-
fee, and by the death of her child, was
now plunged In still deeper shadow.
She had made an effort at reconcilia-
ton, and had been repulsed. For the
first time in her life she had used u
term of endearment to her husband.
and he had answered it with brutal
oath. A woman in a more reasonable
frame of mind would remember that
Sir William Tankerlane, who was also
distraught with grief, and who still
smarted under his wife's previous
GOODNESS, was in no fit state to con-
troll either his language OF his actions.
He had drunk heavily to drown his
sorrow, and was ashamed of his words
as soon as they had left his lips.
But Laura remembered none Of this;
she only recalled the brutality Of his
| language, and the disgusting spec
tacle which had greeted her eyes as
she had entered the room. She hal
made up her mind to have no more to
| do with him; to live with him at Tan
kerlane Court so as to avoid a public
scandal, but to live her own life apart.
| If this state of mind had continued
| 1t would merely have concerned her.
self and her husband. 1t would have
implied certain resignation to the
blows of fate; it would have shown
a certain logged courage which had
marked out a dreary path for itself
and had resolved to follow it to the
end-a path beset with difficulty, but
which could be trodden alone through
all the long, grey night.
But a more selfish and more evil
thought had already come into the
mind of the distracted woman "Why,"
she argued to herself, should l let
myself be broken on the wheel? Have
no strength to resist? Am I too
weak to control my own destiny :?
Why should I be crushed without tn
effort to get some happiness out of
life? Why should not rebel. take
my fate in my own hands. and defy
all the powers that wish to destroy
me?"
These wild and reckless thoughts
leapt through her brain like fire, and
cast lurid pictures on the dark back
ground of her future life. She saw
a home in some distant land, where
none could interfere with their happi
ness. She saw peace, and all the
quiet content of love. And, as she
saw these picture-mere phantoms Of
the brain--she realised that all the
realities were within her reach, il she
dared to stretch out her hand and
grasp them. She saw that single
word would bring John Shil to her
side, and that he would care nothing
for public scandal; that he would
count the world well lost for love
She had but to lift her finger, and
light would stream through the dark
ness over her. head, the past would
shrink away from her into the gloom
behind, and the future would lie clear
and sweet in the sunshine.
And the price? What would it cost
to turn this dream of happiness into
an actual fact? A broken oath? Not
even that, for she had only sworn to
marry Tankerlane, and she had al
ready married him. A stain on her
honor? Tankerlane himself had dis
honored her. The life and happiness
of the man she loved All. there was
the difficulty; there was the crux of
the whole problem. 1t was to save
her lover that she had sacrificed her.
self in the first instance Perhaps il
she deserted her husband, she would
undo all the good she had done. She
knew nothing of the oath he had
sworn to Ieonore.
And through all the dreary hours
the visions of future happiness fash
ed up and disappeared like the CLEANS
of revolving light She had thrust
aside the distinction between good
and evil. She did not wish to know
what religion or morality or honor re-
CURED of her. All thoughts of duty to
either God or man had been buried
in that tiny grave in the Laverstone
churchyard. She only wanted to know
what would bring most happiness to
herself and the man she loved.
But at the end Of the two days she
had come to no definite decision. The
wheel Of her thoughts revolved contin-
ually, and she always came back to
thu point from which she had started
On the third day, however Sir Will
liam Tankerlane asserted mis- author
ity as master Of the house, and insist
ed on an interview with his wife.
Laura he said humbly, as he en-
tered her room and closed the door
behind him, II am sorry that had to
Insist on seeing you. But it is impos-
sible for us to go on ike this. be,
haved like brute the other night
But l was not in E'y right senses at
the time. The way you left me after
the funeral to return here alone, the
thought of the poor little kid had to
stupefy my brain with drink I don't
excuse myself, but I ask for your for
giveness."
Laura did not answer him, and she
did not even turn her head towards
him. She was seated in large arm
chair facing the window, and she
stared out at the trees in the park;
ner hands were folded listlessly in
bar Ian and her vhola ott;tuda uoc