Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-11-05

loved. and there will be no light for
me on this earth, save the memory OF
your dear face
May God bless you and keep you
from all harm is the earnest prayer
of one who will love you always. =
John Shil''
Laura Tankerlane spell out the i'll
written words one by one, until she
reached the end of the letter. Then
she raised the sheets of paper to her
lips, and the hot tears blurred her
sight. So this was the end of all.
John Shil was to be blind, helpless
and alone. and she was to live out
her life as the wife of William Tan
! kerane She was never again to see
the man she loved, and, perhaps, he
| would never write to her again. This
was to be the calm after the fierce
storm which had wrecked both their
lives. For her the thrusting aside of
self. and the peace which can be
found in the doing of good works. Fo"
| him the loneliness and the darkness.
IT was for this that she had sacrificed
her happiness, for this that he had de-
fed all the laws OF God and man. This
was to be the end. Her heart ached
at the thought of the dreary darkness
which had closed over the life of the
man she loved. She pictured him
friendless and alone, cropping for ev-
erything he wanted, dependent on 9th
ers for all his simplest needs. Schools,
churches. charities, endowments, the
sufferings OF the poor, the wants Of
the widow and the orphan, all faded
into nothingness before the thought
of this one helpless man.
Then she rose suddenly to her feet
with a cry of anguish, and thrust the
letter into the fire.
"Oh, Cod" she cried, "be merciful
to him. Tighten his darkness, be-
seech Thee, oh Lord
But as the words found their way
to her lips. the wild thought came to
her that she would leave everything
10 go to him. That she would give UP
her position, her work among the poor
her honor as a wife, her hope of Gods
forgiveness, and go once more tc
Black Hail. as she had done the da.
}, before her illness. He had broken. of
his engagement to Leonore, and was
a free man. He would not think O
Tankerlane, and perhaps would be
7 even glad to do his enemy an injury
, in the previous instance it was tn,
thought of Leonore that had restrained
him. Now there was nothing to sep
] arate two people who loved each 9th
! err if they were both willing to fac,
o the censure OF the world.
I Yes, she would go to him: sh
/. would once more give up everything
), for his sake. He would not be adj
d to resist her pleadings He was weaI
n and helpless; his heart was crying GU
I for loving hand to lead him, for
loving voice to comfort him. for 10y
/, ing eyes to see for him. How coul
O he resist her? Already he had falle
e from his high resolve. EIe had, by hi
e own confession, resolved never t
d write to her. Yet he had written H
l. had been unable to keep silence. Ho'
e could he resist her if he heard he
e voice, and felt the touch of her hand
e No man could be strong enough t
1t choose a life of lonely darkness to
p life of love and happiness Lon
W years lay before both of them The
a would spend them in doing good t
IS others. Hand in hand they would wal
re through their vale of sorrow until the
10 reached the end of the path, and the
10 -ah, what then?
ed Her train of thought stopped at IL
ed question she could not answer. 81
OIL stared al the cracking ashes of tt
III letter in the CRATE, as though II
IS blackened words could speak to h
of the hereafter.
ny what them" she said aloud, "a
u.s. what then, beloved?"
IN And in the silence few wor,
en- came back as answer to her questio
ar words that she had known from chill
nd hood.
en- First the deah- and then the iud
nd ment,"
She repeated them TO herself a dt
be- en- times as though trying to gra