The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1909-05-20


OF doubt and pain. and once arrived
there he remained. gazing with impair.
tial eyes upon the ruin two young
Rouls had wrought Of their twin lives.
Dreadful his duty because he knew
that he had never loved her. never
could love her! Dreadful-doubly
dreadful-for he now knew what love
might be. and il was not what he had
believed it when he executed the con.
tract which must bind him while life
endured.
That she had strayed-under man
made laws held Cuiltless-could not
shatter the tie. That he. blinded by
hope, had hoped to remake life nj.
ready made and had dared to mas-
querade before his own soul as q man
free to come. 10 go and free to love
could not alter what had been done
Back. far back. OF II all lay the death
less pact-for better or for worse
And now. alone. abandoned. help
1essly sick. utterly dependent upon the
aecency. the charity. the mercy Of her
legal paramour. the young girl whJN
had once been his wife had not turn
ed TO him in vain.
Before the light Of her shaken mind
had gone out she had written him in
coherently, practically in extremis. and.
II be had hitherto doubted where his
duty lay, from that moment he had
no longer any doubt. And very quiet
ly, hopelessly and irrevocably he had
crushed out OF his soul the hope and
promise Of the new life dawning for
him above the dead ashes Of the past.
II was not easy to do. He had not
ended It yet He did not know how.
There were ties to be severed. friend
ships TO be gently broken. old scenes
20 be forgotten, memories to kill.
There was also love-to be disposed Of
And he did not know how.
First OF all. paramount in his hope
less trouble the desire 10 save others
from pain persisted
For that reason he had been careful
that Gerald should not know where
and how he was now obliged 10 live
lest the boy suspect and understand
how much OF Selwyn's little fortune 4
had taken TO settle his debts OF hon
or" and free him from the sinister
pressure Of Neergard's opportunities.
For that reason. too. he dreaded 10
have Austin know. because II the truth
were exposed nothing in the world
could prevent a violent and final sep
aration between him and the foolish
hoy who now az last was beginning to
show the first gllmmering traces OF
character and common sense.
So he let IL be understood that his
address was his club for the present.
for he also desired no scene with
Boots, whom he knew would attempt
20 force him 10 live with him In his
cherished and brand new house. And
even II he cared TO accept and permit
Boots 10 place him under such obliga-
tons II would only hamper him in his
duties, because now what remained OF
his income must be devoted TO Alike
Even before her case had taken the
more hopeless turn he had understood
that she could not remain at Clifton
Such cases were neither desired mol
treated there. He understood that
And so he had taken for her a pretty
little villa at Edgewater with tive
trained nurses TO care for her and
phaeton for her to drive
And now she was installed there
properly cared for, surrounded by every
comfort, contented, except in the black
and violent crises which still swept her
In recurrent storms-indeed, tranquil
and happy, for through the troubled
glimmer Of departing reason her eyes
were already opening in the calm, un-
earthly dawn OF second childhood. Out
side OF that dead garden OF the past,
peopled by laughing phantoms OF her
youth, but one single eXtraneous mem
ory persisted-the memory Of Selwyn--
curiously twisted and reaSiusted TO the
comprehension Of a child's mind, vague
at times, at times wistfully elusive and
ncoherent, but II remained always a
memory and always happy one.
He was obliged to 90 10 her every
three or four days In the interim she
seemed quite satisfied and happy, busy
with the simple and pretty things she
now cared for, but toward the third
day OF his absence she usually became
ANoheSof uShluE loI MN anu why ne
did not come And then they telegraph
ed him, and he left everything and
went, white faced stern Of lip, 10 en-
dure the most dreadful ordeal a man
may race-tO force the smile 10 his lips
and gayety into the shrinking soul OF
him and sit with her in the pretty, sun
ny room, listening to her prattle. an.
swering the childish questions, watch.
ing her. seated in her roe4xing chair,
singing contentedly TO herself and play
ing with her dolls and ribbons-dress-
ing them, undressing, mending, ar
ranging-until the heart within him
quiVered under the misery OF ii and he
turned to the curtained window, hands
elinching convulsively and teeth set TO
force back the strangling agony in his
throat And the dreadful part OF 1t all
was that her appearance had remained
mchanged-unless, perhaps, she was
prettier, lovelier Of face and figure than