Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1909-06-04
THROUGH THE STORM.

us" she said, her splendid voice vibrat-
ing with all the unleashed emotion of her
being, yet with no faltering in it. IF
she stays / CO.
Stephen Fair, harassed and bewiIdered.
was angry with the relentless anger of
a patient man, reused at last
GO, them he said sternly "I'll never
turn my mother from my door for any
woman's whim''
The stormy red went out of Emily's
face, leaving it like a marble mask.
You mean that ?" she said calmly.
Think well. If l 90 shall never re-
turn"
Il do mean it," said Stephen. Leave
my house if you will if you hold your
marriage vow so lightly When your
senses return you are welcome to come
back to me. will never ask You to-
Without another word Emily turned
away. That night she went back to
John and Amelia They, on their part.
welcomed her back gladly, believing her
TO be wronged and ill-used woman.
They hated Stephen Fair with a new
and personal rancor. The one thing
they could hardly have forgiven Emily
would have been the fact of her relent-
ing toward him.
But she did not relent. In her soul
she knew that, with all her lust griey-
ances, she had been in the wrong. and
for that she could not forgive him!
Two years after she had left Stephen
Mrs. Fair had died, and his widowed
sister went to keep house for him. If
he thought of Emily he made no sign.
Stephen Fair never broke a word once
passed.
And now Stephen was i'll. The
strange woman felt certain pride in
her own infexibility because the fact
did not affect her. She told herself that
she could not have felt more uncon-
cerned had he been the merest stranger.
Nevertheless, she waited and watched
for John Phillipses' homecoming.
At 10 o'clock she heard his voice in
the kitchen. She leaned out of the bed
and pulled open the door. She heard
voices below, but could not distinguish
the words, so she rose and went nois9
lessly out into the hall, knelt down by
the stair railing and listened. The door
of the kitchen was open below her end
a narrow shaft of light struck on her
white, intent face. She looked like a
woman waiting for the decree of doom.
At first John and Amelia talked of
trivial matters. Then the latter said
abruptly, did you ever hear how Ste
phen Fair was?"
He's dying" was the brief response.
Emily heard Amelia's startled excla-
nation. She gripped the square rails
with her hands until the sharp edges
denied deep into her fingers. Johns
voice. came up again, harsh and express
sionless
HE took a bad turn the dav before
yesterday and has been getting worse
ever since. The doctors don't expect him
to live till morning"
Stephen, her husband-dying! In the
burning anguish of that moment her
own soul was as an open book before
her The love she had buried rose from
the deeps of her being in an awful ac-
cusing resurrection
Out of her stupor and pain purpose
formed itself clearly. She must 90 to
Stephen, she must beg and win his for
giveness before it was too late She
dared not go down to John and ask him
to take her to her husband. He might
refuse. The Phillipses had been known
to do as hard things as that At the
best there would be storm of protest
and disapproval on her brothers and
sisters part, and Emily felt that she
could not encounter that in her present
mood. 1t would drive her mad.
She lighted a lamp and dressed her
self noiselessly. but with feverish haste.
Then she listened. The house was very
still Amelia and John had gone to bed.
She wrapped herself in heavy wooden
shawl hanging in the hall and crept
downstairs. With numbed fingers she
fumbled at the key of the hall door,
turned it and slipped out into the night.
In after years that frenzied walk
through the storm and blackness seemed
as an unbroken nightmare to Emily
Fairs recollection. Often she fell. Once
as she did so a jagged. dead limb of
fir struck her forehead and cut in il n
cash that marked her for life. As she
struggled to her feet and found her way
again, the blood trickled down over her
face.
oh, God. don't let him die before
get to im--don't-don't-d She
prayed desperately. with more of dc.
ianee than of entreaty in her voice
then, realizing this, she cried out in bor
ror Surely some fearsome punishment
would come on her for such wickedness
she would find her husband living
dead
When Emily opened the kitchen door
of the Fair homestead. Almira Sentner
Icried out in her alarm Who or what
was this creature, with the white face
and wild eyes, with torn and drippinp
garments and disheveled wind WRITTEN
hair, and the big drops of blood trickling
from her brow The next moment She
recognized Emily and her face hard
eued. She had always hated Emily Fair.
What do you want here?" she asked.
| harshly.
Where is my husbandg' said Emily.
You can't see him." said Mrs. Sent
ner, defiantly. The doctors won't allow
anyone in the room but those he's used
to. Strangers excite him."
The insolenee and cruelty of her
speech fell on unheeding ears. Emily.