The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1910-05-18

only little white butterfly that has
broken its wings.
He might have said more. But then
she came the little figure that they
had tortured the soul from She came
slowly into the room, and calmly, and
the great emptiness might have been
a great peace had one not known.
Under her breath her aunt cried,
My niece." And then, as she came
nearer, this slender figure with the
empty eyes, she said:
You know me?"
Empty eyes turned to her Empty
voice answered:
Yes; you're Aunt Marguerite"
s'You looked at me as though were
stranger All, to think you brought
this suffering on yourself!'
Empty voice said slowly, evenly:
"Suffering?'
"She does not suffer- declared
O'Mara. Her very incapacity for
pain is her disease. TT only she could
feel, even to suffer. The day that
again you see tears in her eyes she
will be saved"
Mile de Valette spoke quickly. Sc
verely:
"she ought to feell she ought to
thinkp'
II do think" said the empty voice.
Il think all the time. keep wonder
| Ing wondering wonder why Gil
bert died That was curious
you ought not to think of him!
! You ought to shudder at the thoughtr'
II think-and remember" the emp
/ ty voice continued 81 remember that
Raoul said it came to you all at once;
| it absorbed you, so that not fear nor
shame nor death could. stop you. And
/ remember that it did come to me
just as he said. You see how well l
remember that That was just the
way it was then
You ought to think Of your punish
ment!'
Ought II" Empty eyes were raised.
4Was that punishment when T lost
my soul? | don't see how it can be.
Furnishing is hurting, isn't it? How
can be punished when nothing hurts
me?'
"But it ought to! You must feel it!'
"But / can't. Don't you see? / am
dead. The candles are lighted for me
| don't know where my soul is. lost
it when | died. If you do that you
can never find it again. There was the
forest, and / followed him and found
him there And | loved him very
much. That is why died. | think
all the time, you see, and / have
found out that if you love any one
very much you must lose your sou
for it and die"
Mile. de Valette shook her head slow
". Tears came to her eyes.
Broken wings!'' murmured the
priest.
why do you cry?'' the empty voice
asked. That's only one of Gods ways
isn't it?"
Gods ways!' cried Mile. de valette
Goods punishment of sinv'
The priest turned upon her.
Goods way!'' he cried vehemently
"Do you think worm i'm the dust car
understand why man rides by? d.
you think that because we can see tn,
beginning of one of Gods thoughts oul
little minds can follow to the end Of
what he is thinking? Down here in thu
dust we call them Gods ways, bu
they are only mans mistakes. Dowr
the river there were men-God's crea
lures, brothers they should have beer
killing each other. And they killed
this boy! There's one old man ovel
yonder so filed with phantoms an6
cobwebs and the ghosts Of things thai
shouldn't have been that he lets his
pride murder the father in him. AnG
the two crimes together are destroy
ing this child You call that Gods
way?" he demanded almost iercely
sI'H tell you one thing l know about
Gods way, by faith! That he never
punished the good love, and say tx
you this was a good love! 1t came tx
her just as rose comes to its busf
in spring; she had right to it al
much as the tree to it's blossoms, and
like them, it was good j tell you there
| vas nO 1dulL III hcI tuelL Will OnCAN
God, and in the end he will give bel
peace"
Now it came to pass that Crawley
the recruit of the shock hair and til,
nerveless spine, had lied. The massa
ere that he said he had seen had beef
no massacre. The defeat had been ;
victory. While the others had tough
shoulder to shoulder, he had lain jow
by jowl with Fear deep in the forest
And that Fear had breathed into hi
ear the things that he had come bacI
to tell breathed so insistently that b
who listened had come to believe then
almost as so.
Gilbert Steele came back from tn
battle, for the blow that struck hin
was not deadly came back with 10,
In his heart and gladness in his eyes
came back to Madeleine Madeleine d