The news=record. [volume] (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Oregon) 1907-1910, 1910-01-19
CHAPTER XIV.

taking place in the mind of Pepeeta, of
which she was only vaguely conscious.
The strain which she had been under
going began at last to exhaust her
physically.
Her vital force became depleted. her
step grew feeble, the light died out
of her eyes. she dropped and crept
feebly about her room. The determi-
nation which she had SO resolutely
maintained to live apart slowly ebbed
away. She was, after all, woman,
not'a disembodied spirit, and her wom-
ans heart yearned unquenchably for
the touch of her lovers hand, for the
kisses Of his lips, for the comfort of
his presence.
This longing increased with every
passing hour. Fatigue. weariness.
loneliness. steadily undermined her
still struggling resistance to those hum
gerings which never left her. till at
last. when the failing resources of her
nature were at their lowest point, all
her remaining strength was concen-
trated into a single passionate desire
to look once more upon the face WI ich
glowed forever before her inner eye, or
at least to discover what had befallen
In his sin and wretchedness.
II was long and tedious journey
from New Orleans to Cincinnati In
those days, and 1t told terribly upon
the weaked constitution of the way
farer. Her heart beat too violently In
her bosom; fierce fever tegan to
burn In her veins; she trembled with
terror lest her strength fail her before
she reached her journeys end, It was
not of Death himself that she was
afraid; but that he should overtake
her before she had seen her lover!
Husbanding her strength as ship
wrecked sailors save their bread and
water. she counted the days and the
miles to the journeys end, and hav-
Ing arrived at the wharf of the Queen
City. the pale young traveller who had
excited the compassion of the passen-
gers. but who would neither comunt-
cate the secret Of her sorrow nor ac-
cept of any aid. took her little bundle
In her thin hand and started Off on
the last stage of her weary pilgrimage.
It was the hardest Of ALL for her mon
ey was exhausted and there was moth
ing for her to do but walk.
It was cold December day. Gray
clouds lowered. wintry winds began to
moan. and she had proceeded but lit
tel way when light fakes of snow be-
gan to fall. The chill penetrated her
thin clothing and shook her fragile
form. She moved more like wrath
than living woman. Her tired feet
tAf Ill OBJ L.
snow that the feathery flakes obliter-
ated one almost before she had made
another, and she was haunted by the
thought that every trace Of her pas
sage through life was thus to disap-
pear!
Ignorant Of the distance or the exact
direction. and stopping occasionally to
Inquire the way, she plodded on. the
exhaustion Of hunger and WEAKNESS
becoming moro and more unendurable.
All that she did now was done by the
sheer force Of will; but yield she
would not. She would die cheerfully
when she had attained her object. but
not before. The winds became more
wild and boisterous: they loosened and
tossed her black hair about her wan
face; they. beat against her person and
drove her back. Every step seemed
the last one possible; but suddenly,
Just as she descended the slope of
steep HILL she saw the twinkling lights
Of the village and the feeble rays shot
new courage into her heart Under
this accession Of power she pushed
forward and made her way toward the
old Quaker homestead.
The night had now deepened around
her, but svery foot of the landscape
had been indelibly impressed upon her
memory, and even In the gathering
gloom she chose the road unerringly.
There were only q few steps more,
and reoling toward the door yard fence
she felt her way to the gate. opened
It, staggered forward up the path In
the rays Of light that struggled cut
into the darkness. and with ono Anal
effort fell fainting upon the threshold.
The scene within the house present.
ed Q striking contrast to that without.
In q great open fireplace the flames of
tho beech logs were wavering up the
chimney. Seated In the radiance Of
their light. on low stool. was q young
boy with his elbows upon his knees
and his cheeks In the palms Of his
hands. His mother sat by his side
strolxing his hair and gazing at him
In fond. brooding love. The father was
bending over a Bible lying open ON
the table. and had just articuiated In
allow and reverent tones the words of
Jesus, Il was q stranger and ye took
me in" when they heard q sound at
the door.
Father. mother and SON sprang to
their feet and. hurrying towards the
door. flung It open and bshsld q wom-
ans limp form lying on the threshold.
II was but q child's weight to the
stalwart Quaker who picked Il up In
his great arms and carried II into the
radiance Of the great fireplace, and In
an instant he and Dorothea his wife
were pushing forward the work Of
restoration. The little boy stood sax-
ing wonderingly At her from dis
tancs. The calm features OF the Qua
ker were agitatsd with emotion. His
wife knelt by the side OF the pale
sleeper. and her tears dropped silently
on the hand which she pressed to her
iipa
For many days Pepeeta's life hung
In the balance. her spirit hoverfng un-
certainly along the border land Of be-
ing. and Il was only love that woosd
Il back to life
When at length. through careful
,u.r~fnw aha really ro~aSuaA hog 49,