Mexico Missouri message., 1910-10-06

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mere bodily presence of the man. the
look OF him, the sound of his voice.
tne pressure of his lips, the clasp of
his arms, she began to realize that as
he grew older, unless she was SO alb.
solutely mistaken in him as to make
all estimate of him mockery. he would
realize the falsity of his view. the Lit.
ueness Of his action, and II he were in
truth the man whom she could rightly
love, his years would be one long re-
gret that he had failed. What would
happen when he realized that, when
he came to the knowledge that she
was indeed all that she had seemed
and that he had been nothing that he
should? She knew, as she had writ.
ten, that the man would never. could
never, forget her; that wherever he
went and whatever he did, she would
be present with him; that she had
stamped herself too indelibly upon his
heart for any attrition with humanity,
however close and persistent, to erase
the image. He would come back per.
haps.
% Godl" she knelt down and
stretched out her arms, bring him
back" she prayed--a few short, brok.
en- words, lacking the elouuence of
long and studied petition, the appeal
of the heart every throb of which is
prayer-"brlng him back to mel"
She thought that she would have
had him back on any terms. She said
that she had been mad, a fool. not to
have taken him, not to have gone to
him, not to have married him in any
way, with any conditions, under any
circumstances. All her thoughts were
merged in one great passionate long.
ing to be with him.
For the first time in her life the
pangs Of jealousy tore her breast. She
thought Of him in the world with 9th.
er men, with other women, young,
handsome, perfect godlike form and
face of man, rich, the widest romance
with its charm and mystery to attract.
His story could not be hid, neither
could hers. The man would be court.
ed, sought after made much over, be-
loved. It would be enough to turn the
head OF saint. How would he stand
1t? Would the recollection of her
make him strong? Would that God in
whom he and she both had trusted
until the crisis came, lead him in the
straight path? Would her purity, he1
sweetness-stopi would he think her
thus lowered and possessed? Not
now, certainly, but every hour that
took him farther from her would add
to his knowledge and would tell him
the truth and these would help him.
She pictured him, not happy away
from her, overwhelmed by her death
surely, saddened beyond present com
fort it must be, yet so occupied that
insensibly his grief would be light.
ened by the only thing after all that
makes life bearable in certain con
tingencies, and that is work Work!
She, too, had work to do.
She rose to her feet doggedly as she
thought of that and considered what
she could do. Her eyes fell upon the
ashes of the signal fire. She contem,
plated 1t as the specter of some Hindu
woman whose body had been burned
upon such an affair might look upon
her pyre. 1t was she who had lighted
the beacon. Her hand had called the
world to her side. She thought how
he had begged her not to do so, how
he had declared himself content and
happy to live with her alone-ths
world forgetting, by the world forgotI
For the first time she broke down
completely. She buried her face in
her hands, her body reeled and shook
with sobs, the tears trickled through
her fingers.
She must make another beacon, she
thought. And then It came to her that
they had taken away the flint and
steel. She had no means of lighting it.
That realization developed other
thoughts. Her Bible was gone; her
clothes were gone; her toilet articles,
her scissors, her watch, her knife.
They had taken everything. They had
left her nothing, absolutely nothing.