Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-07-07

him. Him I will serve, though he cast
me of, yet will l love him. And with
this in my heart in which I glory and
which I confess as openly and with
as little hesitation as YOU confessed
your shame, | give you my final, abso-
lutte, utterly irrevocable decision. l
will not marry you, l will not 60 back
with you. No, not for anything that
you can proffer, nor for any reason
that you can urge, will I come to you
when in my soul belong to another.
There may be no end to this but my
despair. This man may cast me off.
This man may trample me under foot.
The spots upon my soul may loom
larger in his view and hide what else
Is there. I know / have been for
given by God, I will not be for
given by men, but I tell you here and
now, again and again, that I will not
be your wife. I will be his wife or
no mans"
Langford turned away and hid his
face in his hands. Whitaker stepped
forward and laid his hand upon the
shoulder Of the man of the island
He shook him for a moment.
"You stand immobile," he cried,
sharply, latter such a confession as
that, after such ar appeal? What
have you to say, man? You ought to
get down on your knees and thank
God for the love of such a woman"
AYE, aye" burst out the deep tones
of the old coxswain of the cutter. 80
say all Of U.S."
God help me-" cried the man, lift
ing his hand and releasing his shout
der from the grasp Of the officer, II did
love this woman. Think how 1t was,
think how | believed in her. No Chris.
tian eve believed in his god as | be-
lieved in her. She told me what purity
was, what innocence was, what sweet
ness was, what light was, what truth
was, and l looked at her and saw
them"
"And you can look at her and see
them now" cried the officer.
mo-" said the man, Il can v
look at her and see her the same"
"Oh, Man! Mani" cried the woman.
The test was upon him. He was
failing. Her sorrow, her giief were
more for him than for herself.
Don't mistake me-" said the man.
II can't help loving you, whatever you
are. If you had been as guilty as,
when he began to speak and when
you corroborated him, | fancied that
you were, | should have loved you just
the same and should have married
you, and I shall marry you. Whis
this awful thing has come between us,
but we will try In some way to live
1t down, to forget it, to 60 on as we
were"
He stepped toward the woman.
She drew herself up to her full
height and looked him unflinchingly
in the face.
NO." she said, 1--WE are not going on
as we thought. We will not marry and
live together. We will not bury this
wretched happening in the past in
any oblivion. | will marry no man,
although he may have my whole heart,
who is not proud and glad to take me,
who does not realize that l am as pure
and as innocent of wrong and shame
as he would fain think his mother, as
he would absolutely know his wife
must be. told you that your manhood
must be put to the test. I told you that
your love must be tried by fire. What
| loved In you was the assurance that
you would survive the test, that you
would triumph in the trial. 1t is not /
that have been before the great Judge
this morning, but you, and you have
failed"
Kate" said Langford, che casts you
off; take me. | swear to you that
were | in his place, | would not have
hesitated a moment"
Il respect you more than ever" said
the woman; ''hut | don't love you and
i cannot, | will not take you!"
"Charnock." said Whitaker, IF
that's your name, permit me to say
here, saving the lady's presence, that
you are behaving like a damned fool.'
The man looked at him dumbly, I'M
comprehendingly, and made no reply.
1t was the woman who spoke, coldly,
impartially. she had seemingly dis
missed the whole affair, though at
what d cost to herself no one could
know.
Sir" she said, rs there anyone on