Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-27

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cushion to beat it out, any of these would be
sufficient to overcome it now: but if it was left
unchecked for ten minutes. If nothing was
done to stay its progress. curb its increasing
strength His very thoughts swooned before
the vision they conjured up.
To lie here, to burn. to go IN horror to
frightful death like that! And a chld's hand.
a mere childs, could avert it if it was stretched
forth now. Now was the time! Now. now.
now
A very panic of fright took possession of him.
swayed him, shook him. maddened him.
strengthened him. AS in a delirium, not know
ing. not realizing. what he did until after he
had done it, he gathered all his energies,
whipped up all his powers. lurched blindly for
ward, flung himself from the bed, sprawled
face downward on the floor. rose to his elbows.
rose to his knees. pulled himself up. and then
call it what you will. miracle. mind over matter.
the forces of Nature or the hand of God, a
power suddenly created or the natural outcome
of changes that had long been in operation un-
suspected-then, Keeling and swaying. he got
to his feet and-stood!
A great deep chair piled full of cushions was
near. He caught of them up. beat and
dashed it upon the flames until they died down
into embers then stamped those out and
tainted.
TT was only moment that his senses hung
aloof.-a JOY like this could not be long
denied its glories. could not long be pushed off
into darkness and when they came teeming
back and he found the suddenly given power
abiding with him still. it seemed as though
Heaven itself had opened before him and
blessed him above all other men.
He gulped out one half coherent prayer of
thankfulness. then laughed Historically. and,
rising. moved aimleSSly about with the sheer
open window put other thoughts into his mind
and brought weeds and tares into the new
found rose fields.
Now he would know the truth! Now he
would know which of the twain, Ojeebi or she.
had lied about the neighborhood He made
his way to the sill, bent out over it, and looked
down.
Shops were below: shops were across the
wayl Grimy. detected looking. with dingy
doors and dirty windows, the houses that were
once so Spick and span, once SO stately looking.
scowled back at him through the darkness as
though in sullen resentfulness of the disrepute
and evil that had fallen upon them
She lied!" he said brokenly. She lied in
this as in other things!" Then stopped and
caught his breath, and leaned heavily against
the window Frame and waited: for step-her
step-was coming up the stair, and. recognizing
it, he knew that she had returned at last and
that the hour of her unmasking had come.
A MOMENT passed. The steps came on
and halted. The knob turned. The
door opened. and across the dim space that lay
between them, her eyes and his met. She
jumped back as though ghost had risen be-
fore her. as though she could not trust her eyes,
as though this was some supernatural thing
that portended death and disaster, and leaned
against the doorpost, painting
But the shock of surprise not wholly
hers: for the opening of the door, which had let
the light from the outer passage stream in and
show Lessington this, had shown him other
things well,-shown him bare and empty
hall. without picture, without an ornament.
without even carpet to relieve the bleak bar
renness of it. And but for the bitterness that
gnawed at his heart, the wrath at her treachery
that burnt within him. the surprise of this
thing might have found vent in words.
.'Oh. don't be afraid! 1t is not ghost. 1t is
~" he flung out at her. with mirthless little
laugh and gesture of reputation. Things
don't always happen as mems wives would like
them to happen, you see. and in spite of your
hopes am able to get about again"
"Tedl She gave cry of exceeding hap
piness and, lurching away from the doorpost,
almost flung herself across the room. "Tedi
My darling! When? How? Dear God! It
seems too good to be true!'
That Doesn't" he made answer f1inging
out his arm and pointing toward the street.
And you told me that the money didn't count!
That it was the man you loved, not his pos
sessions! And YOU let me stop here sur
rounded by purple and fine linen in Just this
one room. with things like that beyondl You
fooled me, neglected me. abandoned me, lied
to mel My Godl How could you when loved
you so?'
She stopped short and looked at him: saw
in his face the signs of that bitter wrath which