Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1910-06-02

= " viz hitS thSSN FoINSs
He turned away, sank down on one
Of the great boulders that he had
thrown aside and buried his face in
his hands, his body shaking with emo
tons he could scarce define but we'll
understood. The woman threw herself
down on her knees before him and
took him once more in her arms.
Man." she said, II love you'll"
She drew his hands away from his
face; she laid her own face in his
bleeding palm and kissed it.
Man." she said, her lips wet with
his own blood in a sort of wild, bar
barrie sacrament, man, I love you!"
He stared at her as one %distraught.
He had dreamed of this, he had mag
ined it, he had prayed for it, he had
hoped for it, but no revelation that
had come to him in the years of their
association equaled in its binding
brilliancy, in it's intense illumination,
the revelation in that woman's voice,
in that woman's eyes, in that woman's
touch.
Man." she said again, 81 love you.
Do you understand! Do you know
what it means?"
Then he found his voice. He took
her hand and pressed it against his
heart.
81 know" he whispered. 81 under
stand here"
He rose to his feet, stopped, caught
her by the shoulders and lifted her to
his level. A piece Of rock Ill bal
anced on the edge of the cliff fell
crashing. The place was dangerous.
Without a word he slipped his arm
beneath her, lifted her up as he might
have done a child and carried her out
upon the sand away from the beetling
crags Of the rocky wall. She nestled
in his arms with a sense of joy and
satisfaction and helplessness cared for
SO exquisite that it was almost pain.
He sat her down presently on the
sand and knelt before her. The SUM-
light sprang through the gray haze
on the horizons edge and lighted her
face as he peered into it. Suddenly he
threw himself PROSTATE before her
and his lips Upon her feet.
mot there" she whispered, laying
her hand upon his bent head, "but
here, here in my arms, upon my heart,
for Man, Man, l love you!"
Then kneeling by her side he took
her once more within his arms.
But you have not said!" she began
at last, that you loved me-"
"There is no word" he said, softly,
lin that speech that you have taught
me which is equal to what feel. You
don't know how l have looked upon
you and longed for you ever since you
made me know and feel that | was a
man with a mans soul. Night after
night I have watched you as you went
to your nook in the rocks. But that
you have taught me honor and consid-
Grafton, what 1t is to be a gentleman.
l had followed you and caught you in
the dark within my arms"
She laid her hand upon his breast
and looked at him feelingly, entreat.
ingly, with touching consciousness of
his strength and her weakness.
what l have taught you," she
asked, "you will not forget?"
Never! Never!"
He released her waist and took her
hand and kissed 1t. There was as
much passion in the pressure of his
lips upon her hand as there was in
the beat of his heart against her own,
/ she felt.
"You," he continued, will say what
Is to be done"
mot l." she answered, piteously,
but you. have no strength when
you are by. Since that moment when
you kissed me, you are the master and
the man, but you will respect me in
my hel~plessness?"
"As If you we're God in heaven"
cried the man, raising his hand as n
who makes a vow. "You are to me
everything that is pure, that is holy,
that is lovely"
mo! MOI" she whispered, a look Of
terror coming into her face.
"Yes," he said. Through you l
know God, through you I know woman.
You are sacred to me. Never again,
unless you give me leave, will | press
my lips to yours; never again. unless
you say ! may, will | take you in my
! arms: again will | even touch