The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1911-11-22


hand and an unspoken, wordless
promise of trust, devotion. single
hearted alliance, publicly and before
God and man. without a thought for
the one and with no full realization
of the thoughts of the other-at least
on her part-they had gone away to-
gether, hand in hand; he and she to-
gether, in love like any other pair
since Eve mated with Adam in the
dawn of the worlds first morning.
Yet there has never been an Eden
of which man has known without its
serpent In the cabin of that gorgeous
yacht. Sathanas reared his head. The
first week or so of the adventure had
been filled with idyllic happiness, hap
piness so great that it was strong
| enough to quiet certain low, still, small
voices of conscience which the woman
rightly ascribed to a strange atavism
of ancient prejudice to which her phil
osophy was as yet unequal.
However. such conditions did not
long persist. Her disciple was in
clined, presently she found to her sor-
row, to take a somewhat lower view
of the situation than suited her own
| high-souled views. The ardor of her
devotee cooled as his passion in
creased. Shut up in the narrow con-
fines of a ship-great and splendid
though this yacht was beyond magma
tion-little characteristics heretofore
unsupported developed in the mere
man The course of true love was not
so smooth as the summer seas over
which they sailed The air in which
they lived was ruffied by flurries in
/ which experience would have found
/ presage for coming deeper storm. The
image that had feet of clay sought for
similar earthly alloy in the companion
image which was made of pure gold
all through, and finding It not, re-
scented it desperately. The convert
having gained his desire, weakened in
his principles. There was no relaxa
ton in his devotion, in his tenderness
in anything outward and visible, but
the high philosophy which had made
the joint effort almost a self-sacrifice
of demonstration was slowly vanish
ing from one heart while the other
chung the more tenaciously to it.
It was the old, old story In little
the catspaw developed into the tenn
pest When it appeared it came with
surprising swiftness. The woman
found that in neither abstract thought
nor mental speculation was there any
! protection for her. There might be
no God in heaven, but there was con
science in her breast. Finally she
broke away from the man so far as
she could do so when they were botf
in the same ship of which he was lord
and master. She would have nothing
more to do with him save that which
common decency and the bare civil
ties of life demanded of her. Denied
the privileges upon which he had
counted, the man grew savage and
showed the cloven foot The disagree
ment became a quarrel. The quarre
ran through several phases. Ashamed
of himself he had recanted at first
Then he had sworn again allegiance
to the specious philosophy which she
now realized he had only professed
consciously or unconsciously, that h
might possess her. But she was no
deceived. There was no truth in hi
words; his asseverations carried NJ
conviction to her soul. Again h
stormed and ragged; once more h
apologized and appealed, but thu
periods of calm grew shorter and tn
periods of storm grew longer and NOR,
vehement The woman alone wa
steadfast. She was overwhelmed witt
shame, the horror of the situation wa
rising upon her.
She began to realize how helpless
she was. Under the inspiration of
belief, which was as honest as it wa
mistaken, she had put herself in tn
power Of this man. Even if she wer
ashore, there would be no one L
whom she could appeal. and here o.
the ship she was helpless. Lingerin
remains of better things had kept hir
from the last resort Of the tyrant-
forcel-but how long these would b
operative in restraint she could nc
tell. She fancied not for long. Wha
should she do then?
She saw the end coming when in hi
anger he resorted to drink. to drin
which exploded the last vestige Of hi
philosophy, however he had prOfesse
it. She was frightened beyond mea
IRE when she realized the depths
which he had sunk and to which,
spite of herself. he had dragged he
What further descent was before her
She did not even yet abandon thu
philosophy which had served her
i'll. She chung to that with the MOI
tenacious pride because Of its veI
weakness, but she loathed mankin
: On that yacht he summed up for h'
J the whole human race, and she hate
him and it. To what sorry pass had
: few weeks practical experience T
| duced herl
D She had begged and pleaded vii
r him to alter the yachts course. b
! he had sworn he would go farth
! south into those unknown seas al
+ keep her there until she crawled
e his feet. So the long hours dragg'
Y on. The inevitable rupture DIRE
e nearer. At last it came. In its detail
it was horrible, but there was in
= a great relief after all.