The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-02-28
OUT OF THE NIGHT
CONTINUED FROM PAGE THREE

COl-N l-N Ell ISCl iliNISS
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moor Hills. 1t is where your father
and old Umfrhville fought their
duel
oh" she cried with vivid inter
est, Il know! l passed it that night
when l was lost.-you know, the
night | first came"
She made a dead stop. The re-
membrance of that first night flood
ed all her thought. With its old
startling clearness there leaped to
her mental view the picture of the
open door of Barrow End, and o!
Jem as he had then looked. In
spite of the warm day she shivered.
Jem did not turn his head, bu;
she saw the dark blood surge up
to his face. l" never knew you had
wandered as far as that" he said.
I'm sorry. 1t was stupid of me
to mention it," she apologized. But
at the time Mrs. Trent told me
there was a ghost story-about a
horse walking upstairs"
Yes, and the Umfraville of the
day jumped off the battlements on
his back" returned Jem. But
don't see why you shouldn't men
tion IT,"
Il want to forget it, said Yer,
non
Il don't" said Jem.
You don't?" she inquired incredu-
lously
mo. l dare say you've heard how
it is sometimes with chaps VINO are
dying with thirst at sea? They
want to drink salt water, though
they know as well as they know
anything in this world that it will
not quench their thirst-that it will
kill them, or send them mad But
you would hold back a man from
drinking salt water if you could,
wouldn't you. even if he felt 1t was
the one thing on earth he wanted?
Well, l felt to you that night as a
man delirious with thirst might
feel towards the person who came
and prevented his drinking salt
water"
AS he spoke he changed his po-
sition. rolling over so that he was
lying face downwards, on his ell
bows. He took up a tiny stick, and
began to punch a hole in the turf
Vernon sat up. There was a ques-
tion trembling on her tongue, but
she could not ask it. 1t came over
her sharply, as she sat there, that
he was making curious conf
dence-that his speaking as he had
done meant that he was paying
her the honor of being sincere
with her; that he wished to make
her understand something. She knew
moreover, that, if what she believ-
ed him TO mean were true, load |
would be lifted from her mind, and |
their intercourse would rest upon a
better, truer footing. But she dared |
not ask, and there was a long 81 |
lence. At last ne ventured, with a |
forlorn wistfulness:
DO you understand"
I'm not sure said Vernon, un-
der her breath. What | want to
know is-Did | do it? Did l pre-
vent your drinking-salt water?
He turned his face to her then.
His eyes were full OF gravity
thai showed how much the moment
meant for him.
Once and for ALL" he said sim.
ply.
She turned her face away, for
she could not control it. He must
not see the two tears that rushed
70 her eyes and overflowed upon
her cheek. How good they had
been to her. those spirits Of the
Waste and Weald, They had seem.
ID TO deceive her, to decoy her
rom her road. to make her their !
port and dupe through the long
light houls OF her wandering. But
III the time they had been leading
Ter, as an envoy is led blindfolded
through the mazes of the enemy's
till she stood just
where she was meant to stand, at
he very moment that she had 70 | 1