Middletown transcript., 1912-05-11

for self-control moment or two and
then, utterly obhvious to the betrayal
of her feelings involved in the ques-
tion-the moments were too great for
consideration of such trivial matters
she faltered.
"You mean there is some other wo-
man%
He shook his head in negation.
'T don't understand There was
some other woman?"
"Yes."
where is she now?"
Dead"
"But you said you were not free"
He nodded
did you care so much for her that
now-that now"
Enid" he cried desperately. BE
lieve me, 1 never knew what love
was until 1 met you"
The secret was out now; 1t had
been known to her long since, but
now It was publicly proclaimed.
Even a man as blind, as obsessed, as
he could not mistake the joy that H.
Illuminated her face at this announce
ment. That very Joy and satisfaction
produced upon him, however, very
different effect than might have been
anticipated. Had he been free, in
deed, he would have swept her to his
breast and covered her sweet face
with kisses broken by whispered
words of passionate endearment. In
stead Of that he shrank back from her
and it was she who was forced to
take up the burden Of the converse
ton.
"You say that she is dead" she be-
gan in sweet appealing bewilderment,
land that you care so much for me
and yet you"
Il am a murderer" he broke out
harshly. There is blood upon my
hands, the blood Of a woman who
loved me and whom, boy as I was, I
thought that l loved. She was my
wife, 1 killed her"
Great Cod" cried the girl amazed
beyond measure or expectation by
this sudden avowal which she had
once suspected, and her hand instinct
lively went to the bosom of her dress
where she kept that soiled, water
stained packet of letters, "are you
that man?"
'T am the man that did that thing,
but what do you known" he asked
quickly, amazed in his turn.
"Old Kirkby, my uncle Robert Matt
, land, told me your story; they said
that you had disappeared from the
haunts of men"
! "And they were right. What else
was there for me to do? Although in
nocent of crime, / was blood guilty.
1 was mad. No punishment could be
visited upon me like that imposed by
the stern, awful, appalling fact.
swore to prison myself, to have moth,
ing more forever to do with mankind
or wcmankind with whom 1 was un-
worthy to so associate, to live alone
until God took me. To cherish my
memories, to make such expiation as
1 could, to pray daily for forgiveness,
I came here to the widest, the most
inaccessible, the loneliest, spot in the
range. No one ever would come here
fancied, no one ever did come but
you. 1 was happy after a fashion, or
at least content. had chosen the
better part had work, could read,
write, remember and dream. But you
came and since that time life has
been heaven and hell. Heaven be-
cause l love you, hell because to love
you means disloyalty to the past, to
a woman who loved me. Heaven be.
cause you are here; can hear your
voice, can see you, your soul is
spread out before me in its sweetness,
in its purity; hell because 1 am false
to my determination, to my vow, to
the love of the past"
"And did you love her so much,
then?" asked the girl, now fiercely
Jealous and forgetful of other things
for the moment
ITS not that" said the man. II
was not much more than boy, year
or two out Of college. had been in
the mountains year, this woman
lived in a mining camp, she was a
fresh, clean healthy girl, her father
died and the whole camp fathered her,
looked after her, and all the young
men in the range for miles on either
side were in love with her. l sup
posed that was too and-well, l won
her from the rest. We had been mar
ried but few months and a part of
the time my business as a mining en-
gineer had called me away from her.
l can remember the day before we
started on the last journey. 1 was
going alone again, but she was so un.
happy over my departure; she clung
to me, pleaded with me, implored me
! to take her with me, insisted on 60
ing wherever went, would not be
left behind. She couldn't bear me out
of her sight, it seemed. 1 don't know
what there was in me to have in.
spired such devotion, but 1 must
speak the truth, however it may
sound. She seemed wild, crazy about
me. I didn't understand it, frankly ]
didn't know what such love was-then
but took her along. Shall 1 not be
honest with you? In spite Of the at.
traction physical, I had begun to feel
even then that she was not the mate
for me. don't deserve it, and il
shames me to say it of course, but ]
wanted a better mind, higher soul
That made it harder-what 1 had to
do, you know"
Eyes, 1 know"
''The only thing could dc
when came to my senses was
to sacrifice myself to her mem
ory because she had loved me so; as
it was she gave up her life for me;
1 could do no less than be true and
loyal to the remembrance. It wasn't
a sacrifice either until you came, but
as soon as you opened your eyes and
looked into mine in the rain and the
storm upon the rock to which l had
carried you after had fought for you
/ knew that loved you. knew tina
the love that had come into my hear
was the love Of which had dreamed
that everything that had gone befor,
was nothing, that had found the on
woman whose soul should mate witt