The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-05-21


Feet.
You have lost? Do you know. In your
goodness and purity and truth. OF what
you have done? DO you know
The fabric on which he stood was
gone. and he seemed to be poised on
nothing in a worthless universe Of gray
alone. And in the vast, limitless emp
tincss there was no sound or life or
change and in his heart neither fear
nor wonder nor emotion of any kind
save one. the unspcakablc hunger OF
love that had failed. Yet it seemed
that he was not John Rowland. but
some one or something else, for pres
emily he saw himself far away, mil
lions of billions OF miles, as though on
the outermost fringcs Of the void, and
heard his own voice calling. Family.
yet distinctly. filed with the conccn-
tratcd despair of his life, came the
call. "Myra. Myraw
There was an answering call, and.
looking for the second voice, he bchcld
her-thc woman of his love-On the Op
positc edge Of space, and her eyes held
the tenderness and her voice held the
pleading that he had known but in
dreams. "Comc backw she called.
"Come back to met! But 1t seemed
that the two could not understand, for
again he heard the despairing cry.
"Myra, Myra. where are yOu! and
again the answer: "COmc back! Come.
Then in the far distance to the right
appeared faint point Of flame, which
grew larger. 1t was approaching. and
he dispassionately viewed 1t, and when
he looked again for the two they were
gone, and In their places were two
clouds of nebula. which resolved into
myriad points of sparkling light and
color-whirling. cncroaching, until they
filled all space And through them the
larger light was coming-and growing
larger straight for him.
lie heard rushing sound and, look.
ing for 1t. saw In the opposite direction
| formless object as much darker than
the gray of the void as the flame was
| brighter. and it. too, was growing lar
ger and coming And 1t seemed to him
that this light and darkness were the
good and evil of his life, and he watch
cd to see which would reach him first,
but felt no surprise or regret when he
saw that the darkness was nearest 1t
came closer and closer until 1t brushed
| him on the side.
"What have we here, Rowland" said
n voice. Instantly the whirling points
were blotted out, the universe Of gray
changed to the fog, the flame OF light
to the moon rising above it and the
shapeless darkness to the form Of the
| first officer. The little white figure,
which had Just dartcd past the three
watchers, stood at his feet. AS though
warned by an inner subconsciousness
OF danger. II had come in its sleep for
safety and care to its mothers old
lover-the strong and the weak, the
degraded and disgraced. but exalted:
the prosecuted, drugged and all but
Aclpless John Rowland.
With the readiness with which a
man who dozes while standing will an
swer the question that wakens him he
said, though he stammered from the
now waning effect Of the drug, my
ras child, sir; its asleep He picked
up the nightgowned little girl, who
screamed as she Weakened. and folded
his peajacket around the cold little
body.
who Is Myra:' asked the officer In
bullying tone. in which were also
chagrin and Disappointment you've
been asleep yourself"
Before Rowland could reply a shout
from the crows nest split the air.
"Icew yelled the lookout "Ice ahead.
Iceberg! Right under the bowsr' The
first officer ran amidships, and the cap
tain, who had remained there, sprang
to the engine room telegraph, and this
time the lever was turned. But In five
seconds the bow Of the Titan began to
lift. and ahead and on either hand
could be seen through the fog field OF
ice. which arose in an incline to a hun
dred feet high In her track. The music
In the theater ceased, and among the
babel Of shouts and cries and the deaf
ening noise Of steel scraping and crash
Ing over Ice Rowland heard the ago
nized voice Of a woman crying from
the bridge steps: "Myra, Myra, where