Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1912-04-17

Although she 1onged for him as
much as he longed for her, although
her love for him amazed her by it's
depth and intensity, even to bring her
happiness, commensurate with her
feeling, she could not betray her dead
sister. The imposts of honor, how
hard they are to sustain when they
conflict with love and longing.
Enid Maitland was naturally not a
little thrown off her balance by the
situation and the power that was hers.
What she could not do herself she
could not allow anyone else to do.
The obligation upon her must be ex-
tended to others. Old Kirkby had no
right to the woman's secret any more
than she; he must be siIenced. Arm
strong, the only other being who was
privy to the truth, must be silenced
too.
One thing at least arose out of the
sea of trouble in a tangible way; she
was done with Armstrong Even if
she had not so loved Newbold that she
could scarcely give a thought to any
other human being, she was done with
Armstrong.
A singular situation! Armstrong
had loved another woman, so had New
bold; and the latter had even married
this other woman, yet she was quite
willing to forgive Newbold, she made
every excuse for him, she made none
for Armstrong. She was an eminently
sane, just person, yet as she thought
of the situation her anger against
Armstrong grew hotter and hotter. It
was a safety valve to her feelings, al
though she did not realize it. After
all, Armstrong; actions rendered her
a certain service; if she could get
over the objection in her soul, if she
could ever satisfy her sense of honor
and duty and obligation, she could set
tie the question at once. She had
only to show the letters to NewboId
and to say: "These were written by
the man of the picture; it was he, and
not you, your wife loved" and New
bold would take her to his heart in
Stantly.
These thoughts were not without a
certain comfort to her. All the COM
pensation Of self sacrifice is in it's
realization. That she could and did
not somehow ennobled her love for
him. Even women are alleged with
base metal. In the powerful and
universal appeal of this man to her,
she rejoiced at whatever was of the
soul, rather than Of the body. To
possess power, to refrain from using
1t in obedience to some higher law, is
perhaps to pay oneself the most fiat
tering Of compliments. There was a
satisfaction to her soul in this which
was yet denied him.
Her action was quite different from
his. She was putting away happiness
which she might have had in comp1i-
ance with a higher law than that
which bids humanity enjoy. 1t was
fattering to her mind. In his case,
it was otherwise; he had no con-
seriousness that he was a victim Of
misplaced trust, of misinterpreted &C
ton. He thought the woman for
whom he was putting away happiness
was almost as worthy, if infinitely less
desirable, as the woman whom he now
loved.
Every sting of outrage, every feel
ing of shame, every fear of disloyalty,
scourged him. She could glory in it;
he was ashamed, Inundated, broken.
She heard him savagely walking I'D
and down the other room, restlessly
1mpelled by the same Erinyes which
of old scourged Orestes; the violator
of the laws of moral being drove him
on. These malign Eumenides held
him in their hands. He was bound and
helpless, rage as he might in one
moment, pray as he did in another. no
dight came into the whirling darkness
of his torn, tempest tossed, driven
soul. The irresistible impulse and the
1mmoVable body the philosophers puz-V
Zled over were eXemplified in him.
Whilst he almost hated the new wom-
an, whilst he almost loved the old,
yet that he did neither the one thing
nor the other absolutely was signif-
cant.
Indeed he knew that he was glad
Enid Maitland had come into his life.
No life is complete until it is touched
by that divine fire which for lack Of
another name we call love. Because
we can experience that sensation we
are said to be made in Gods image.
The image is blurred as the animal
predOminates, it is clearer as the spir-
ttual has the ascendency.
The man rayed il his mind. White
faced, stern, he walked up and down
he tossed his arms about him, he stop
ped, his eyes closed, he threw his
hands up toward God, mis- heart cried
out under the decorations Of the blows
inflicted upon it. No fagellant of old
ever trembled beneath the body lash
as he under the spiritual punishment.
He prayed that he might die at the
same moment that he Ionged to live.
He grappled blindly for solutions of
the problem that would leave him with
untarnished honor and undiminished
self respect and fidelity, and yet give