The Tupelo journal., 1912-06-07

Hunters, and make the accusation
against me. l suppose he thought
that / could. probably. clear myself
easily enough. without involving him.
and that the whole row might blow
over without doing any irreparabls
damage to either Of Us. And then,
when 1t didn't blow over-when 1t got
worse and meant ruin for somebody
the fact that he hadn't spoken at firsa
would have made it ten times harder
to speak at last. / might have help.
cd him. He sent word to me once,
when I was under arrset. to ask II I
would see him, and l refused. | was
very His speech was punctu-
ated now by longer and longer pauses,
but still Jeanne waited.-"Very surs
of the correctness Of my own
attitude then. Correct is, perhaps, the
exact word for 1t. / wouldn't turn q
hand to save a AN man who had
been my friend, too-from living out
the rest of his life in hell" He shud-
dered a little at that and she quickly
laid her hand upon his lips.
That was long ago." she said. You
can see now what q God, perhaps.
would have seen and done then. And
II you did wrong. then it's you who
have suffered for it-you who have
paid the penalty. You have paid for
the thing you left undone as well as
for the thing he did. But we must
not talk about it any more. now.
You're not strong enough. l ought
not to have spoken of it at all, but,
somehow, l couldn't wait any longer"
Just this much more, Jeanne, and
then We will let it go: You see now,
don't you, dear, why l said | never
could go back to the world, never clear
myself of the old charge at Hunters
expense = Perry Hunters expense
now that he is dead; and don't you see
that that's as impossible now as It was
when l first said IT,"
It was with a half laugh and a half
sob that she kissed him.
"Oh, my dear she said, what does
the world matter7 This is the world
here. You and l. The space Of this
great bearskin we are lying N. The
past can't come between US, and what
else is there that matters? Gene, It's
time for you to take another nap. Are
you warm enough out here, or shall we
60 back to the hut?"
I'm warm, soul and body, thanks
to you," he said.
pr1t ~ Uou Ioorno whn Uant ~
sleep. Somehow. since that last ex-
PLANTATION a wonderful great, soft calm
seemed to envelop her. She slept
there like a child beside him, his hand
still half-clasped in hers.
It was Philips voice that wakened
her. How long afterwards she did
not know. He was sitting erect or the
great bearskin, and all she could see
of him was the dim silhouette Of his
back against the sky.
What is it," she asked, drowsily.
us anything the matter?"
He could hardly command his voice
to answer.
Its that aurora. over there" he
said. No, it's gone now. It Eaax
come back. It's right over there in
the south-straight in front Of you"
But, my dear-my dear" she per-
sisted, why should an aurora .
Is 1t because of the one we saw the
night you killed Roscoe? Is 1t that
old nightmare that 1t brings back?"
. was speaking quietly. her voice
aa~wnD hfr 3rct a. hAr honAo UArA
She vas IKE a mother trying to reas-
sure q frightened child.
mo, it's not that" he said. uneasily.
l don't know-I think l may be go
ing mad, perhaps. know wasn't
dreaming. l thought SO at nrst, but
l know I'm not now" Theo she felt
his body %stiffen, he dropped her hand
and pointed out to the southern ho-
rizon.
There" he said, look there!" What
she saw was simply a pencil OF white
light, pointing straight from the ho-
rizon to the zenith. and reaching an al
tttude Of perhaps 20 degrees. Com
pared with the stupendous electrical
displays that they were used to seeing
In that winter sky, 1t was utterly In
significant, and from 1t she turned to
search his face, In sudden alarm.
mo, no-look-look!" he command
ed, his excitement mounting higher
with each word.
She obeyed reluctantly, but at what
she saw her body became sudden.
ly rigid and she stared as one
might stare who sees a spirit For
the faint pencil Of white light swung
on a pivot, dipped clear to the hori-
zon. rose aagin and completed its cir
cult to the other side.
She sat there beside him, breath
less, almost lfeless with suspense
while that pencil traced its course
back and forth from horizon to hori
zon, stopped sometimes on the zenith
to turn back upon itself-sometimes
continuing through unchecked. Al
last her breath burst forth from her
in a great sob. She turned and cluns
to him wildly.
Philip" she said, ut can't be that
1T can't-it can't"
II