Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-07-22

leaned her head on his arm
Betty, what's troubling you? Nothing
! fresh? Has has he"
mo, no" She spoke quickly as though
In terror of a name being mentioned.
Hes done his best according to his
! Lights"
A Last Request
Put II the light within you be dark
ness, how great is that darkness" Rim
inston quoted, grimly. under his breath.
Betty, dear, we haven't many moments;
but before you go I want you to promise
me one thne-if the worst comes to the
worst, II he tries to coerce you in any
way. promise me You viii tell your father
the whole truth. | shall be dead then,
Betty
My father whispered the girl, with
so strange an intonation, so convulsiye a
grin on his hand, that Rimngton added,
quickly.
cor harrington better stil. your broth
er- in-larE He viii cut the meshes Of the
net for you Promise me- darling"
Tony" Betty repeated "Oh, Jack
Jack you don't know what you are say
ing. vision Of Anthony Darlington as
she had seen him last fioated before her
tear-drenched eyes the vision Of a man
turned to stone. with eyes that seemed to
hold only hatred
movement from the watchers. that
made her cling tighter stin.
"5etty"-he bent over her al must 40
now-go out of your life forever Before
! go ! want to hear you say what you said
TO me under the trees by the river" His
face was near her own. He felt that
nothing could have separated her from
him before he heard her speak.
Jack love you! Jack--lf could die
for you! II Il were only l-only myself"
"JaekP There was such sharp agony
OF reproach In her voice that he ceased
He could find no words for what he
wished to say--that she was not to waste
her freshness and her youth on memory
Of him. It was monstrous to think Of her
going mourning all her days.
She strained closed to him.
"oh. my dear, love you! am yours
always, only yours. Whatever may han.
pen to the shell OF me, all that am.-the
real woman-Is yours, and yours only
Jack-Jack-"
The time for parting had come. With
out sight or hearing She knew t.
Betty for my sake keep brave
'front.' His eyes were fixed on her face
IN one last look-on that chld's face
srlef-distorted as IT seemed to him now.
as 1t had looked that night down by the
Elver when the sight of her bag found in
the empty room at Tempest street had
brought back her lost memory.
Good bye" His lips touched hers: not
passionately there was something sacra-
mental in the last kiss and received at
the altar of death Then he was gone He
dld Sot so much az dare to look back.
To- the woman watching him, sick and
rant, hardly knowing where she stood.
knowing where she stood. knowing only
the ache OF utter desoation, came swift
remembrance Of familiar words:
BE not afraid of them that kill the
body, and after that have no more that
they can do
Jack had no fear Wronged, trapped
an innocent man going silent to his death
through love Of her, when speech might
perhaps have saved him Jack had no fear.
NO II was for her that fear lurked at
the crossroads. The awful fear of one
able to destroy the soul" fear of the
man who had already dealt so mortal a
blow to her soul
The world rose up to meet her--the reel
ing, swaying world and the great merci
ful darkness rushed in on her from every
side overwhelmingly. She cried and
stumbled and fell, with the roar of many
waters soupdlng IN her ears.
The Choice.
1t was nearly o'clock on the afternoon
OF the day following Jack Huntington S
trial that Eqith harrington awoke She
woke slowly aver the benumbed manner
Of the drug taker and for couple of sec
onds lay listlessly. with hardly opened
eyes stin half under the influence of her
dreams, feeling that this awakening, SC
painful so horrible, was one of them also
this unfamiliar place of drab ugliness or
which her eyes rested one of those phan-
toms conjured up by the drug that brought
stupor II not complete forgetfuness.
Then. with a little moan, a writing OF
her lax limbs under the coarse sheets
with the weight of blankets heavy will
cotton. she remembered 1t was no dream
this drab lodging house bedroom, 1t was
her home thes only place on earth sh,
could call her home since the morninl
she had fed from her husbands house II