Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1912-03-07

I Is
as if he had been base, disloyal, false
to his ideal, recreant to his remem-
brance. Was he indeed true man?
Did he have that rugged strength, that
abiding faith, that eternal conscious
ness, that lasting affection, beside
which the rocky paths he often trod
were things transient, perishabls, ev-
anescent? Was he weakling that he
fell at the first sight Of another
woman?
He stopped his ceaseless pace for
ward and backward, and stopped near
that frail-and futile door. She was
there and there was none to prevent.
His hand sought the latch.
What was he about to do! God for
bid that thought he could not freely
share with humanity should enter his
brain then. He held all women sacred,
and 80 he had ever done, and this
woman in her loneliness, in her help
lessness. in her weakness, trebly ap,
| pealed to him. But he would look
upon her, he would fain see If she
were there, If 1t were all not dream,
the creation Of his -disordered imagin-
alton.
Men had gone mad in hermitages in
/ the mountains, they had been driven
I insane in lonely GASES in vast des-
erts; and they had peopled their soli-
| tude with men and women. Was this
some working of disordered brain, too
too much turned upon itself and with
too tremendous a pressure uron it,
producing an illusion? Was there in
truth any woman there? He would
raise the latch and open The door and
look. Once more the hand went stealth
! lily to the latch.
The woman slept quietly on. No thin
barrlcade easily unlocked or easily
broken protected her. Something in
tangible, yet stronger than the thick
/ est, the most rigid bars of steel guard
ed her; something unseen, indescrib-
able, but so unmistakable when 1t
throbs in the breast Of those who de-
pend on it feel that their dependence
is not in vain watched over her.
Cherishing no evil thought the man
had power to crafty his desire which
might yet bear a sinister construction
Should it DO observed. It was her pri-
vacy he was invading. She had tf0st-
ed TO Lin, she had said so, 10 his hon
or, and that stood her in good stead.
His honcrl Not in five years had he
heard the word or thought the thing,
but he had not forgotten It, She had
not appealed to an unreal thing; upon
that her trust was based. His hand
left the latch, It fell gently, he drew
back and turned away trembling,
conqueror who mastered himself. He
was awake to the truth again.
What had he been about to do? Pro-
fame, uninvited, the sanetily OF her
chamber, violate the hospitality of his
own house? Even with proper mo-
tive, imperll his self-respect, shatter,
her trust, endanger that honor which
so suddenly became part of him on
demand? She would not probably
know; she could never know unless
she awoke. What-of that? That an
cient honor Of his life and race rose
like a mountain whose scarped face
cannot be scaled.
He fell back, with a swift turn, q
majestic, torrible
The awe of the everlasting hills IL
greater than that OF hssving seas.
Save in the infreguent periods Of calm,
the latter always moves; the noun
tains are the same for all time The
ocean is quick, noisy. living; the
mountains are calm. still-dsad!
The girl stood az 1t were on the
roof Of the. world, q solitary human
being, 80 far IS she knew, in the eye
OF God above her. All, but the eyer
divine look long and zee far; things
beyond the HUMAN ken are ali re-
vealed. None OF the party had ever
come this far from the camp in this
direction she knew. And she was
glad to be the frst. a. she fatuously
believed, to observe that majestic soil
tude.
Surveying the great range she won
dsred whore the peak climbers might
be. Keen sisAtsd though she was, she
could not discover them. The crest
that they were attempting lay in an
other direction hidden By . nearer
spur. She was In the very heart OF
the mountains: peaks AID ridges rose
all about her. 80 much 20 that the gen
srsl direction. OF the great range was
lost. She was at the center OF . far
hung eocsvity OF crest and range. she
marked one towering point to the right
OF her that rose maasivsly grand above
all the others. Tomorrow she would
climb to that high point and from its
lofty elevations look upon the hsav-
ems above and the earth beneath
aye and the waters under the earth
far below. Tomorrow!-it II gen
orally known that We do not usually
attempt the high points in life's range
At once. content are We with lower al
titudcs today.
There was no sound above her; the
rushing water over the rocks upon
the nearer aide she could hear fslnt
ly; there was no wind about her to stir
the long needles OF the pines. II was
very still, the klAd OF 4 stiffness OF
body which IL the outward and visible
complement Of that stillness OF the
soul In which men know GOD. There
had been no earthquake, no storm,
the mountains had not hoavsd beneath
her feet. the great and strong wind
had not passed By. the rocks had not
been rent and broken. yet Enid caught
herrelf listening a. II for = voice. The
thrill OF majesty, silence, loneliness
was upon her She stood--ons stands
When there is a chance OF meeting
God on the way, one does not knesl
until he comss-with her raised hands
clasped. her head upllfted in exulta-
tion unspeakabls, God-conquersd with