The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-05-08


fected anoffer besides the besitswain
4 little nishtgowneti figure arose from
an underberth in Il saloon stateroom
and. with wide open. staring eyes.
CROPPED its way To the deck uuobseryed
by the Waterman The white. bare
little feet felt no cold as they battered
the pIanks Of the deserted promenade
and the little figure had reached the
steerage entrance by the time the cap
tain and boatswain had reached the
bridge
And they talk went on Rowland
as the three watched and listened. ''of
the wonderful love and care of mer
ciful God. who controls all things. who
has given me my defects and my ca
pacity for loving and then placed
Myra Gaunt in my way. Is there
mercy to me in this? As part of
great evolutionary principle. which
develops the race life at the expense
of the individual, it might be consistent
with the idea of d Coda first cause
But does the individual who perishes,
because unified to survive. owe any
love or gratitude to this Godi e
does notI On the supposition that he
exists, | deny it.. And on the com
plete lack of evidence that he does
exist | affirm to myself the integrity
of cause and effect, which is enough
to explain the universe and me.
merciful Coda kind. loving, just and
merciful Cod He burst into a fit of
homogeneous laughter. which stopped
short as be clanped his hands to his
stomach and then to his head. What
ails me-" he gasped Il feel as though
had swallowed hot coals-and my head
and my eyes-l can't see." The pain
left him in moment. and the laughter
returned What's wrong with the
starboard anchor? It's moving. It's
changisg It's a-what? What on
earth is it: On end-and the windlass
and the spare anchors-and the dav
its-all alive-all moving"
The sight he saw would have been
horrid to a healthy mind. but it only
moved this man to increased and uncon
trollable merriment- The two rails be-
le Y leading to the stem had arisen
before him in shadowy triangle, and
within it were the deck fittings he had
mentioned. The windlass had become
thing of horror, black and forbidding.
The two end barrels were the bulging.
Iightless eyes of nondescript mon
ster. for which the cable chains had
multiplied themselves into innumerable
legs and tentacles. And this thing was
crawling around within the triangle
The anchor davits were many headed
serpents which danced on their tails.
and the anchors themselves writhed
and squirmed in the shape of immense
hairy caterpillars while faces appeared
on the two white lantern towers, grin
ming and leering at him. With his
hands on the bridge rail- and tears
streaming down his face, he laughed
at the strange sight. but did not speak,
and the three. who had quietly ap
preached, drew hack to await. while
below on the promenade deck the little
white figure. as though attracted by his
laughter, turned into the stairway lead
ing to the upper deck.
The phantasmagoria faded to blank
wall Of gray fog. and Rowland found
sanity to mutter. They've drugged
me- but in an instant he stood in the
darkness of Il garden. one that he had
known. In the distance were the
lights of house. and close to him was
young girl. who turned from him and
fed, even as he called to her.
By supreme effort of will he
brought himself back to the present, to
hYi1 Ea nd tn
duty why must it haunt me through
the years." he groaned. drunk then,
drunk since? She could have saved
me, but she chose to damn me-" He
strove to pace up and down, but stag
gered and chung to the rail. while the
three watchers approached again, and
the little white figure below climbed
the upper bridge steps.
THE survival of the fittest," he ram
bled as he stared into the fog-"cause
and effect 1t explains the universe
and me-" He lifted his hand and spoke
loudly. as though to some unseen IA
miliar of the deep. what will be the
last effect? Where in the scheme of
ultimate balance. under the law of the
correlation of energy, will my wasted
wealth of love be gathered and
weighed and credited? What will bal
ance it. and where will / be? Myra.
Myra.'' he called. do you know what
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
tiness there was no sound or life or
change and in his heart neither fear
nor wonder nor emotion Of any kind
save one, the unspeakable hunger Of |
love that had failed Yet it seemed |
that he was not John Rowland. bat !
some one or something else, for pres |
emily he saw himself far away, mil |
lions Of billions Of miles, as though on |
the outermost fringes Of the void. and |
heard his own voice calling. Family. |
yet distinctly. filed with the concen-
tratpd despair of his life. came the |
call. "Myra. MyraF'
There was an answering call, and.
looking for the second voice. he beheld
her-the woman Of his iove-on the op
posite edge of space. and her eyes held
the tenderness and her voice held the /
pleading that he had known but in /
dreams. Come back. she called i