Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-02-02

The woman slept quietly on. No thin
barricade 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 unnistakable 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 sinister construction
should it be observed. 1t was her pri-
vacy he was invading She had trust
ed to him. she had said so, to his hon.
or. and that stood her in good stead.
His honor, 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, a
conqueror who mastered himself. He
was awake to the truth again.
What had he been about to do? Pro-
fame, unlimited, the sanctity of her
chamber, violate the hospitality Of his
own house? Even with a proper mo-
tive, imperil his seHrespect, 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
I cannot be scaled.
He fell back with a swift turn, a
feeling almost womanly; and more
men, perhaps, If they lived in FEM
| mime isolation, as self-centered as
women are so often by necessity,
would be as feminine as their sisters
influenced him, overcame him. His
hand went to his hunting shirt Nerv-
ously he tore 1t open; he grasped q
bright object that hung against his
breast. AS he did so. the thought came
to him that not before in FIVE years
had he been for a moment uncon-
scious of the pressure of that locket
over his heart, but now that this 9TH
er had come, he had to seek for It to
find 1t.
The man dragged it out, held It In
his hand and opened 1t. He held 1t so
tightly that 1t almost gave beneath
the strong grasp Of his strong hand.
From a nearby box he drew another
the two to the light, the soft light Of
the candle upon the table, and stared
from one to the other with eyes brim-
ming.
Like crystal gazers, he saw other
things than those presented to the
casual vision. He heard other sounds
than the beat Of the rain upon the
roof, the roar of the wind down the
canon. A voice that he had sworn
forgive him, had not now the clearness
that it might have had yesterday,
} whispered awful words to him.
Anon he looked into another face
red, too, with no hue from the hearth
or leaping fame, but red with the
| blood Of CHASTITY wounds. He heard
} again that report, the roar louder and
) more terrible than any peal of thun
/. der that rived the clouds above his
head and made the mountains quake
, and tremble. He was conscious again
: of the awful stiffness Of death that su
t pervaded He dropped on his knees
: buried his face in his hands WHERE
e they rested on picture and locket OF
9 the rude table.
t All, the past died hard, for mo
8 ment he was the lover of old-remorse
8 passionate expiation, solitude-he an(
/; the dead together-the world and the
7, living forgot! He would not b.
n false, he would be true, there was n,
e power in any feeble woman's tende
s hand to drive him off his course, t,
r, shake his purpose, to make him a new
l, another man. oh, Vanitas, Van
q itatuml
y On the other side Of the door thu
d unconscious woman slept quietly on
d The red freight died away, the glow
y ing Goals sank into gray ash. Within
e the other room the cold dawn stealing
t. through the unshaded window locke,
D. upon field of battle-death, wounds
i triumphs, defeats-portrayed upon on
q, poor human face, upturned as some
d times yictors and vanquished alike VI
turn stark faces from the field to tn
e God above who may pity but who ha
1t not interviewed.
c. So Jacob may have looked afte
1t that awful night when he wrestled III
ot til the day broke, with the angel, an
r would not let him go until he blesse
ID him, walking, forever after with hal
At ing step as memorial, but with hi
Re blessing earned. Hath this mans bless
q ing won or not? And must he pa
a for it if he hath achieved 1t?
And all the while the woman sleI
r quietly upon the other side Of tina
&c door.
o. "