Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-08-28

Unto This Last
Betty Lumsden made up the fire care
fully. bent tenderly over the bed where
Deborah Rimington lay; the heavy white
eyeids were closed and the lashes lay
dark on the cheeks that weer like sculp-
tured stone Only for that breathing,
long. regular and stertorous, It would
have seemed 10 any one looking at that
still figure that this was death So, with
out speech or movement, with only such
sign Of life as the breathing gave. or a
sudden occasional quickening Of light in
the dull eyes. Mrs. Remington had lain
ever since the night when Jack Riming
ton. by one Of those miraculous coin
cidences Of real life that are so much
stranger than fiction, had stumbled on
that cottage during his mad bid for free
dom
She would sleep for hours now. or at
least she would lie with eyes clase shut
and Betty felt herself free to so her own
way for a while
Betty drew the door softly behind her
and went through the kitchen TO the front
door Of the cottage She had not been
free Of the invalid's bedroom since the
morning save for flying visits to Super
irtendent William vogel at work in the
kitchen.
william the silent has been living up
10 his reputat ton during these days which
had elapsed since Rlmington's recapture
but his eyes so strangely pale and age
less. had been fun Of eloquence. Their
irony and amused contempt had pierced
through 20 Retty's soul. Almost as plain
~ as though he had accused her Of It
she knew thas he believed her to have
ems. neered her lovers abortive escape,
and "bungled Itch, by faith-as only
womenfok can Taln't your fault the
miserable wretch is not cold clay" The
words spoke from his eyes But today
he had spoken several times and Of the
subject the girl always felt TO be present
between them.
II was Of his words that Betty thought
now as she opened the door and looked
out on to the face Of the moor
"Theym caught tother chap. so IT
seems. Caught him the day arter so
Tn told-thought like as not you know
thst-trust a female An youm by way
Of knowing what theym Ike 10 get for
IT."
He had made a significant sashng
movement in the air with his gnarled
right hand, and in spite Of herself Betty
had shuddered.
Three dozen for Wlnch-as sure as
hem a sinner; and richly he do deserve
It, sure that him do"
He had enlarged on the enormlty Of
winchs oftense-his brutal struggle with
the wardens, his mad, determined resist
nnce in the face OF overwhelming odds
"As for t'other"- He had broken Off
with a curious pursuing up Of his lips, and
Betty had been too proud to question him,
though she had been conscious OF a sick
enlng sinking Of the heart.
Three dozen BETTY needed no ex-
PLANTATION Of those dread words But II
wasn't possible that Jack
A little beading OF sweat started out on
her brow and upper lip at the thought
that had sprung into her mind She
stood there staring out before her with
eyes that took in no picture Of the moor,
stretching ridge on ridge, gray and DESC
late and mysterious in the lengthening
twilight OF the February afternoon.
The eternal vision OF the iron cell had
been replaced by something more ghast-
ly stnl-the triangle with It's trapped
victim, that last surviving instrument
OF torture this twentieth century knows.
Three dozen! Her lips formed the
words mechanically For this other des-
perado who had made his brutal attack
on the warders yes, rough Justice, no
doubt, but justice still. But for Jack
II wasn't possible,
The wild weather was rolling up over
the moor; rain that drove in gray,