Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-04
Continued from page

"She SObbcd again. Thirteen! He had
only to glance round-and l should die.
off you were man., he said-his voice
was worse than brutal-devilish, ANIMAL
I'D do more than shoot you'll!
"Twelve! Death was such a fearful thing
the darkness what? | followed my
coffin in imagination, and my SOUL
couldn't do it!
"a little longer!' she pleaded. I am
afraid! Eleven! For mcrcy's sake! l am
afraid Ten! i am afraid! Nine! For
the love of Heaven. You used to care for
me
"'Silence he said. One minute more!'
"She flung up her hands and lifted her
eyes-and saw mel Eight! She screamed
raised the club and rushed down upon him.
For that one moment | wasn't a coward!
"'Run away! called to her. Rum!
"She sprang between me and him, holding
out her arms as if to fend off my blow.
ats play! she cried. We're rehears-
Il didn't believe her at first; but when l
saw his face knew it was true. If he hads
laughed shouldn't have believed her; but
he was trying not to laugh!
a stood swaying on the last step of the
towards stairs
"'Don't you know she cried. It's the
theatricals tomorrow. Did you hear him
call me Beatrice? My real name is Evelyn.
Surely you know that
81 remembered that there was to be a
play, and they were hero and heroine. And
if every whit of memory had not fled from
fright | must have remembered that her
name was Evelyn.
| dropped the club She laughed sud-
denly-shrieked with laughter. They were
a towards stairs to the end | tainted.
W1HEN l came to I was lying on my bed.
w They had carried me there and left
me- The door was open. | heard laughter
from below; her laugh and his among the
others. The rest had returned, and of course
they were telling them of my ludicrous at
tack, like some ignorant peasant who in
vades the stage to rescue the heroine. That
wasn't the worst | had not been merely
ridiculous l had been SO 'frighted by false
fires that had tainted. was written down
a coward before them all
IL ended as I'd begun,-ran away like
coward; dressed and crept down side stair
case, and out of side door. / remembered
this train ran through hedges and bitches.
l had the towards courage to run, and
here l am. suppose I'd shoot myself, if l
wasn't a coward"
YOU aren't coward" pronounced when
he had finished an your way you
are a brave man. Take nip of brandy
dutch courage!' He laughed bitterly.
@That's exactly where you make the mis-
take" l said in my professional manner.
"You set your courage too hard a task, and
then you abuse your courage! The bulk of
the deed is done by strength and skill. Cour-
age tackles what left. You leave yourself
too much. You wouldn't want courage to
ride horse, if you'd learned to ride. You'd
be much less afraid of a marksnan if you
could shoot. Well, you had nothing but
courage to take you down the stairs that you
call towards stairs tonight, and it took
you down."
at wasn't courage, he denied. at was
love for woman"
Cant that take you up some other
stairs?' | suggested.
His face set like the face of a brave man
l know the look. al was coward to run
away he cried "I'll go back again in the
morning I'll tell them that was unnerved
by the struggle had with myself, and by my
fear of their laughter, and that l have come
back to be laughed at, and if anyone thinks
me coward, he can propose test on equal
terms"
7 a.. 0I,,+ foo