Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-07

But surely you do not deceive your
SELF she insisted. This IL wrong; oh,
SO inconceivably, so terribly wrong! You
do not possess the divine power to bestow
life. Then how can you dare to take it!
By what conceivable authority do you
decree the destruction of your fellow-men
whom the law has adjudged innocent?"
by the sovereign authority Of the pub
lie good. By the inherited right of self
protection
animals!''
Those eleven individuals have ceased
to exist as men. They represent an in
lection, q diseased spot, which must be
cut out. They stand for disorder and
violence; to free them would be crime.
to give them arms to defend themselves
would be merely to increase their evil.
There Is a child among them, too;
would you have his death upon your con-
science?
II told Gino he should come to no harm.
and, God willing, he shan't.'
How can you hope to stem the rage
Of thousand madmen? A mob will stop
among the prisoners who are entitled to
another trial. Do you think the people
will spare them if they take the others?"
He shrugged his shoulders dOubtfully
and she Shu0QereQ.
You shall not have the death of those
defenseless men upon your SOUL she
cried. "Your hands, at least. shall re-
main clean"
"Please don't urge me-" he said.
But l do. 1 ask you to take no part
in this barbarOus uprising.
"And l must refuse YOU
She looked at him wildly; her face was
ashen as she continued:
You have said that you love me.
Can't you make this sacrifice for me?
Can't you make this concession to my
fears, my conscience, my beliefs? l am
only a woman and I cannot face this
grim and awful thing. l cannot think
Of your part in it,
The look she gave him went to his
heart.
"Margherita!" he cried. in. torture:
Don't you see l have no choice?
couldn't yield, even If the price were
you and your love. You wouldn't rob
me of my manhood
II could never touch hands which were
stained with the blood Of defenseless men
mot even in friendship, you = under
stand?"
st UNDERESTIMATE For second time the
color left his face.
Her glance wavered again: she swayed
then CROPPED for the door, while he stood
like stone in his tracks.
"Good-bye!" he said. lifelessly.
"Good-bye!" she answered. in the same
tone. Il nave done my part you are
man. and you must do yours as you see
1t. But may God save you from blood
she'd
Long before the hour set for the gath
ering at Clay statue the streets in that
vicinity began to fill. Men continued or
past their places of business, shops and
Offices remained closed. the wide strip OF
neutral ground which divided the two
sides of the city's leading thoroughfare
began to pack. Around the base of the
monument groups Of citizens congregated
until the cars were forced to slow down
and proceed with a clangor Of gongs
which served only as a tocsin to draw
more recruits. Vehicles came to a halt
We're wedged close to the curbs and be-
came coigns of vantage; office windows
store fronts. balconies and roof tops be-
gan to cluster with human freight.
After q week Of wind and rain the sur
had risen in a sky that was cloudless
save for a few thin streaks of shining
silver, which resembled long. polished
rapiers, or the cleaning spear points OF
host still hidden below the horizon. The
fragrance Of shrubs and flowers, Ions
dormant, weighted the breeze. 1t was q
glorious morning, fit fof love and laugh
ter and little. children.
Nor did the rapidly swelling assemblagt
resemble in any measure a mob benz
| upon violence; it was composed mainly
Of law-abiding business men who greeted
each other genially; in their grave, in
| telligent faces was no hint of savagerN
| or brutality. All traffic finally ceased
| the entire neighborhood was massed anC
clothed with waiting humanity: then, al
| the hour struck. . running salvo Of up
| plause came from the galleries and