Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-02-16

ing each other. Her heart grew
faint within her She stretched out
her hand vaguely as If for support
He stepped toward her, but before he
reached her, she caught the back OF
the chair and sank down weakly. |
That he should be bound and not free /
had never once occurred TO her; she |
had quite misinterpreted the meaning |
OF his remark. |
The man did not help her, he could
not help her. He just stood and
looked at her. She fought valiantly |
for self-control a moment or two and
then, utterly oblivious to the betrayal
Of her feelings involved in the ques-
tion-the moments were too great for
consideration Of such trivial matters
she faltered.
You mean there is some other wo-
mani"
He shook his head in negation.
81 don't understand. There was
some other woman"
Yes"
Where is she now?"
Dead"
"But you said you were not free"
/ He nodded.
! did you care so much for her that
/ now-that now"
Enid" he cried desperately. "Be-
lieve me. l never knew what love
was until ! met you"
/ The secret was out now; it had
been known to her long since, but
now it was publicly proclaimed.
Even a man as blind, as obsessed, as
he could not mistake the Joy that IL
Illuminated her face at this announce
ment. That very joy and satisfaction
produced upon him, however, very
different effect than might have been
anticipated. Had he been free, in
deed, he would have swept her to his
breast and covered her sweet face
with kisses broken by whispered
words of passionate endearment. In
stead of that he shrank back from her
and it was she who was forced to
take up the burden Of the converse
ton.
You say that she. is dead" she be-
gan in sweet appealing bewilderment,
land that you care so much for me
and yet you"
81 am a murderer" he broke out
harshly. There is blood upon my
hands. the blood of a woman who
loved me and whom, boy as l was.
thought that l loved. She was my
wife, killed her"
Great God" cried the girl amazed
beyond measure or expectation by
this sudden avowal which she had
once suspected, and her hand instinct
lively went to the bosom of her dress
where she kept that soiled. water
r stained packet Of letters, ARE you
that man?"
5 Il am the man that did that thing
} but what do you known" he asked
5 quickly. amazed in his turn.
/ "Old Kirkby. my uncle Robert Matt
land, told me your story; they said
r that you had disappeared from the
: haunts Of men"
;. And they were right. What els'
q was there for me to do? Although in
{ nocent Of crime, was blood guilty
Q l was mad. No punishment could b,
visited upon me like that imposed b!
the stern. awful, appalling fact.
r swore to prison myself. to have moth
Q ing more forever to do with mankint
a or womankind with whom 1 was IN
worthy to so associate, to live alon,
I until God took me. To cherish m.
| memories, to make such expiation a
| could, to pray daily for forgiveness
/ / came here TO the widest, the mos
inaccessible, the loneliest. spot in tn,
range. No one ever would come her
/ fancied, no one ever did come bu
you was happy after fashion, o
| at least content. ] had chosen tn
4 better part. / had work, could read
\ write. remember and dream. But 20
came and since that time life ha
i been heaven and hell. Heaven bt
4 cause love you, hell because to Low
1 you means disloyalty to the past, I
a woman who loved me. Heaven b.
cause you are here; l can hear you
voice, ] can see you, your soul
n spread out before me in its sweetness
II in its purity; hell because / am falls
TO my determination. to my vow,
Il the love of the past"
l And did you love her so mucl
then7" asked the girl. now fercel
Jealous and forgetful of other thing
for the moment
Its not that" said the man.
was not much more than a boy, a yea
or two out of college. had been
the mountains a year, this woma
lived in a mining camp, she was
fresh, clean healthy girl. her faths
died and the whole camp fathered he
looked after her, and all the your
u men in the range for miles on eth,
u side were in love with her. / su
% posed that 1 was too and-well, VIC
~ her from the rest We had been ma
40 ried but q few months and a part
the time my business as q mining e
70 gineer had called me away from he
70 ! can remember the day before v
" started on the last journey. l wi
VI going alone again but she Was 40 M