The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1913-09-11


reply. That / do not fear-will not
fear in my hour of happy recovery.
So long as Edith is well-Doris!
Doris! You alarm me. Edith Is not
ill-not ill?"
The poor child could not answer
save with her sympathetic look and
hating. tremulous breath; and these
signs. he would not, could not read,
his own words had made such an echo
| in his ears.
I'll! / cannot imagine Edith i'll.
always see her in my thoughts, as
saw her on that day OF our first meet
| ing; a perfect, animated woman with
the Joyous look of a glad, harmonious
/ nature. Nothing has ever clouded
that vision. If she were Ill / would
have known ii. We are so truly one
that-Doris. Doris, you do not speak.
You know the depth Of my love, the
terror of my thoughts. Is Edith ill?"
The eyes gazing wildly into his,
slowly left his face and raised them
selves aloft, with a sublime look.
Would he understand? Yes, he I'M
derstood. and the cry which rang from
his lips stopped for a moment the
beating OF more than one heart in that
little cottage.
Dead" he shrieked, and fell back
fainting in his chair, his lips still
murmuring in semiunconsciousness,
Dead! dead!"
Doris sprang to her feet, thinking
of nothing but his wavering, slipping
life till she saw his breath return, his
eyes refill with light.
But the rest must be told: his
brother exacted 1t and 80 did the SIT
uation. Further waiting. further hid
ing OF the truth would be insupport-
able after this. But oh, the bitterness
OF Il! No wonder that she turned
away from those frenzied, wildly-de-
manding eyes.
"Doris?"
She trembled and looked behind
her. She had not recognized his
voice. Had another entered? Had
his brother dared-No, they were
; alone; seemingly so. that is. She
knew-no one better-that they were
not really alone, that witnesses were
within hearing, II not within sight.
Doris" he urged again, and this
time she turned in his direction and
gazed, aghast. II the voice were
: strange, what OF the face which now
: confronted her. The ravages of sick
ness had been marked, but they were
) nothing TO those made in an In
I slant by blasting grief. She was
: startled, although expecting much
5 and could only press his hands while
D che waited for the question he wa'
; gathering strength to utter. 1t wal
I simple when 1t came; just two words
5 How long?"
She answered them as simply:
Gust as long as you have been i'll,
s said she; then, with no attempt t
8 break the inevitable shock, she wen
8 on Miss Challoner was struck dea'
and you were taken down with ty
phoid on the self-same day"
Struck dead! Why do you us
that word, struck? Struck dead! she
young woman. Oh, Doris, an acc
It dent! My darling has been killed il
s an ACCIDENT"
l. call It what it never was. What
d never was" she insisted, pressing hir
, back with frightened hands, as h
4 stroye to rise. miss Challoner was
\ How nearly the word shot had LEI
| her lips. How fiercely above all els'
/ in that narrowing moment had rise
/ the desire to fling the accusation
Il that word into the ears of him VIII
listened from his secret hiding-plac'
4 She refrained out of compassion fo
Il the man she loved, and declared II
stead, Miss Challoner died from
wound; how given, why given, no on
knows. / had rather have died m
: self than have to tell you this. o.
: Mr.. Brotherson, speak. sob, do an
I thing but"
| She started back, dropping h
i hands as she did so. With quick Int
= ition she saw that he must be left
!. himself II he were to meet this bio
i without succumbing. The body mu
= have freedom IL the spirit would N
I go mad. Conscious. or perhaps m
conscious, of his release from her r
: straining hand, albeit profiting by
he staggered to his feet, murmurir
) that word of doom: Wound! woun'
my darling died of wound! VIII
kind of a wound?" he suddenly thu
nd dered out. IL cannot understand VIII
he you mean by wound. Make 1t clear
lis me. Make It clear to me at once.
I must bear this grief, let me kno
err It's whole depth. Leave nothing to
ne Imagination or ] cannot answer I
Ter myself. Tell II all, Doris"
nd And Doris told him:
wn "She was on the mezzanine flo
Ak OF the hotel where she lives. s.
was seemingly happy and had be
So writing a letter-a letter to me viii
at, they never forwarded There W
no one else by but some strangers
rn- good people whom one must belie'
my She was crossing the floor when 81
,ur denly she threw up her hands a
y" fell. A thin. narrow paper-cutter W
the In her grasp; and II few into
In lohhv Some saw she struck hers