The Washington herald., 1914-12-27
WHAT WILL PEOPLE SAY? sz sg4s rupert :! HUGH ==

body and all the voluptuous company
| of her senses felt panic-stricken at
: the thought of dissolution. She
moaned and struggled with her chair.
Willie got up and ran to her left
side, but shrank back from what was
there. and moved cautiously round on
the slippery floor, crying: You're
too beautiful to die, too beautiful!
You'll not die! The doctors will save
you!"
4 In long writhe of pain she gath
cred the tablecloth about her left side
as if to stanch its flow. There was a
rattle of falling glasses and chink
of tumbled silver as she moaned:
"Oh, what shall / do? What shall /
do? And she turned her head this
way and that, painting as one pursued,
I, bewildered, utterly at a loss. "Oh,
what shall do: l don't want to die.
It's an awful thing to die-just now
OF all times, with no chaRce to make
! good the wrong I've done"
/ you can't die; | won't let you die.
You're too beautiful to die" Willie
! protested. and then turned to plead
ing: Il didn't mean TO. didn't mean
to strike you, PerSis, At all. 1t was
] Just my hand. 1t wasn't me that stab
bed you, Persis. / couldn't hurt you,
| Persis."
"Oh, that's all right, Willie. l un-
derstand. | understand things better
now, with so few minutes more to
live. 1t is you that must forgive me
| haven't been good wife to you,
| Willie. And hc-he, of all men!-
said | wasn't worth fighting for!
Faithless to you-fsithless> to himi
! RsUN s@l, II L. 4
! myself. And now | must die for il"
You arc too beautiful to die! /
won't let you die! You can't dieI"
But / must, boy! Don't hate me
too much. | didn't mean to harm
you. Some day.long after-you1l
forgive me, won't you%
| "Oh, if you only won't die I'll for
give you anything"
| That's awfully nice of you, Willie"
she said, with almost smile. 81 won
der if God will be as polite? They
they usually pray for dying people,
don't they? I'm afraid they'll never
get doctor in time, to say nothing of
a preacher So you'd better pray for
me, Willie"
The idea was so ridiculously tragic
that she laughed; but he would not so
far surrender her as to pray. He
sobbed:
You've got to live! don't know
a single prayer. You mustn't die, I
tell you. You've got to liver And
he wept his little heart out as he knelt
at her side, and clinging to her hand,
mumbled it with kisses.
She wept, too; moaned, and dread
ed the black Beyond, which she must
voyage prayerless. Still she must
talk. From her silence came a frail,
thin voice like far-off cry.
/ "It's growing very dark, Willie
very dark! And Pm drifting, l won
der where? Can you hear my voice
away of there? Better throw me a
kiss and wish me bon voyage; fer
this-is the last-of Persis. Poor PEI
sisI"
Something of old habit reminded
her of the gossip that would break
into storm at her death. This spur
red her heart to strive again. She
clutched at the table and at Willie's
arm and shoulder, and held herself
erect as with claws, while she bab-
bled:
Willie, Willie, I've just thought
They'll try you for-for murder. The
newSpapers-the newspapers! Oh,
my poor father! And they'll put you
in jail That mustn't happen to you
not to one of your family-not
through mc!-no-no, it just mustn't!
You must Tun-run-runI
Enslee shivered at the future, and
would have fed if he could have found
the strength to rise from his knees.
And then the swinging door puffed
softly, sardonically, and on the tapes
| tries Tristram and Isoulde looked at
each other and then at her and shook
their heads in pity.
Crofts, who had neither heard nor
been told, came in with some cham
pagne in a dingy and ancient bottle.
He went behind the screen to un-
twist the wires and rub away the
spider webs. Then he came forward
toward Willie's place to pour the first
few drops there, according to the |
rite, before he filled PersiS' glass. He |
had eased out the cork, and the soul |
of the wine was frothipg forth into |
the swathing cloth when he blinked at !
the empty chair; then his eyes went |
across to Persis. He stared at her
in mute amazement. She stared at |
him. She beckoned.
He put the bottle on the table and |
shuffled toward her.
She motioned him nearer with a |
limp and tremulous hand, and he bent
down to hear her tiny voice
"Crofts, como closer-listen to me
do you hear?" He nodded. "Per-
fectly?" He nodded, wringing his
dry old hands.
"Well," she began, 81 must tell you
and you must remember. Mr.. Ems
lee and l had IA little quarrel-and
II lost my temper-you know-and
seized the knife and-and stabbed my
self"
The old man did nothing unbecom-
ing to his caste, but he stood dodder-
ing and longed to die in place of that
beautiful youth. She beckoncd him
nearer again, and spoke in a strangIed
voice: Remember, l did it-mysek!
Re-mcm-
Her head fell forward, her exquisite
chin rested in her bosom. Her body
collapsed upon itself, and only the
arms of the chair and the table kept
it from rolling out on the floor.
But as if even this last ugliness of
attitude were intolerablc to her, she
fought against the chair and the ia
bic and pushed and slid backward till