The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1914-02-12

ssns. WANDA With eAass,1e care. va0
sAnttiAS the door behind r.
Baaks glanced quickly about ths
rooa-
Yea eaid Wanda, answering tAs
question in his look and jerkinS hes
! pretty head hack in the direction Of
the rooms she had jsst quilted. In
there. I wouldn't worry II were yea =
jim Biake's grin face took On .
hight - incongssous - the play q
sunset rays ON . mummy. The nAsk
Of - and defeat seemed to melt -
meath It. He took A eager step TO-
ward tho inner door.
Just . minute" Wanda halted hin
you asked me to wait II yos 1oot
need ~ here any longer"
"Yss.- hesitsteA Blake. trouble Mt
ting aeross the new light in his eyes.
Il wanted to ask yoa-to-aot to Iet
Tom know about this. His sister"
I'll never tell him." she promised.
Il sent him away 20 he wouldn't dnd
out"
You're white. clear through" srvAs-
insly admitted Blake WIN you %
one thing morss"
"What?"
Bring him back p Ds.'
IF I meet him again" she asssnted
primly. "Ill send"
Il didn't say send" eerrsctsd
Blake. Il said bring"
ssThatsa AiRenent -
I'm out Of politics. Ny own game
has broken me At last. I'm old.
know It now. I never did till tonight.
I'm old and want my children around
me-"
I'll tell Tom" she agreed, softensd
despite herself by the new suppliaAes
In q voice that had never before bssp
turned to the uses Of entreaty. 'I1l tell
him I'm sure he'll come back to you
when hs understands. Good night.
Mr. Blake"
There's another thins." he broke
in roughly. staying her departure. =
thing that isn't easy to say"
Then. why say itf''
Because" he growled, like all
things that aren't easy to say. its .
thing that's got to be said. Miss Ksl-
". hasn't tonight pretty nearly squared
the old debt between you and met
You and yours have suffered . lot At
my hands. But, after what's hap
psned here this evening. guess you'll
admit. - far a. suffering goes. you
haven't got much on me. Haven't
paid! Won't you say we're square?"
"We're-we're square. Mr.. Blake"
she returned In . tone she could not
make wholly steady nor impersonal.
And" pursued Blake, "and-Tomr"
That's different. too" she faltered.
81"
The jangls Of the telephone inter
rupted her Blake. who was beside
the desk. picked up the instrument
Hello" he called into the transmit
ter. "Ye-yes-she's here. Who
wants her! Oh! Yes. put him ON this
WIRE"
He lowered the telephone.
Some one to speak to you. Miss
Kelly" he reported.
Mechanically. she took up the r.
ceivsr. and. by long habit, her voice
took its professional drone:
"Hello!" she called.
she cried:
why. it's Toni"
"Yes." drawled Blake. 80 I gath.
cred from the name. I'm glad. Glad
clear down to the ground. For both
Of you. Tell him 30. won't your"
The winter sun was butting its way
over the eastern skyline. The dawn
was bitter-cold mercilessly clear.
And into the track Of the first white
glittering rays walked tired man. A
man who that night had won a mighty
victory. A victory that foreshadowed
the richest gifts his country could be-
stow Before him the future stretched
bright as that winters dawn. As daz-
zlingly brilliant, and as cold and stark
ly empty.
In Matthew Standish's ears. as he
returned toward the loveless abode
that he hated to call home, still rang
echoes of the pandemonium that had
broken loose in the house when the
Mullins bill had gone down to defeat.
There Is only one lasting victory"
he muttered disjointedly to himself.
as he moved onward in the dazzling
ice-cold trail Of light AT the last, 1t
won't be the worlds applause that the
worlds great men will remember. 1t
will be the love smile of q Woman.
And-I shall never have known that
memory. What is the rest worthr'
tTHE END.)