Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-05-29

He Went Upstairs, Into the Bedrooms
One by One.
and Miss Matte Sue had sat through
half the night in fearful anxiety. 1t
was Valiant who had solved the riddle.
In her first wild conjunction, Hickey
had gasped out the story of her meet
ing with Greet King, his threat and
her own terrorized silence, and when
whereabouts. He had found her at
the Dome, in the deserted cabin from
which on a snowy night six years ago,
Shirley had rescued her. She had fed
there in her shabbiest dress, her toys
and trinkets left behind, taking with
her only a string of blue glass beads
that had been Shirley's last Christmas
present.
Let me stay!" she had walled. I'm
not fit to live down there! It's all my
fault that it happened. I was a coward.
l ought to stay here in Hell's-Half-Acre
forever and ever!" Valiant had al
ried her back in his arms down the
mountain-she had been too spent to
walk.
He thought Of this now as he saw
that arm about the child in that pro-
tective, almost motherly gesture. 1t
made his own heartache more unbear-
able. Such a little time ago he had
felt that arm about himl
He leaned his hot head against the
cool plastered wall, trying to keep his
mind on the solemn reading. But Shir-
ley's voice and laugh seemed to be
running eerily through the chanting
lines, and her face shut out pulpit and
lectern. 1t swept over him suddenly
that each abominable hour could but
make the situation more impossible
for them both. He had seen her as
she entered the church, had thought
her even paler than in the wood, the
blush shadows deeper under her eyes.
Those delicate charms were in eclipse.
And it was he who was to blame!
1t came to him with a stab of en-
lightenment. He had been thinking
only of himself all the while. But for
her, it was his presence that had now
become the unbearable thing. A cold
sweat broke on his forehead. g.. 4.
for 1 am a stranger with thee, and a
sojourner; as all my fathers were. o
spare me a little, that l may recover
my strength before l go hence. :"
The intoning voice fell DULY on his
ears.
To go away! To pass out of her
life, to a future empty of her? How
could he do that? When he had part
ed from her in the rain he had felt a
frenzy of obstinacy. 1t had seemed so
clear that the barrier must in the end
yield before their love. He had never
thought of surrender. Now he told
himself that flight was all that was
left him. She-her happiness-noth-
ing else mattered. Damory court and
its future-the plans he had made-the
Valiant name-in hat clarifying in
slant he knew that all these, from that
May day on the Red road, had chung
about her. She had been the inspira-
ton of all.
LEAD. kindly Light, amid the encircling
gloom"
The voices of the invested choir
rose clearly and some one at his side
was whispering that this had been the
majors favorite hymn. But he
scarcely heard.
When the service vas ended the
people filed the big yard while the
last reverent words were spoken at the
grave. Valiant, standing with the rest,
saw Shirley, with her mother and the
doctor, pass out of the gate. She was
not looking toward him. A mist was
before his eyes al they drove away,
and the vision of her remained waver-
ing and indistinct-a pale blurred face
under shining hair.
He realized after a time that the
yard was empty and the sexton was
locking the church door. He went
slowly to the gate. and just outside
some one spoke to him. 1t was Chis1
holm Lusk- They had not med since
the night Of the ball. Even In his own
preoccupation. Valiant noted that
Lusk's face seemed to have lost its
axuberant youthfulness. 1t wal wcrn
az Il with sleeplesaness, and had a
look Of suffering that touched him.
And all at once, while they stood look
ing at each other, Valiant knew what
the other had waited to say. E,
II won't beat about the bush" said