The Forrest City times., 1914-03-27
CHAPTER II.
The Passing of a Niqht.

The Passing of Night.
The sheriff was right Sara Wran-
dali was an extraordinary woman, If
| may be permitted to modify his rath-
er crude estimate of her. 1t is difficult
to understand. much less describe a
nature like hers. Fine minded, gently
bred women who can go through an
ordeal such as she experienced with
out breaking under the strain are rare
indeed. They must be wonderful 1t
is hard to imagine more heart-break-
ing crisis in life than the one which
confronted her on this dreadful night,
and yet she faced it with fortitude
that seems almost unholy.
She had loved her handsome, way
ward husband. He had hurt her deep
/ ly more times than she chose to re-
member during the six years of their
married life. but she had loved him
in spite of the wounds up to the in
slant when she stood beside his dead
! body in the cold little room at Bur
tons inn. She went there loving him
as he had lived, yet prepared, almost
! foresworn, TO loathe him as he had
died, and she left him lying there
alone in that dreary room without
| spark of the old affection in her soul.
! Her love for him died in giving birth
| to the hatred that now possessed her.
/ While he lived it vas not in her pow
er to control the unreasoning. resist
| less thing that stands for love in wom-
an, he was her lover. the master of
her impulses. Dead, he was an un-
wholesome, unlovely clod, a paHid
thing to be scorned, hulk of worth
less clay. His blood was cold. He
| could no longer warm her with it; it
| could no longer kill the chill that his
/ misdeeds cast about her tender sensi-
/ tveness; his lips and eyes never more
could smile and conquer He was a
/ dead thing. Her love was a dead
thing, They lay separate and apart
/ The tie was broken. With love died
the final spark of respect she had left
for him in her tired, loyal, betrayed
heart. He was at last a thing to be
/ despised, even by her. She despised
him.
She sent the car down the slope and
across 'ne lroo''iesS N&iley win small
/ regard lof her own or her compah-
/ ION Sale'y. II sWerFed from SIDE 10
side skidded and leaped with terri
1Elhe SNoGehhess' but held It's way as
straight the bird that flies. driven
D! d sle"oI mana ana NINA mat haa
no lnousI' LOT peril y Sooer man al
"Vl sue "oClV nave oeeh aIFA!c' ms
INA" s"aEe' HiI'o'I 10 ana ITO ana
chucNIeo "lth drunken gIee.
Tier bitter thoughts were not OF the
Heau man BACK there, but OF the 1--we
years mat she VAS to bury with him,
Years ttat would never pass beyond
her ken, that would never die. tie
n&o lCFed her IN ms Wild. ruthless
way lie mad lett Nor times without
number IN the years gone by, but he
mad always come back, gaily unchas
tened, to remold the love that waited
with dog-Iike fidelity for the touch OF
his cunning hand. But he had taken
his last fight. He would not come
back again. 1t was all over. Once toe
often he had tried his reckless wings
She would not have to forgive hin
again. tppermost in her mind va;
the curiously restful thought that his
troubles were over, and with them hel
own. hand less forgiying than hers
had struck him dead
Somehow, she envied the woman t.
whom that hand belonged. 1t hat
been her divine right to Kill, and ye
another took 1t from her.
Back there at the inn size had saiC
to the astonshed sheriff: