Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-12-03


And you-you followed me about
like serpent, making every hour Of
my life one OF misery. because he be-
lieved in you, and | dared not tell
him. So l kept 1t from him-until
that night you came to our cabin
when he was away, and dared to
take me in your arms, to kiss me,
and IL told him then, and he hunted
you down and would have killed you
II there hadn't been others near to
give you help. My God, love him
more because Of that! But was
wrong. I should have killed youl"
She stopped, her breath breaking
Hodges sprang from his chair and
came toward her, his face flushed,
his lips smiling; but, quicker than
he, Thorpe's wife was upon her feet,
and from his prison Philip saw the
rapid rising and falling OF her bosom,
the threatening fire in her beautiful
eyes as she faced him.
"Ah, but you are beautiful" he
heard the man say.
With cry, in which there was
mingled all the passion and gloating
joy of triumph, Hodges caught her
in his arms. In that moment every
vein in Philips body seemed flooded
with fire. He saw the woman's face
again, now tense and white in an
Hgony of terror. saw her struggle to
free herself. heard the smothered cry
that foil from her lips. For the first
time he strained to free himself, to cry
out through the thick bandage that
gagged him. The box trembled. His
mightiest effort almost sent it crash
ing to the floor. Sweating. power
less. he looked again through the
narrow slit. In the struggle the
woman's hair had loosened, and
tumbled now in shining masses down
her back. Her hands were gripping
at Hodges throat. Then one Of
them crept down to her bosom. and
with that movement there came a
terrible, muffed report. With a
groan the chief staggered back and
sank to the floor.
For a moment stupefed by what
she had done. Thorpe's wife stood
with smoking pistol in her hand, gaz-
ing upon the still form at her feet
Then, slowly, like one facing ter
rible accuser, she turned straight to
the coffin box The weapon that she
held fell to the floor. Without a
tremor in her beautiful face she went
to one side of the room. picked up
small belt-ax, and began prying of
the cover to Philips prison. There
was still no hesitation. no tremble OF
fear in her face or hands when the
cover gave way and Philip stood re-
vealed, his face as white as her own
and bathed in a perspiration of ex-
citement and horror. Calmly she
took away the cloth about his mouth,
loosened the straps about his legs
and arms and body, and then she
stood back, still speechless. her
hands clutching at her bosom while
she waited for him to step forth.
His first movement was to fall up
on his knees beside Hodges. He
bowed his head, listened, and held
his hand under the mans waistcoat.
Then he looked up. The woman was
bending over him, her eyes meeting
his own unfiinchingly.
"He is dead" he said quietly.
"Yes, my brother, he is dead"
The sweet. low tones of the wo-
mans voice rose scarcely above a
whisper. The meaning of her words
sank into his very soul
my sister" he repeated, hardly
knowing that the words were on his
lips. "My-"
"Or-your wife" she interrupted,
and her hand rested gently for a
moment upon his shoulder "Or your
wife-what would you have had her
do?"
Her voice-the gentleness of her
touch sent his mind flashing back
to that other tragic moment in lit.
tie cabin far north. when he had al
most killed man. and for less than
this that he had heard and seen. II
seemed. for an instant. as though
the voice so near to him was CON-
ing. family. pleadingly. from that
other woman at Lac Bain-the wo
man who had almost caused a TRACE
dy similar to this, only with the
sexes changed. He would have ex
cused Colonel Becker for killing
Bucky Nome, for defending his own
honor and his wife's. And here
now-was a woman who had Tough,
and killed for her own honor, and tc
save her husband. His sister-his
wife Would he have had them dc
this? Would he have Mrs. Becker
the woman he loved. defend hel
honor as this woman had defended
hers? Would he not have loved hel
ten times-a hundred tlmes-mor,
for doing SO?
He rose to his feet, making an ef
fort to steel himself against tn,
Justice OF what he had seen-agains
the glory of love. of womanhood, O
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