The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1915-07-02

| der crept into MS eyes.
| As If impelled by the power OF nis
gaze, she faced him once more. For
what seemed hours to him, but IN
reality only seconds, his searching
eyes looked deep into hers. He saw
at last the soul Of this woman and 1t
was not the soul he had known as hers
up to that tremendous moment. AND
he came to know that she was no
longer afraid Of him or his powers
His hand was lowered, his eyes fell
and his lips moved but there were no
words, for he addressed spirit. All
the venom, all the hatred fed from his
soul His knee bent In sudden submis.
sion. and his eyes were raised to hers
once more, but now in their somber
| depths was the fidelity Of the dog!
go at once" she said. and her voice
was as clear as bell.
He shot swift glance at the pros
trate Frederic and Strengthened his
tall figure as would soldier under
orders. His understanding gaze
sought hers again. There was another
/, command in her eyes, He placed the
weapon on the table. It had been dis.
tinct command to him.
Zone of us will use it," she said
monotonously. Col"
With incredible swiftness he was
gone. The curtains barely moved as
he passed between them and the heavy
door made no sound in opening and
closing. There was no one in the hall
The sound of the shot had not se.ss
beyond the thick walls OF that pro-
scribed room on the top floor. Some.
where at the rear of the house an In.
distinct voice was uttering a jumbled
stream of French.
Many minutes passed. There was
not movement in the room. Brood,
beside the outstretched figure of his
unintended victim, was staring at the
graying face with wide, unblinking
eyes. He looked at last upon the fea.
lures that he had searched for in
vain through all the sullen years.
There was blood on his hands and on
his cheek, for he had listened at first for
the beat of the heart. Afterward his
agonized gaze had gone to the blood
less face. There 1t was arrested. A
dumb wonder possessed his soul. He
knelt there petrified by the shock of
discovery. In the dim light he no
longer saw the features of Matilde, but
his own, and his heart was still. In
that revealing moment he realized that
he had never seen anything in Fred.
cries countenance save the dark,
never-to-be-forgotten eyes-and they
were his Matilde's. Now those eyes
were closed. He could not see them,
and the blindness was struck from his
own. He had always looked into the
boys eyes-he had never been able to
seek farther than those haunting, In.
curing eyes-but now he saw the
lean, strong jaw, and the firm chin,
the straight nose and the broad fore
head-and none of these were Ma
tides! These were the features Of q
man-and of but one man. He was see.
ing himself as he was when he looked
into his mirror at twenty.one!
All these years he had been blind.
all these years he had gone on ours
Ing his own image. In that overpower.
ing thought came the realization that
it was too late for him to atone. His
mind slowly struggled out of thrall
that held it stupefied. He was looking
at his own face-dead! He would look
like that! Matilde was gone forever
the eyes were closed-but he was
there, going grayer and grayer of face
all the time.
He had forgotten the woman. She
was standing just beyond the body
that stretched itself between them
. Her hands were clasped against heI
breast and her eyes were lifted heaven
ward. She had not moved throughout
that age Of oblivion.
He saw her and suddenly became
: rigid Slowly he sank back, his eyes
; distended, his jaw dropping. He pu,
out hand and saved himself from
, falling, but his eyes never left the
face OF the woman who prayed-whose
whole being was the material repre-
, sentation Of prayer. But 1t was MOI
J Yvonne his wife, that he saw standing
there. 1t was another-Matilde!
my God, Matilde-Matilde! For
r give! Forgive!"
5 Slowly her eyes were lowered unit
! they fell full upon his stricken face
Am going mad?" he Whispered
p hoarsely. AS he stared, the delicat,
e wan face of Matilde began to fade an,
= he again saw the brilliant, undimme,
featnraa of Yvonne God in heaven