The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1915-03-25
CHAPTER ~.
The g Judith.

Fioiu bieop IN iIOm Eukktu otupOt
Judith Urine awakened, struggling
back to consciousness like some *.
hausted diver from the black depths
TO the star-smitten surface of a night.
bound pool.
At first she could by no means rec
ognize her surroundings. This rude
chamber Of rough plank walls and
primitive furnishings; this wide, hard
couch she shared with her still slum.
berfng sister, Rose: the view revealed
By an open window at the bedside:
q fair perspective Of tree-clad moun
tains through which a wide-bosomed
canyon rolled down to an emerald
plain. conveyed nothing to her intel.
ligence.
A formless sense Of some epochal
change In the habits and mental proc
eases Of n young lifetime. added to
her confusion.
What, indeed, had become OF the
wild thing. Judith Urine OF yesterday?
Surely she had lisle enough In com.
mon with this Judith OF today. in
whose heart was no more room for
envy. hatred. malice or any uncharit-
ableness, 80 full was II OF love which.
though Il was focused upon the person
OF n man. none the less embraced
all the world-even her sister and
successful rival In that one mans AZ.
fections.
This change had not come upon her
without warning. She had been al.
most insensibly aware OF It's advent
through the gradual s~oftening OF that
old Indith's hard and v~engeful nature
In the course of the last few days.
But now that The revolution was ac-
complished. she hardly knew herself
b hardly knew the world. indeed.
so differently did she regard it-not
without something OF the wide-eyed
wonderment OF a child TO find all
things 81 new and strange and beauti.
tul.
And this was the work OF Love.
Now the chain OF memories was
quite complete, no link lacking in It's
continuity. She recalled clearly every
incident that had marked the slow
growth OF this great love she had for
Alan Law. from that first day. not yet
a month old. when he had escaped the
hery deathtrap she had set fer him
and repaid her only by riskinS his life
anew 20 ave her from destruction,
down 10 this very morning when the
stream from a hydraulic nozzle had
swept yer the brink OF n three hun.
dred-foot precipice a crimson racing
automobile containing two desperate
men bent upon comprising the death
OF her beloved.
by that act OF sheer self.defense
the world was richer for the loss OF
" b~lack.hearted b~lackguards. and
Alan Law might now be considered
safe from further pSsecutlon--since
there now remained not one soul loyal
enough To Seneca Urine to prosecute
HIS private wal OF vengeance against
Alan. And though that aged mono
maniac had mean whereby he might
purchase other scoundrels and cor.
rupt them TO his hideous purposes.
Judith VAS determined that he should
never again have any opportunity 30
TO do, Though Alan. sho knew, would
never lift his hand 20 hinder her
fathers freedom OF action. she, Judith.
meant to take such steps as his perse.
cution called for. II thsre were any
justice in the land-if there were any
alienists capable OF discriminating be-
tween Trine's apparent sanity and his
deeprooted mania-then surely not
many days more should pass into his.
tory without witnessing his conGgn.
ment 10 an institution for the crimi.
nal insane.
She. Judith. would see TO that. and
then
The woman sighed once more.
Then Rose and Alan would marry
and live happily ever after.
But what OF Judith?
She made a small gesture of resiR.
nation TO her destiny. What hemme
OF her no longer mattered, so that
Alan were made happy In such hap
piness a he coveted.
And now the thought stirred her
sharply that what wal Ia be done
must be done quickly. II at all.
And the almost level a OF the
declining sun. striking In through the
open window. counseled haste II Judith
were TO accomplish her intention of
leaving this place and finding her
father again before nightfall.
With the utmost care she rose from
the bed. crept to the door OF the room
troa recognized az the quarters Of the