The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1915-01-14
OIJ1
CHAPTER ~.
The New Judith.

The New Judith.
From sleep as from drugged stupor
Judith Urine awakened. struggling
back TO consciousness like some ex.
hausted diver from the black depths
TO the starsmitten surface OF a night.
bound pool
And for little she lay unstirring.
her half.numb wits fumbling with
their business Of renewing aoquaint.
ance with the world.
At first she eould by no means rec
ogniEe her surroundings This nide
chamber OF rough plank walls and
primitive furnishings: this wide. hard
couch she shared with her still slum-
bering sister. Rose; the view revealed
by an open window at the bedside:
q fair perspective OF tree-clad noun.
tains through which a wide-bosomed
canyon rolled down TO an emerald
plain. conveyed nothing TO her intel.
ligence.
change In the habits and mental proc
esses OF young lifetime. added to
her confusion.
Who was she herself. this strange
creature who rested here 80 calmly
by the side Of Rose? II she were
Judith Urine, how came she TO be
there! lrreconeilable opposites in
every phase OF character. the sisters
had sedulously avoided association
with each other ever since childhood:
they had not shared the shelter OF
four walls overnight since time be-
yond the boands OF Judith's memory.
What. then. had so changed them both
that they should be found In such
close company
What, indeed, had become Of the
wild thing. Judith Urine OF yesterday
sarely she had little exough In com.
mon with this Judith OF today. In
whose heart was no more room for
envy. hatred, malice or any uncharit.
ableness. so full was II OF love which.
though II was focused upon the person
Of one man. none the less embraced
all the world-eyen her sister and
successful rival In that one mans af.
feotions.
This change had not come upon her
without warning. She had been n.
most insensibly aware n it's advent
through the gradual softening Of that
old Judiths hard and vengsful nature
In the course OF the last few days
But now that the revolution was 40
complished. she hardly knew herself
she hardly knew the world, indeed.
so differently did she regard it-uot
without something OF the wideeyed
wonderment Of q child TO ind all
things % new and strange and beauti-
full
And this was the work Of Lowell
Now the chain OF memories was
quite complete, no link lacking In its
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
q month old, when he had escaped the
fiery deathtrap she had set for him
and repaid her only by risking his life
anew 10 save her from destruction.
down TO this very morning when the
stream from q hydraulic nozzle had
swept over the brink Of q 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
two black.hearted blackguards. and
Alan Law might now be considered
safe from further persecution-since
there now remained not one soul loyal
enough to Seneca Urine 10 prosecute
his private war Of vengeance against
Alan. And though that aged mono
maniac had means whereby he might
purchase other scoundrels and cor
rupt them TO his hideous purposes.
Judith was determined that he should
never again have any opportunity so
10 do. Though Alan. she knew. would
never lift his hand TO hinder her
fathers freedom OF action. she. Judith.
meant to take such steps az his perse-
cution called for II there we're any
Justice In the land-if there were any
alienists capable Of discriminating be-
tween Trines apparent sanity and his
deep-rooted mania-then surely not
many days more should pass into his
tory without witnessing his conslgn-
ment to 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 resig-
nation to her destiny. What became
of her no longer mattered. SO that
Alan were made happy in such hap
piness as he coveted
And now the thought stirred her
sharply that what was TO be done
must be done quickly. IL at all
And the almost level rays OF the
declining sun. striking Ia through the