The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1915-04-24
The GIRL OPPOSITE
By BEVERLY SLAUSON.

TraverS was looking backward over
his life, as he sat, revolver in hand,
before the mirror in the upper room
of hts closed house, and 1t was strange
how all the interests of the mature
mans life narrowed to those OF the
boy of long ago.
Pictures flashed across his mental
vision, and he saw himself again,
little boy, standing before that same
window and holding his fathers hand.
why mustn't play with the little
girl across the street," he asked his
father
Because this is a Puritan town.
sonny" replied the man.
What does that mean. father!
ASK your mother, son."
But II was long before he learned
that the man across the street was
famous atheist lecturer, and stunned In
horror by the narrow society OF the
little place, whose ostracism extended
to the loyal wife and the little girl.
Travers' father had been willing
enough to be friendly with the man.
but 1t was the women who ruled the
town, and he had shrugged his shout
ders and gone his way. as the rest
of the men did.
From his window upstairs the little
boy had stared at the girl, and for
hours the children would watch each
other, each ignorant of the cause that
prevented them from playing to-
gether.
Later the little boy had gone to
school, boarding school in a distant
city. There the interests of school
days drove the thought of the little
girl out of his mind.
So completely, in fact, that, when
he returned, he cid not at first rec
ognize the young girl of fourteen
whose face he saw at the window
opposite.
Who are those people across the
road?" he asked his mother, with an
interest whose cause he was careful
to conceal.
The same" she answered. That
lecturer, John. l hope that you will
have nothing to do with any of them
at any time"
Time passed. John Travers went to
college. Now the whirl of life had
caught him up, and only the most
elusive memories remained of the girl
at the window. Yet, when he came
home with his degree. he found him
self looking across e narrow street
at a young woman who watched him
from her window. And this time
there was a look of recognition upon
her face. though she made no sign
of greeting, and neither spoke.
Then John Travers went into the
world of business. Eight years had
passed, and he had fought hard dur
ing those years. He he d made lame
for himself in the financial world; at
thirty he was a rising power In the
street. 1t was no wonder that his
enemies grew numerous as Lis power
grew stronger.
And as the years went by Travers
began to realize that he was obtaining
singularly little out of life. At thirty
he seemed already an old man in ex-
| perience. Life brought him no hap
piness. He did not understand the
cause of this, but he realized that he
had somehow missed something which
all his wealth could lot supply.
Then came the panic, and the fight
for survival Everybody was leagued
against Travers to pull him down. For
a whole week, during which time he
hardly slept. John fought. Then the
pack had him down, and his fortune.
swollen to millions, crumbled to moth
ing in a single day.
so he had gone home to the little
village, to the house which he had
inherited after his parents death. but
never occupied.
At last he had resolved to end it,
to plunge out of the life that had
brought him nothing into one which
could at least offer nothing worse 10
him. And, after long thought. he had
drawn from his pocket the revolver
which he had always carried since the
beginning of his debacle.
A knock at the door startled him
and he thrust the weapon away and
opened the door. He gasped to see
before him. the girl at the window
opposite.
She came into the room impnlsively
Mr.. Travers," she began. II know
you will resent this intrusion. but We
are old neighbors. My name Is Mar
jorie Danvers, and I often used to see
you when We were children. live
opposite-I have lived there alone
since my parents died two years ago
And l heard you were back and in
trouble.
You know how people gossip II
this little place. We heard you were
alone here and had not left the house
We were all afraid some harm haG
come to you. So l went to the dool
and knocked, and when you did moi
answer I came up. Is there anything
can do for your"
Her eyes fell upon the revolve
muzzle, protruding from the book
case in which he had hidden it. Sh.
looked at it and at him wildly.
You were -~t--ot thinking n
that?" she cried.
YES" he answered. 81 was. Blu