The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1915-07-16

power TO thWar death, III least Ia THIS
instance, had its effect. not only or
the wounded man bat on those who
attended him. Doctor Holder and the
nurses were not slow to admit thar
her magnificent courage. her almost
scornful sef-assurance, supplied them
with an incentive that otherwise might
never have got beyond the form OF
mere hope. There was something pos
! itively startling in her serene conVic
ton that Frederic was not to die No
less a skeptic than the renowned
Doctor Holder cOntided to Lydia and
her mother that he now believed In
| the supernatural and never again
would say there is no God" With
| the dampness Of death on the young
mans brow. a remarkable change had
occurred even as he watched for the
| last feeting breath It was as If some
secret. unconquerable force had sud
| denly interviewed to ia Ie the whole
matter out of natures hands It was
/
well; it was against every rule of ma
ture that he should have survived that
! first days struggle He was marked
for death and there was no alternative.
Then came the bewilderng, myStify-
ing change Life did not take its eX.
pected flight: instead it clung. flicker
ing but indestructble. to its clay and
would not obey the laws of nature.
For days and days life hung b. what
we are pleased to call a thread; the
! great shears OF death could not sever
the tiny thing that held FrederiC's
soul TO earth. There was no hour in
any Of those days In which the be-
wildered scientist and his assistants
did not proclaim that it rould be his
last. and yet he gave the lie to them.
Holder had gone to JaLIes Brood at
the end of the third day, and with the
sweat of the haunted on his brow had
whispered hOarsely that the case was
out of his hands. He was no longer
the doctor but an agent governed by a
spirit that would not permit death to
claim its own! And somehow Brood
understood far better than the man OF
science.
The true story Of the shooting had
long been known TO Lydia and her
mother. Brood confessed everything
to them He assumed all of the blame
for what had transpired on that tragic
morning He humbled himself before
:, them, and when they shook their
heads and turned their backs upon
: him he was not surprised for he knew
:, they we're not convicting him OF as
sault with a deadly firearm. Later
II on the story Of Therese was told by
, him to Frederic and the girl He did
! his wife no injustice in the recital.
=, Frederic laid his hand upon the soft
- brown head at his knee and voiced the
'. thought that was In his mind.
=. "You are wondering, as | am, too
'A what is to become Of Yvonne after to
day." he said There must be al
III end, and if it doesn't come now, wher
{, will 1t come? Tomorrow we SAIL
~ is certain that she Is not to accom-
g pany us. She has said so herself, ant
I father has said So He will not TAX
A her with him. So today must see tn
49, end of things"
ho Frederic. | want you to do some
n thing for me-" said Lydia, earnestly
There was a time when | could no
have asked this of you, but now
implore you to speak to your fathel
In her behalf love her, Freddy, dear
/ cannot help it. She asks nothing Of
any Of us, she expects nothing, and
10 yet she loves all of us-yes, all of us
IL She will never, by word or look, make
II single plea for herself. have watched
le her closely all these weeks There
~ was never an instant when she re-
u vealed the slightest sign Of an appeal
et She takes 1t for granted that she has
III no place in our lives. In our memory,
e. yes, but that is all. | think she Is
OF reconciled to what she considers her
IL fate and it has not entered her mind
Re to protest against it. Perhaps it Is
Ia natural that she should feel that way
le about it. But it is-oh, Freddy, 1t Is
" terrible. If he would-would only IN
r. bend little toward her. II he"
IL Listen, Lyddy, dear. ! don't be-
" lieve it's altogether up to him. There
ie is barrier that we can't see, but they
IL do-both of them. My mother stands
III between them. You see, I've come to
'e know my father lately, dear. He's not
u stranger to me any longer. | know
Is what sort Of heart he's got. He
IL never got over loving my mother, and
he'll never get over knowing that
Yvonne knows that she loved him to
n the day she died. We know what 1t
r. was in Yvonne that attracted him from
n the first, and she knows. He's not
g likely to forgive himself so easily. He
n didn't play fair with either of them,
d that's what I'm trying to get at. |
er don't believe he can forgive himself
1t any more than he can forgive Yvonne
lie for the thing she set about to do. You
s. see, Lyddy, she married him without
te love. She debased herself, even
Id though she can't admit it even now.
n ] love her. too. She's the most won
derful woman in the world She's got
'e the finest instincts a woman ever
% possessed But she did give herself