The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-03-31
[. ~ 6M PE&
HEART
0aaInmr By j. Hartley Manners
A Comedy of Youth Founded by Mr. Manners on Ills
e Great Play of the Same Title-lllustratlons
From Photographs of the Play
copyriaht, 1913. by Dodd. Mead e. Company
By J. Hartley Manners

But O'Connell thought as he looked
at her that all the suffering he had
gone through passed from him as some
hideous dream. 1t was worth it
these months Of torture-just to be
looking at her now; worth the long
black nights. the labors in the heat OF
the day with life's outcasts. around
him, the taunts Of his jailers; worth
all the infamy of it just to stand there
looking at her.
She had taken his life in her two lit
tie hands.
He had bathed his soul all these
months in the thought of her. He had
prayed night and day that he might
see her standing near him just as she
was then. see the droop Of her eye and
the silk Of her hair and feel the touch
Of her hand and hear the exquisite
tenderness Of her voice. Ee stood mute
before her.
She held out her hand and said SIM
ply: =.
Thank you for coming"
1T was good of you to let me-" he
answered hoarseiy.
"They have not broken your spirit
or your courage"
"No." he replied tensely: "they are
the stronger"
Il thought they would be-" she said
proudly.
All the while he was looking at the
pale face and the thin transparency OF
her hands.
"But you have suffered too. You
have been i'll. Were you in-danger"
His voice had a catch Of fear In it as
he asked the, to him, terrible question.
mo. 1t was just fever. 1t is past.
am q little weak-a little tired. That
will pass too."
IF anything had happened to you
or ever should happen!' He buried
his face in his hands and moaned:
"Oh, my God! Oh, my God"
His body shook with the sobs he
tried vainly to check. Angela put her
hand gently on his shoulder.
Don't do that" she whispered.
He controlled himself with an effort.
1T will be over in a moment. Just
a moment. / am sorry"
He suddenly knelt at her feet, his
head bowed in reverence. "God help
me!' he cried family. II love you,
love your
She looked down at him, her face
transfgured.
He loved her!
The beat of her heart spoke it, "He
loves you" The throbbing Of her
brain shouted it. HE loves you" The
cry of her soul whispered it, He loves
you"
She stretched out her hands to him:
"My love is yours, just as yours Is
mine. Let US join our lives and give
them to the suffering and the op-
pressed"
He looked up at her in wonder.
i udlSu l. uluh "Aol dm.
"You are the best that is in me. We
are mates"
"a peasant! A beggar!'
"You are the noblest Of the noble"
"a convict"
"Our Saviour was crucifed so that
his people should be redeemed. You
have given the pain of your body so
that your people may be free"
''It wouldn't be fair to you," he
pleaded.
"If you leave me it will be unfair
to us BOTH"
"Oh, my dear one! My dear one!
He folded her in his arms.
"I'll give the best of my days to
guard you and protect you and bring
you happiness"
81 am happy now," and her voice
died to a whisper.
Three days afterward Nathaniel
Kingsnorth returned late at night from
Il political banquet.
1t had been q great evening. Atlast
it seemed that life was about to give
him what he most wished for. His
dearest ambitions were, apparently,
about to be realized.
He had been called on as stanch
Conservative to add his quota to the
already wonderful array of brilliant
perorations of seasoned statesmen and
admirable speakers. Kingsnorth had
eXcelled himself. Never had he spo-
ken so powerfully. Being one of the
only men at the banquet who had en-
joyed even Il brief glimpse Of Ireland.
he made the solution Of the Irish ques-
ton the main tonic Of his speech.