Charlevoix county herald., 1915-09-25

Hours he sat in his chair, motionless
as one dead, leaden of soul, broken OF
heart:
YOUNG HOSTESS PLANS BIG DIN
NER SURPRISE.
Rumored Mrs. James White Will Ap-
pear Tonight az Dancing Girl
to Entertain Guests.
The rustic of the newspaper falling
to the floor brought him to his feet.
his eyes blazing with sudden resolu-
ton. He darted from the room,
snatching his hat automatically from
the rack, and rushed out upon the
street.
A fierce fanaticism tugged at him,
driving him faster, ever faster. His
daughter must be saved, must be
taken away from the depths into
which she had been dragged. He
rushed up the driveway, the gravel
crunching under his feet fiercely. The
butler at the door would have halted
him but he brushed the startled serv-
ant aside.
Sweet, intoxicating strains of music
from the orchestra in the balcony
served but to inflame him the more
The laughter of the guests, clatter of
cutlery and china, applause, dazzle of
color In the women's evening gowns,
set off by the somber black and white
Of the men, held him silent for
moment. Then-then the sides of the
great vase upon the long table in the
center Of the room burst open and
Rita's bewitching face appeared, her
neck and shoulders bare, revealing
the dazzling wilderness of her flesh.
Again the vase cracked and she
stepped lightly upon the table, dane
ing intoxicatingly there to the hushed
admiration Of her guests. A little sob
of pain from the clergyman.
Repent this wickedness," he
Numbered. Repent, for the Kingdom
of God is at hand"
James White sprang to his feet.
But Cyrus Deane did not notice him.
His eyes held those Of the startled,
frightened girl. Slowly she moved
away from those burning eyes. Her
hands moved down in the old impulse
as though she would conceal her at
tire from this man. James White
tapped the clergyman upon the shout
der and the preacher whirled upon
him, his face twitching convulsively.
"You-you-you are the one who
has done this shameful thing" he
choked. ut Is you who have dragged
my child into the gutter. You who"
. He caught the laugh of Rita. that
familiar laugh. 1t sounded in his
ears, Numbered there, maddened him.
He leaped at the throat of the sneer-
ing man before him. His fingers
.clasped there and the impulse of the
wild beasts to tear and utterly destroy
was upon him. But with that impulse
came also cunning. Through the
drawing-room he dragged the man,
needless Of the frightened cries of his
daughter. her tug at his arms. Into
the library he dragged his prey, shak-
ing him viciously the while, turning
the key in the lock- The voice of
Rita brought him to himself and he
flung White into the big leather chair
as though he were a bit of unclean
carrion. He turned to his daughter
and reached out his arms to her, but
a bitter laugh came from her lips as
she shrank away from him. The ac-
ton maddened him anew. He whirled
upon White, who had risen, his face
white with rage.
"You-you have dragged my child
down"
q Dragged down-down!" Whites
laugh was so bitter that even Rita
drew closer, searching her husbands
face curiously, anxiously. Dragged
her down from-what? From what,
/ ask you? From den where all life
. and light was excluded; from home
that had bars upon the windows
Who starved and Gagged her joyous
nature till she thinks Of nothing but
pleasure? Who taught her anything
Of woman's mission in life? Who
taught her aught Of the duties of a
wife or the privileges of a woman? I
ask you-Reverend Cyrus Deane-how
that can be dragged down which has
never been uplifted; l ask you that,
you who guarded the gates of heaven
so zealously for others that you made
a prison Of your home, for fear some
harm might happen to those you had
no time to teach and lover"
Cyrus Deane could recollect nothing
Of leaving the place save the sight of
his daughter being disdainfully thrust
aside by bitterly smiling husband,
when she would have chung to him.
"I have sinned-I have sinned-I
have sinned,' Rev. Cyrus Deane had
cried all through that long, long
night.