The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-09-29
Bv Max Rittenberg
SSSCxxSxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

beautiful. When he came to her side
she gave Z little cry Of gladncss and held
out her arms. No one was In sight-the
curves Of the road gave them solitude.
But Kennion did not take her In his
arms. Hh temples were throbblng. and
yet his hands were icy.
Come to where we can talk without
Interruption" he said. and pointed to
chalk quarry near at hand.
They went together. in silence
This is to say goodbye" he said with
curtness that scarcely masked the
surge Of feeling within him.
no, not goodbye" she urged, and
twined her arms around his shoulder.
Her warm breath was on his cheek; the
soft curves Of her body rose and fell
I with breathing.
But Kennlon untwined her clasp with
hands that quivered, and repeated: cts
goodbye. vlvien. I've decided. For
US both"
WHY" There was a sharpness in her
voice now-the sharpness OF Z woman
baked In desire. II have the right to
know"
Eyes, you've the right to know. have
seen many things these last two nights"
"Nights!"
ct saw the whisperings in the lobby.
the furtive glances Men looked away
when I looked to them to nod greeting.
Then I rose In tho House to move the
third reading Of my Bill for the Segresa.
ton of the Unfit. There was icy silence.
went through my speech red-hot with
passionate enthusiasm for the great
service the Bill would render the nation:
but the House was Icy. It was as though
were In the dock, and they were my
judges. They put up LeveredGe to op.
pose. His speech was overwhelmingly
knocking. who ara the Unht?' he flung
at me across the floor Of the House.
They threw out tho Bill. Even my own
friends went into the lobby against me-"
"Dreams'" she cut In with whlp-lash
scorn. And even suppose you lost all
that for me. Wouldn't It be worth It'll?
We'd go away together to where tho
world mattered nothing"
I'VE went away together. We left
Lilith breaking her heart against the
iron heartlessness Of society. We went
away together to some distant isle under
! tropic sky. The world around US was
marvelousiy beautiful. but there was no
satisfaction in Its beauty. Feverishly we
drowned our hatred Of it, beauty In the
madness of love. There were hectic
cases in a desert Of meaningless sand.
We pretended that the world mattered
nothing-that we were all In all to one
! another. But 1t was pretense and we
began slowly to loathe one another for
| the pretensc forced upon us. saw tho
| loathing in your eyes; you In mine. The
days grew long to length insufrerablc-
they dragged out into cons Of time"
WHO has been putting these notions
into your head?" she asked sharply.
Dreams don't come Of themselves"
mo one. That's the vital point OF It
all Hatchard had argued with me in
| his barristerlIke way. but It left me UNI
! moved. I'm not 4 man to 90 to another
for help In the big decisions. No. WV.
len, for two days I've scarcely spoken
to a soul, and yet these dreams came
to me with Z vividness that was appall-
Ing. And at last I realized" He paused.
Realized what?"
THAT they came from myselt-myselt
alone. That they were the Utmost
thoughts of my complex being-the
glimpse Of the future that only the in
most mind can perceive They were my
self speaking to myself" His voice was
ringing now with conviction-the bal
ance had swung definitely, decisively
downwards towards the scale Of duty.
But what I'VE told you IS not one-tenth
Of all the visions Of the future that
crowded in upon me. The wretched
beings cursed by heredity .. tho still
more wretched offspring Of their +qlarni
rage the scrofulous, the crool
backed, the epileptic. the paralyzed. the
imbeoile that came Into being because
my Bill did not pass-they stretched out
in endless phantasmagoria that tore my
heart-strings. They looked towardss me
as they passed by one by. one. ~
haunt me!''
low srowl Of thunder eddied
echoed among the hills.
Come" she said tensely, and 'pluckSds
at his arm. Come before the storm
breaks. My cars below the hill. wen
talk Of this again when we're in shelter.
There's cottage In the Weald I've rent
cd. We shall be alone there. Then we
can talk over this in comfort"
I'm comtort7 No. the decision 10 for
now. I've decided-I go up on the
heights Of Medenham Down."
with storm breaking! You must
be mad!' And she looked ut him with
new eyes. with Z dawnlng OF horror in
her eyes. why. you must be -. Your.
nerves must be unstrung. No man
In his senses would"
i've never been mora sane than am
Mt the present moment" answered Ken
MON. Don't you understand my feelings
Ill LEX all We tOlo you
II don't understand at all. You arc
supposed to be a strong man. and yet a
few idle dreams"
A blaze Of lightning cut short her
words. In the moment Of light the mile
stone stood out sharply with Its xxi
miles" In stark shadow against the white
stone.
Forty miles," unused Kennion. "A.nd
have seen forty years Of iife It's my
milestone"
She looked at him with chilly horror,
thinking that his reason had tottered.
Goodbye" he said firmly and finally,
and strobe away and up the green hump
OF Mcdenham Down. She watched him
for qnpno poonoapfc a. bfs skonlu