Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1917-02-08


and Toinette and felt the bitterness Of
ruined hopes. He thrust his hand in
to his hunting shirt and drew forth
the dueling pistol he had taken from
Blackfords room. For long while he
stood looking at it in silence.
A light step rustled the dead leaves
underfoot and he turned quickly. Tom
cite stood beside him, a joyous smile
on her face.
81 was sent to find you," she greet
ed him astonishingly.
He stared at her as though at a mes
senger from the skies. Her silver
laughter rang out as it had in days
gone by.
do not deceive yourself" she
smiled. II am no angel-Im
Toinettep'
David did not believe her denial;
never believed it.
"Father sent me for you. He's go
ing to give great dinner at the tav-
ern and you're to sit in the place of
honor. Come, you mustn't keep your
cook waiting"
And she held out her hand.
But David did not stir.
The look of haggard suffering had
returned to his face. Her loneliness
was an arrow that sent all the poison
of his despair once more burning
through his veins. For the first time
he found a voice, a voice trembling
with emotion.
Il cannot cannot i.
please go!"
She opened her eyes wide and shot
a blue radiance of hurt surprise at
him. Then she went swift and straight
to the point, a woman not to be put
aside by evasions:
.'Indeed, l will not. You mustn't
stay here alone"
He had regained control of himself,
but the struggle left him deadly pale.
He could not bear to face her as he
spoke.
81 am going away. I cannot live
without you" The words were hard
ly more than a whisper.
She took two quick steps forward.
Her hand fell upon his shoulder, light
as floating strand of gossamer. But
he felt it and thrilled through all his
being. Slowly, slowly, he raised his
head and she saw his face, that he had
gone into the valley of the shadow of
death. In the hush of the wilderness
his scarcely audible words seemed to
fall on their hearts with the measured
beating of an memorable judgment.
What did she see in the wilderness?
A dry reed, shaken in the wind of de-
spair? But her voice rang like song
in the morning:
''It is not brave to turn back from
the blowing. / have heard my father
say that courage should be lifted to
such height as to maintain it's great
ness even in the midst of miseries,
holding all things under ITSELF
David smiled.
81 call the immortal truth to witness
that no fear, either of life or death,
can appall me, having long learned to
set bodily pain in the second form of
my being. And / do now think it the
act of a coward to die"
The girl had grown paler as she read
his determination in his face, white
and rigid as a mask.
David was silent. In the morning
! sunlight that dappled the little glade,
the frozen branches of the trees stood
motionless. A white snowflake danced
across the space before David's eyes
and his vision followed it up, up, into
the cloudless blue beyond. In the quiet,
| it seemed to Toinette as if she could
hear her own heart beating. David
spoke again, slowly:
sand if we be lieutenants of God in
this troubled world, do you not think
then that we have right to choose new
| station when he leaves US unprovided
of good reason to stay in the old?"
mo, certainly do not" she said,
with a rebuke lovelier because it lay
in her sweetly troubled voice, "since
| it is not for us to appoint that mighty
majesty what time he will help us
the uttermost instant is scope enough
! for him to revoke al things to ones
| own DESIRE"
And she sealed her lips with the
moistness of her tears, which followed
still one another like precious rope
of pearls. David suddenly realized
how ineffably sweet life was; wonder
full, tragic, joyous worthy of music,
worthy of tears.
The pistol fell to the ground unheed-
ed. David took step forward.
| But she checked him
mo-" she said, "do not tell me. Doc
tor Elliott has told me all. He and
Lydia have gone. Forgive me, forgive
me, David Let the dreadful past go
with theml See, you have made me
cry--aren't you sorry? And by this
time there's no dinner for either of
u.s.
They laughed together. They were
young.
"I'll get dinner FOR you" promised
David. Il knew butchers son once
! UPON time"