The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1920-01-03
CHAPTER discontinued.

.And I you," breatlfed M'sungO. He
ahmed to his knees, took both her
nonds In his and looked into her eyes
A. though he could never take his fill
A. the sanity that had come back to
them.
andrea Pellor," he went on. before
,ou have time to think about 1t want
~ tell you that you and l can never
Zoo, shame again. ! want you to know
mat no man, however mean or tar
c,shed by life, could do the Intimate
things that I have done for you and
vi,l still have to do. without feeling
the pangs of love that Is rooted out
ode the limits of passion"
He dropped his eyes as though be-
Gore n confessional. Until saw you
suite helpless. until saw you pass to
fhe other side Of pain. ! didn't know
that I had a heart. / had strange
conception of love as a thing that you
dye generously to dogs, sparingly to
men and never to women except as a
last surrender to the unknown"
He paused; Andrea smiled family.
1And n0w2" she prompted.
"NOw,--" he answered. Now l
know that man must travel far be-
yond the limits Of everyday emotions
TO come up with love itself. He may
find content and drowsy happiness In
some woman possessed of all the quail
ties that command affection. but love
itself dwells far beyond at the cross
roads of weakness and strength. And
so your helplessness, carried to that
last degree, has wound itself around
nv heart with grip that will never
loosen"
"Poor White Mani" said Andrea.
whether you want me-" he con-
tinued gravely, "or mock me, whether
you are true or untrue, pure or impure
all those things no longer matter
for love is an integral possession. You
may leave me. put the width of the
world between us, and the breath of
your body will still be the breath of
mine. the surge Of your blood will be
the surge of mine; your sins will be
my sins. because your helpless self.
stripped Of all the clogs of flesh, has
twined itself for always with the fibers
Of my heart"
$50 you would give three pounds for
me-" murmured Andrea.
He let 60 her hands and rose quickly
to his feet. you are stronger than
] thought" he said. 'No, I'll never give
q cent for you. I'll wait till you're
well and then I'll take you in free
eight and In my own way"
But Andrea did not hear him; she
had sunk back lax into her pillows.
Two tears crept from under her closed
eyelids and down her hollow cheeks.
"Tm 50 weak" she whispered. 80
weak ! can't cry"
The white man cursed himself aloud.
No one knew better than he that 1t
Is not won when the tide Of battle
turns. and that he who sleeps on the
verge Of victory awakes to defeat.
He settled down to the long vigilance
that was his price of peace. The day
and night came and went before he
could draw the long. quivering breath
Of relief that marked the passing Of
danger.
During the stage Of convaiescence he
read and talked to her by the hour.
but the time came when she would
have no more of the printed page. He
had spoken a passage here and there
from the book Of his own life and now
she demanded the volume from cover
TO cover. He told her of his boyhOOd
In New England country town. Of
scrapes In school and Of the disaster
In college that had turned him from
the narrow road of specialization In the
diseases Of the nose and ear to that
broad highway which Is tr0d lightly
and amlessly by stray dogs and citi-
xens Of the world.
"You would have made great ply
sician." said Andrea. almost regret
fully.
Perhaps" he replied. But !
wouldn't have saved myself. would
never have found myself. l would
have been one Of those unconscious
'nortals who spend their lives In a
group picture. would never have
found out that there Is something
within me that utterly rebels against
all those isms which aim at the col
iective classification of animal man
and whose goal is the herd instead OF
the Individual"
But isn't that old stuffT asked
Andrea. yawning for the first time in
many days.
NO, 1t isn't" said the white man
thoughtfully. "and I'll tell you why.
Never for centuries has intrinsic life
oeen so close us II is today to Its true
level OF proportionate valuation. What
was worth living for yesterday. isn't a
Jusuncation today. Food, raiment and
u 0aby-grand measure less In the
thoughts of true men than do truth,
nohor and the final quality Of mercy"
ne sat for long In an absorbed silence.
Tell me-" said Andrea. "how the
production of million dollars worth
VI nber Is an expression of the indi-
vidual."
Now you're trying to pull down the
s'ar TO which I've hitched MY personal
wagon" said M'sungo with his slow
smlie. WELL" he continued. take ii,
lano'e 1t, but let 1t 60 again when
soure through with 1t, because l need
II hiCh mn ara e. ha WIZ. ot