South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-12-24
THE World AND THE DOOR By O. Henry

pose tnat ends our acquaintance.
Mrs. Conant plucked little leaves
asSiIucusly from the low-hansinG
branch OF a lime tree.
Il suppose so. she said. in low
and oddly uneven tones. but that
depends upon you. III he rs hOaf
est as YOU we're / poisoned my
husband. / am self-made widow.
A man cannot love a murderess. So
/ suppose that ends cur acquaint-
ance."
She looked up at him slowly. His
face turned a little pale. and he
stared at her blankly. Ike a deaf
and-dumb man who was wondering
what IL was all ABOUT.
she took a swift step toward him.
with slilfened arms and eyes blaz-
ING.
Don't look at me like thatl' she
cried, as though she were in acute
pain. Curse me. or turn your hack
OH ne. but don't look that way.
AMI l 4 woman TO be beaten II
l could show you-here on nv
arms, and on my back are scars
ard IL has been mere than a year
scars that he made in his brutal
RACES. A holy nun would havo
riven and struck the fiend down.
= ~ III u IlMNs AlAE AOuA 4AAtA AAlA
riblC words that he hurled at me
tNat last day are repeated I'm my
cars every night when I sleep. And
then carte his blows. AMI the end
Of my endurance. / got the poison
that afternoon. II was his custom
e. drink every night In the library
before going 10 bed q hot punch
made Of rum and wine only from
my fair hands would he receive 1t
because he knew the fumes Of
spirits always siclFned me. That
night When the maid brought II to
me / sent her downstairs on an err
rand. Before taking him his drink
1 went to my little private cabinet
and poured into II more than a tea
spoonful OF tiucture OF aconite-
enough 10 Kill three men, so I had
learned. had drawn $4,000 that
l had in bank, and with that and
a few things in a satchel l LEFT the
house without any one seeing me.
AS 1 passed tho library 1 heard him
atnGSer up and fall heavily on a
couch. 1 took eight train for New
Orleans and from there / sailed TO
the I:erniudas. / finally cast anchor
IN IA I'aZ. And now what haze you
10 say Can you open your mouth 2"
Merriam came back to life.
Il florence" he said earnestly, ct
want you. 1 don't care what you've
done. If the world
Ralph" sho interrupted, almost
with a scream, "be my worldi"
Her eyes melted; she relaxed
magnificentIy and swayed toward
Merriam so suddenly that he had
to Jump to catch her.
Dear mot in such scenes how the
talk rms into artificial prose. But
II can't be helped. It's the subcOn-
SciOuS smell Of the footlights's
smoke that in all of US. Stir the
depths Of your cooks soul suffi-
ciently and she will discourse in
Bulwer-LyttOnese.
Merriam and Mrs. COnant were
very happy He announced their
engagement "a the Hotel Orilia del
Mar. Eight foreigners and four ma
tive AstOr5 pounded his back and
shouted insincere congratulations at
him. Pedrito, the Castilian-man-
nered b1rkeep. was goaded 10 extra
duty until his agility would have
turned a Boston cherry
clerk a pale lilac with envy.
They were both very happy. Ac-,
co-ding to the strange mathematics
e the god Of mutual affinity. the
shadows became only half as dense
instead Of darker. They shut the
world out and boIted the doors
Each was the others world. Mrs
COnant lived again. The remer,-
berlng look left her eyes. Merriam
was with her every moment that
was possible. On little plateau
under a grove OF palms and Gala
bash trees they were going to build
q fairy bungalow. They were TO he
Llarried in two months. Many
hours Of the day they had their
heads together over the house
plans. Their joint capital would set
up business in fruit or woods that
would yield a comfortable support
Good night my world" would say
Mrs Ccnant every evening when
Merriam Left her for her hotel. They
wero very happy. Their love had.
circumStantially, that element of
n elaucholy in 10 that il seems to re-
quire 20 attain its supremest eleNa-
ton. And II seemed that their mu
tual great misfortune or sin was a
bond that nothing could sever.
One day a steamer hove in the
offing. Eare-leRge1 ana bare-shoul-
dered La Paz scampered down TO
| the beach, for the arrival Of a
seamer was their loop-the-loop. cir
| Gus, Emancipation day and four
/ O'Clock tea
When the steamer was near
enough. wise ones proclaimed thar
| she was the PaJaro, bound up-coast
/ from Callao to Panama
The PajarU put on brakes a mile
| of shore. Soon a boat came bob
\ bling shoreward. Merriam strolled
! down on the beach to lCok on. In
I the shallow water the Garth sailors
I sprang ont and dragged the boat
with q mighty rush TO the firm
I shingle. Out climbed the purser
/ the captain and two passengers
ploughing their way through the
/ deep sand toward the hotel. Mer-
riam Glanced toward them with the
mild interest due to strangers. There
was Something familiar 10 him In
| the walk OF one Of the passengers,
lie looked again and his blood
/ semed TO turn TO strawberry ice
/ cream, IN his veins. Burly. AFRO
/ fr pxrpr