The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1920-01-28
(Coneinucd from Last Weck.)


CHATTER VIII. = White Man an
noui,ces thot his work 10 ended, and prep
the material on hand: One rainy night
Andrea allows herself, to become do
on between them to summon White Man
tture Of ridicule and Comfort he coaxes ss
her from her despondent ft. His strong
character and his ideas of life OF use.
fulness are something of n revelation to
common to most "aristocrata." s eaasi0sSe ana sSe
begins to realize with little alarm that
she is beginning to care deeply for him
Hc paused; Andrea smiled family.
"And now?" she prompted.
"Now,-" he answered. "Now 1
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 ut the cross
roads of weakness and strength. And
so your helplcSsncss, carried to that
last degree, has wound itself around
my heart with grip that will never
loosen"
"Poor White Mani" said Andrea.
whether YOU want me-" he con-
tinued gravcly, cor 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, pat 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 flbers
Of my heart"
$50 you would give three pounds for
me-" murmurcd Andrea.
He let go her hands and rose quickly
to his feet. "You are stronger th,n
thought" he said. "No, I'll never give
n cent for YOU. I'll wait till you're
we'll and then I'll take you in freq
fight and in my own way"
But Andrea did not hear him; she
had sunk back lax into her pillows.
Two tears crcpt from under her closed
eyelids and down her hollow checks.
"I'm so weak" she whispered, $50
weak I 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 n night came and went before he
could draw the long, quivering breath
OF relief that marked the passing of
danger.
During the stage Of convalescence 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 q passage here and there
from the book Of his own life and now
she demanded the volume from cover
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 trod lightly
and a!mlessly by stray dogs and clti-
zens Of the world.
you would have made great ply
slcian," said Andrea, almost regret
fully
perhaps" he replied. "But
wouldn't have saved myself. would
never nave found myself. I would
have been one Of those unconscious
mortals who spend their lives In q
group picture. would never have
found out that there Is something
within me that utterly rebels against
oil those isms which aim ut the col
lectivc classification Of animal mar
and whose goal Is the herd instead OF
the individual"
"Sut isn't that old stuff?" asked
Andrea, yawning for the first time In
many days.
mo, it isn't" said the white man
thoughtfully, "and I'll tell you why
Never for centuries has intrinsic life
been so close as 1t Is today to its true
level Of proportionate valuation. What
was worth living for yesterday, Isn't q
justification today. Food, raiment and
\ a baby.grand measure less In the
thoughts of true men than do truth