Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-04-04
CHAPTER NXXV
The House in the \vond

,,., e. ''V tlOuNt Nv tl1p WUDW
Nhllr Enid kept her glorious secret
from Robert. no less did he keep from
her any word Of his own glad news,
Not once did hc say to her. II am
shortening tho time oI waiting by every
possible day and hour" lie would
como to her before she should expect
him: just when the hitter DAYS were
longest and most filled with impaticncc
h' would come without warning and
Shc would turn and find him. smiling at
her elbow.
And at last the day came when the
gates swung open for him and he passed
out into the Sunlit world, His heart
| lcnpcd up at the kiss of the wind mon
| hlS check. his eyes shonc with the clean
SpIrndor of the fields hc stood strnightcr
| l''nn ne had stood for many months, he
lrIt lIk" prince come into his own,
llr hnd squared himself; he had paid
on his score; life was Just beginning
Enid was waiting.
Another man might have gone forth |
! with his head down. muttcring. 81 am
nl' "N-convirt. There Is. II brand upon
! me. which my fclOwmcn> will never for
one little second fail to SOC. have nv
fight 10 fight with no weapon in my
hand; with weary weight upon my
shoulders. But Robert Ellis chin
was lifted. his eyes frightened with tho
promise Of the world Within his
heart his old love of life sang ns II had
nCvrr sung before. n song Of tumultuorIs
hnppin"sS rising 10 his lips that moved
with II, lovers chant: Life is at
the beginning; Enid is waiting"
lh" heavy months of incarceration
had not been pron,wSS. They had
brought him their adventures, they had
tested his soul. He had gone down into
Terrible. night filled abys>cs whore he
had drunk of bitter waters. Down
there hc had fought shadow shapes
which mo"kcd him. hydra headed evils
cluding, threatening, breathing dcvnS-
intion. lIr had gone forth upon the
old quicksanls and they had rlutrhcd
Mt his feet, seeking I" drag him down
to burial among Whtcn"d bones and
nOiSumr things. lie had iIoundrrcd in
blind despair like II man lost in the
dripping mist over Il bog. lie had
climbed 10 great heights and found n
rare glory above the clouds: he had
looked down aud seen Robert Ellis; he
had looked into the, world with eyes
| which had grown more thoughtful and
which saw deeper and clearer. In the
end Scared and battle worn. he walked
forth like young rOnqu"rOr going to
his triumph. Aud down in Sacramento
the governor. who had been touched by
| IIllN Ill'H anu WHO IUU not lOGEbIINn
the case Of Lady fingers. had SCI his
name to II paper which was put into
Roberts hands twenty four hours be-.
fore his shortened term had expired. It
was II pnrdUn kindly intended. not to
lessen punishment. but 10 do all that
might be- done to rc.Cstublish young
Ellis on the plane of OtITcr men with
clean states.
God was in His heaven All was
right with tho world II was right
thnI there should be sin in tho
world. else il would not he there. It
was right TINT there should hc sorrow
sorrow cut deep into the body as with
II sword and thcrCnftrr soothcd and
sOfIcn"d as with II Kiss. The man who
"wU'lld tear the world 10 bits and r"S
mold il nearer to his hearts desire,
was but n child thruSting stick into
tn" finely balanced wheels Of watch.
Tho man who has not drunk of life's
goblet of grief never knows the thrill
to the pnlat" of joys sparkling vintage.
Thus the old philosophical pIatitudcs
were rrimv"StcI with vital significance
for him IT he was still something Oc
II boy he wne already very much Of a
man.
Train schedules seemed made for his
convenience that day, great railway
systems bOWing 10 the wishes of the
young prime" quite as gracefully ns the
trees and flowers inclined themselves.
lie came into IuckwOrth about > o'clock
in the afternoon. Tho fcw miles to
l. f,nd'H school hr could walk by littl"
after I o'clock. lie wOuld find her
alone there ur, perhaps, would meet her
IL she dr0v" hUmCward.
Time aud again his hrnrt rose into
' his throat rs some cart or old top
>, buggy borr down upon him in its at
tcndHnl cloud Of dust. But long before
cnch had como abreast of him he knew
81 that he must wait Il little longer He
had learned from her letters that she
drove an old bay marc whose name was
Mary named for Mary Wal
lace by Bud before the first Wallace
baby had come And that she
rode high upon tho Jerking scat Of a
curt which, until You grew used to it.
made YOU SrHsirk, lie had keen eye
for nn old hay mare aud II SwNying
cart, and dozen times pictured to him
: self Euid'H face under Il wide straw
hat looking down at him. llo got to
the SchOOIhOusC. found it locked and
Enid gone. And most positively She had
, not met and passed him upon the road.
lie looked in at an unshuttCrcd win.
/ dow. Everywhere were signs of her, II
glove upon II table holding the form Of
/ hrr NngPfS, vase Ol mowers, hrr own
writing upon the blackboard. informing
him. by way of greeting, thnt, "Thr rat
, can run. The cat CHn run. The cat
, can catch the rat :" lt.was all inter.
! Cstlng, but it was not Enid lie went
/ back down the knoll, wondering.
, 4 farmer in n big wagon came by,
- driving toward LockwOrth, Robert
/ hailed him, asking il by any chance hc
= had seen Miss Camden.
a, "I'p to the old Forsyth place." the
farmer informed him, swinging about
= upon his high seat to point toward the
7 foothills, "Ovcr yondcr. Just met her
! half mile back, Turn to your right
=, ut tn" nest crossroads, take the path
: by the red windmill over there, go
. through them gum trees, and you can
T see the place, Giddap there, Babe /,
lilackic, just YOU get your old fool head
4 under that tongue again and III knock
o it off. :"
& lcoNTlNpnD TOMORROW