Woman's enterprise., 1921-11-18
THE DEMON-MAN
(By Sarah Turnbull Sterling)

stood. All of a sudden she felt afraid
of the young horse that she had driven
in for Charlie-afraid, she had not
expected to drive him back after he
had stood 50 long. She had dressed
herself too and tucked red rose un-
der the brim of her hat and put on
her tan linen gown with big sailor
collar and red tie; she had fixed sup
per too, in the early morning; broil-
ing chickens and stuffing eggs and in
tended to surprise him with some of
the first honey and waffles Now! Oh
now. she set her teeth tight, she must
not cry out-she was utterly uncOn-
scious that she had done so-she must
be brave and try to think.
AS she was struggling down to the
buggy old Mr.. Dinkle came (the man
with the pipe) and Fanny, his daugh-
ter, and the girl pressed her cheek
fondly with her own, and Mr.. Dinkle
unhitched her horse and helped her
in. When she drove up to the gate
the hired man was waiting and old
Tray-she wished old Tray had died,
she did not want him there; there
was no one for him to meet, and Noah
the hired man, said "My God, Madam
and got in the buggy and drove to the
house. The horse was restive and
eager to be at his oats, the copper Of
the setting sun glowed on everything
and the young oats looked so strange
ly blue; but she did not care, she
didn't, she didn't care at all. Why
should she? She went through the
house, on to the front porch and shut
the door behind her with that same
helpless feeling that she wanted to
shut off that dread thing. Then she
remembered again that there was no
one there, old Tray and the cat and
Noah, and she could not remember if
she had given Charlie his lunch, it
might be in the back of the buggy
yet, she could not think. She sat, a
crushed heap, on the steps with old
Tray at her feet, and slowly the pic
ture of her old home and his took pos
session of her mind. Of the elm
shaded street that they used to walk
together, of her mother and his par
ents, of their happy wedding and the
journey Southwark to the land Of hos
pitality, of fertile fields and prom
Use. OF this sweet little home to which
they hoped children would come, and
that was only three years ago.
She did not know what to do, she
had been so confident Of Charles re-
lease that they had decided not to
alarm their parents. Now what
should she do? They had comfortable
homes in that peaceful Jersey town,
and if she told, it would take all they
had laid by to make the journey
Southwark, perhaps in vain. Too
late! too late! What good would it
do? Her brain was almost paraliz-
ed, but picture rose of those tv elve
granite faced men coming in that
room, one behind the other, and when
they had all come and stood together
in group, the first one held up his
hand and said "Guilty", and that
meant death. Not just the hand of
God shifting sorely, but Men rending
a brother to death. Oh! if those
dear folks knew it. No! no! no! She
sat as silent as the door stone trying
so hard to think, thirsting so for his
lips, aching for his arms, knowing
that they would never be hers now
except with the clank Of handouts
and the prison walls. Then! If it
only could be olivion, but not so. She
knew in that hour that the long years
would stretch before her, turning her
hair gray, her skin wrinkled and her
heart would be tourn out.
Suddenly she felt his kisses, his
arms, his eyes, her stone cold body
was alive; she sprang to her feet and
held her arms up to the far off skies