The Adair County news., 1922-11-28
The
Strength
eo1S
By Edison Marshall
Author Of
S'The Voice of the Pack
SdoS
illustrations by irwin Myers
Illustrations by irwin Myers
Copyright By Little. Brown & Co.


Seemed to come over her.
~What is it?" she breathed "What
.sazve you found out?'
She spoke in a strange and distant
Tz0See. Slowly the fire died in her eyes,
y2lNes6rawn features relaxed, her hands
.s5SH at her side He drew her away
rom the lighted doorway, out of the
sKHge Of any Of the Turner's that
TSZnSgfad turn to answer the rife fire.
Hs5ae wind roared over the house and
fszEzspt by in clamoring fury, the cleo
nae storm dimmed and IeSSened as 1t
lssurneyed on.
These two knew that if death spared
t1fEsesH In all the long passage Of their
.S%ssrs, they could never forget that mo-
fEsnt. The girl watched him breath
; 4szzSiy, Oblivious to all things else. He
SReMed wholly unaware of her now.
EsAere was something alOof, impassive
I1stEinitely calm about him, and a great,
lching understanding was in his
~TS Her own eyes suddenly filled
With tears
Linda, there's something come to
Ezs4-and don't know that / can make
R%H understand. 1 can only call it
SSrength-a new strength and a great
@@r strength than 1 ever had before
-Ssss something that the pine-that
.asat tree that we just saw split open
has been trying to tell me for long
= z1ST1a Oh, can't you see Linda? There
Sfsssee0d. hundreds of years-sO great,
<EEt8H, -Bs wise-in a moment broken
UsNe7a reed 1t takes away my AFRO
EEace,, Linda. 1t makes me see myself
- Il really am And that means
FS-xBr."
BIS eyes blazed, and he caught her
sEszsgodS in his.
I'll MAS q symbol. Linda, not only
Essezthe wilderness, but of powers higher
~4&sd greater than the wilderness
cz3EsEsEs's that can look down, and not
ss@sR'ept away by passion, and not
fExzE 20 tear to pieces these who in their
fz5GEsy harm them There's 40 room for
eEszSk things as vengeance in this new
sszHsgth. There's no room for muir
s1xtE-, and malice, and hatred and blood
FsS@d"
EEnIa understood. She knew that this
EEsxzHOund strength did not mean re-
Fz1sZ<R1iatiOn Of her cause. 1t did not mean
3szt he would give over his attempt
- Eeinstate her as the owner of her
f-SaEraer's estates. 1t only meant that the
EEEphfSe of personal vengeance was
cNeaRd within him. He knew now-the
SsErse as ever-that the duty of the
Fazz1 Fhat dwell upon the earth is to do
s-SsezsT 5Iletted tasks, and without hatred
EKUE SUithOut passion TO overcome the
.<f7Ecnties that stand in the way. She
.rzz&ized that If one of the Turner's
'sssS5G1Id leap through the door and at
-tezEsE. E.her, Bruce would kill him without
t7Ency or regrat- Sine knew that he
<sa1Ld make every effort to bring the
a&sEoe~ to the law. But the ability
asE shoot fleeing enemy in the back,
GrSause Of wrongs done long ago, was
nHA
EESr1feeS vision had come to him. He
IzEEssv', that If vengeance had been the
'@Ceed of the powers that ruled the
,Ezcrld. the sphere would have been de-
sssEEUyed with fire long since. To stand
fIrza ana straight and unflinching; not
TN Judge, not to condemn, not to re-
g-t; this was true strength.
1FT know" the girl said, her thoughts
~sandering afar. perhaps the name
fEsI n all is-tolerance."
<Perhaps," he nodded. "And pos
ssi1lly it is only-worship
-
The Turner's had gone The dim
Il7aE lightning revealed the entire at.
GR6Gtug party half mile distant and
<sNZt OF, rife range on the ridge; and
,EEdee and Linda stole together out
lzInto me storm.
The green foliage of the tree had
ssxEready burned away, but some of the
sWper branches still glowed against
fz1ae dark sky. A fallen branch smol-
Dared on the ground, kissing in the
s<atn, and it lighted their way.
aAwed and mystifled, Bruce halted
-Eaefore the ruin of the great tree. He
sTadl almost forgotten the stress Of the
xzaOuent Just passed. 1t did not even
ss1ccur to him that some of his enemies
EzaSeen before, might still be lurkine
fr.Aa the shadow, watching for 'chanc'
40 harm. They stood moment IN
sz1ence. Then Bruce uttered one little
txap and stretched his arm into th'
2ssollow that the cleft In the trunk hat
,zsSvealed.
Z. Yhe light from a burning branch be
rz5Sind him had shown him small, darl
-Sk3ect that had evidently been inserte'
"a the hollow tree trunk through som
EHtxie aperture that had either sine
sz.aen closed up or they had never OF
~Gryed. 1t was a leathern wallet, an
fFSruce opened It under Linda's startle
I've. He drew out a single whit
sRer. :,
.He held 1t in the light, and b
ssfSnce kwept down its lines Of fade