The Snowflake herald., 1922-12-22

the coloring leaves, the dying flowers,
the new, cold breath of the wind. Only
the pines remained unchanged they
were the same grave sentinels they
always were.
"And you can forgive meT' Linda
asked, humbly
Forgive your" The man turned to
her in surprise. "What have you done
that needs to be forgiven?
"Oh, don't you see? To bring you
here-out of your cities-to throw your
life away. To enlist you in a fight
that you can't hope to win. I've killed
you, that's all I've done Perhaps
tonight-perhaps a few days later"
He nodded gravely.
And I've already killed your SMILE"
she went on, looking down. You don't
smile any more the way you used TO-.
You're not the boy you were when you
came. Oh, to think of it-that it's all
been my work. To kill your youth,
to lead you into this slaughter pen
where nothing-nothing lives but
death-and hatred-and unhappiness"
The tears leaped to her eyes. He
caught her hands and pressed them be-
tween his until pain came into her
fingers. Listen, Linda" he command
ed. She looked straight up at him.
"Are you sorry / came?"
"More than / can tell you-for your
sake"
"But when people look for the truth
In this world, Linda, they don't take
any ones sake into consideration. They
balance all things and give them their
true worth. Would you rather that
you and had never met-that l had
never received Elmira's message-that
you should live your life up here with
out ever hearing Of me?'
She dropped her eyes. "It isn't fair
to ask me that"
''Tell me the truth. Hasn't 1t been
worth while? Even If we lose and
die before this night is done, hasn't
1t all been worth while? Are you sor
ry you have seen me change? Isn't
LAC OhotlSC IOA LhO OCtICl II1dI
grown instead Of a boy? One who
looks straight and sees clear?"
He studied her face; and after a
while he found his answer. 1t was
not in the form of words at first. AS
a man might watch a miracle he
watched new light come into her
dark eyes. All the gloom and sorrow
of the wilderness without could not
affect its quality. It was a light of
joy, Of exultation, Of new-found
strength.
"You. hadn't ought to ask me that
Bruce" she said with a rather strained
distinctness. 1T has been like being
born again. There aren't any words
to tell you what 1t has meant to me-
And don't think / haven't seen the
change in you, too-the birth of new
strength that every day is greater,
higher-until 1t is-almost more than
/ can understand. The old smiles are
gone, but something else has taken
their place-sOuernlng much more
dear to me-but what it Is l can hard
ly tell you. Maybe it's something that
the pines have"
But he hadn't wholly forgotten how
to smile. His face lighted as remem-
brance came to him. "They are a diff.
ferent kind of smiles-thats ALL" he
explained. Perhaps there will be
many of them in the days to come.
Linda, have no regrets. I've played
the game. Whether it was Destiny
that brought me here, or only chance.
or perhaps-if we take just life and
death into consideratiOn-just misfOr-
tune, whatever 1t is I feel no resent
ment toward it. 1t has been the worth
while adventure. 1t seems to me that
[ can understand the whole world bet
ter than / used to. Maybe can begin
to see a big purpose and theme run
ming through it all-but it's not yet
clear enough to put into words. Ger
tain things in this world are essen
tials, certain other ones are froth. And
see which things belong to one class
and which to another so much more
clearly than 1 did before One Of the
things that matters Is throwing ones
whole life into whatever task he has
set out to do-whether he fails or sue
ceeds doesn't seem greatly to matter.
The main thing, it appears to me, is
that he has tried. To stand strong
and kind of calm, and not be afraid
II can always do it, Linda, 1t is all
ask for myself. Not to finch now.
Not to give up as long as l have the
strength for another step. And to
haye you with me-all the way"