The Washington times., 1923-02-24
Ut no restoratives were

Yes, ma'am?
'Mr. Donr' -
Eyes, ma'am.''
''He-he-has a revolver. He's
-outside--somewhere -
I'm find him, ma'am."
There seemed to. be no need for
explanation. Ragan's white face
showed that he understood. And
now, Clancy, amazed that she had
not comprehendtdl before, also
understood. Her hands went swift.
" up over her eyes as though to
shut out some horrible sight. The
fact. that Don Carey had pursued
her, half. an hour ago with muir
derous intent was of no import
ance now. ..5 ; i
She heard Ragan's> heavy feet
racing across the room and out Of
the house. She heard the. piteous
wall from. Mrs. Ragan's mouth.
Then, amazed, as she, removed her
hands from her eyes, she saw
Sophie Carey, mistress of herself
again, leap from the couch and
race to a window, throwing it open.
Raglan. she called. r.Ragan!
'Ma,am? n family, from the dark
ness, Ragan answered.
"Come. here!' Firm, command
ing. Sophie Carey's voice brooked
no refusal.
Coming, n1a'am." called Ragan.
A moment later he was in the liv-
ing room again.
Pagan, sgo upstairs" command
Cd his mistress.
The man looked his surprise.
But, ma'am, Mr.. Donald -
"Must be given his chance, Ra'
Ean,n she interrupted.
His. chance ma'am? Him car
ryin' a. revolver?'
s.There are worse things than
revolvers, Ragan." said his mis-
tress.
"oh, my dariin,, Miss Sophie,
cried his wife. Es ..e~
She turned on them both.
"TheyIl capture him. They'll:
nut him in jail. They'll sentence
limits his way cut. 1t mustn't
lit mustn't be taken from him.
Her voice rose to a scream. She
held out her arms to. Clancy.
"Don't let them-don't let
them" She could not finish;
once again she tumbled to the
floor.
Uncertainty, the servants looked
ut Clancy. 1T was. the first time
in her life that Clancy had come
face to face with great prob
lem, Her own problem of the
past week seemed minor thing
compared with this.
She knew that what Don Carey
proposed doing was wrong hide
ously wrong. 1t was the act OF a
coward. Yet, in this particular
case, was there not something
of heroism in it? To save his
wife from the long-drawn-out. hui
initiation of a trial Sophie Carey
had appealed to her. Yet Sophie
Carey had not appealed because
Of cowardice, because she feared
humiliation; Sophie appealed to
her because she wished to spare
her husband a felon's fate.
Exquisitely she suffered during
the. few seconds that she faced
the servants. Right or wrong?
Yet what was right and what was
wrong? Are there times when
the end justifies the means?
Does right sometimes masquerade
in the guise of wrong? Does
wrong sometimes impersQnate
right? Nice problems in ethics
are not solved when one is at
h;aa emotional pitch. 1t takes the
philosopher. secluded in his study,
to classify those distractions
which are solved. in real life, on
impulse.
And then decision was taken
from her. In later life. when
faced with problems of solution.
she would remember this mo-
ment not merely because of its
tragic associations, but because
she had not been forced to decide
question involving right and
wrong. Life. would not always be
SO easy for her. =.
But now Somewhere out in
the darkness sounded a revolver
shot. Whether or not it was
right to take ones life to save
another added shame no longer
mattered.-.. Whether or not it
was right to stand by and per-
nit the taking Of that life no
longer mattered. The problem
had been solved, for right or
wrong, by Carey himself.
For the second time in a week,
for the second time in her life.
Clancy Deane tainted.
XXXII
She was still in the living.room