Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1925-04-01

stability; she longed With all her
heart to lean within the arms out
stretched toward her; she knew that,
II she had given Lancaster life, he
could give her the strength of life;
he was of her own people, and all that
was chivalric and dear In the land
she had loved seemed embodied in
him. And before her she saw the
closing hospital walls of some far dis
tant city: she must exile herself from
everything that she had known
You little stubborn thing, Joan |"
said Lancaster tenderly. "But l shall.
go on loving you"
Il shall love you, John"
Il shall hear from you sometimesT
Yes. And 1 shall remain in Avon
mouth until your battle is won. But
there will be no battle. They know
that they are beaten. You will never
be weak again."
NO" said Lancaster. "But, o Joan,
If you had said yes to me it would
have been so easy"
With the maternal feeling that Is
part of every woman's love for the
man she loves, she stopped and kissed
his forehead.
You must try to sleep now" she
said. 81 shall leave the revolver
with you, and you shall lock your
door,"
Il am not afraid Of Them" he an
swered. "They can do nothing, Joan.
Keep it to assure you of your own
safety"
That seemed the better way. There
was nothing that the pair could do
to Lancaster. If they aimed at any
one 1t would be she. She saw that,
and she went out without speaking to
Lancaster again. In the hall she
breathed more freely. 1t was ended
now, and she knew that she had done
the right thing, the only possible
thing. But Lancaster had not sur
missed the terrific wOmans battle
which she had fought during those
last few minutes.
She stood in the hall for a few mo-
ments in uncertainty. She did not
mean to sleep, but to lie awake with
her door open, resting, and listening
for any movements in the house. But,
though her brain was awake, she was
more tired than she had ever been
in her life. She could hardly drag
her limbs upstairs, and again she had
that sense of walking on air. Under
the little burning lamp she stopped
again to gather strength to go to her
room. The ticking OF the clock In
| the hall below was the only sound in
| the house. She strained her ears to
| catch the sound of voices from Myers
| room, but she could hear nothing.
| Yet the men could not be asleep
They must be planning together.
The silence in the ramshackle old
| building was a CHASTITY one 1t seemed
| to hide innumerable thoughts, as H.
| those of all who had ever lived within
its walls survived, breaking upon her
brain in invisible waves. She felt en-
meshed in web, as the dreamer who
struggles to wake into free life from
the horrors of nightmare. The wind
| had gone down, and the raindrops
dripped rhythmically from the caves.
Joan had an intense inclination to
surrender, to run back into Lancas.
ter's room, cry to him to help her, to
let her fight beside him as long as
they lived. And the silence, which
was becoming more terrific every mo-
ment, was Enthusiastically malevolent.
She reached her room and tried to
shake away her fears. She went to
| the window and leaned out. The night
was clearing, and a delicious air blew
| in from the hills. Not light was to
be seen in Millville or Lancaster And
she wept again, heartbroken. 1t was
all ended, that peace which had begun
TO inclose her, and all her hopes, and
all that love within was bound up so
| Intimately with the idea of home.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)