The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1936-05-07

WAS touch and go moAr than once. This
madness was in my vanes. 1t makes
you go hot. But I'm all right now.
They say | can get up for little vile
on Sunday and look at the Hours.
shall like that. ! see tho VANITY Of
lsfe now all right. There is good monk
here called Father Bernard. or course
they are all good. but he Is the best.
He says all Is vanity and that the
pumps OF the world are void. You know
there's a lot In that Well, must end
now. But / thought you might wun-
der where | WAS. What a escaped. Fancy
a mad dog like that ranging about
soaking whom he might devower.
tell you, | hadn't \ chance. He just
leeped upon me. MASKING their fangs. l
can see 1t now.
Your loving brother.
VALENTINE
P. 8.
What about Faningr l rather hope
he's gone. Ii not. perhaps you could
fire him out. He swore Spencer was
your evil genie. but / thought Spencer
had a good eye. Sour grapes, l guess.
| suppose you knew what you were
doing.
The reformation this letter foreshad-
owed was more than we could believe,
but | am bound to record that 1t was
fairly fulfilled. The shock or the fear
OF death or. perhaps. his curious COM
munlon with that honest and kindly
fellowship Of simple souls wrought In
the count an astonishing change of
heart. The weeds that had choked his
qualities wlthered and died, and though
! was most Qpprehensive OF our rela-
ton, "a hourA acquaintance had made
US the best ot friends.
His postscript brings me to Pharaoh.
OF that uhconscionabe scoundrel |
have but little to say. That the man
was most swift and daring | cannot
deny, but ! think that his deadly rep
utation was to him the hlghwayman's
mare. When at last he was standing
upon his own feet, even | was able to
show that, IL his eye was quicker, at
least his spine was as brittle as that of
another man.
The portrait my cousin had painted
Will always rank for me as one Of the
greatest triumphs painter ever
achieved. This Is not because he had
rendered beautiful likeness, nor yet
because he had captured the leaping
spirit that lived In the lovely flesh;
but because he had marked, az | had.
that the precious eager look was out
OF his subjects face and had painted
1t In from memory out OF grateful
heart.
Though my life Is secure and happy
beyond belief, the events OF those ter
rIble days are cut as In stone upon
my mind. But would not forge. them.
II could: for out OF their wrack and
turmoil | won my beautiful wife. Oft
en- and often read their grim lnserip-
tion and gaze at the riotous pageant
which this calls up. see that dreadful
labor down In the sparkling dell and
Dewdrop finger the paper that | let
fall: tread The ReapIng Hooks stairs
and | hear-as | shall hear to my dy-
Ing day--the deadly voice OF Pharaoh
behind the door: | see him enter the
room with Valentines hand upon his
shoulder and hear him whlstllng for
Sabre with my heart In my mouth:
hear the Carlotta coming with the
rush Of mighty wind, and heE
the cough Of the Rolls as her engine
failed: hear Rush plying Bugle to
make my blood run cold, | hear Pha
raoh bullying Freda, and / see the
flame OF the pistol that saved his life:
| see the awful change In my darllng's
face, and turn to see Pharaoh smil-
Ing behind my back: / smell the frag-
rance of the valley that knew no sun:
and then see her stricken and trem-
bling In pharaoh's power, and | hear
the roar of our pistols and see the
man spent with hatred, staring into
my eyes. -.
1t Is written, Out Of the eater came
forth meat. | can only say | have
found this saying most true. The god
dess Aphrodite rose from the foam
OF the sea: but Helena Spencer came
out of the wrath OF tempest that had
risen to smite us both. Together, saw
Ing each other, we rode out that fright
full storm-the remembrance OF which
Is not grlevous, for our desperately
perIlous passage. side by side, has
bound US more closely together than
the sharing OF any joys.
1.-THE END.l