The Desired Woman(Fiscle Part-3 Of 2) by Will N. Harben (e book reader pdf TXT) 📕

"He Adored The Little Chap," Saunders Said. "And Well He Might,  For

The Boy Was Wonderfully Bright And Beautiful. He Doted On His Father."

Dolly Was Silent. Saunders Saw Her White Throat Throbbing. "It Is

Bound To Produce A Change In Him," She Said." It Will Either Kill Him

Or Regenerate Him. He Has A Queer Nature. He Is A Two-Sided Man. All

His Life He Has Been Tossed Back And Forth Between Good And Bad

Impulses. How Awful It Must Be For Him To Have To Remain In Atlanta

And Be Thrown With So Many Who Know What Has Happened! His Friends

Ought To Beg Him To Go Off Somewhere."

"I Am Going To Write Him A Letter To-Day," Saunders Said. "I Shall

Assure Him That My Home Is His,  And Beg Him To Come. Nature Is The

Best Balm For Keen Sorrow,  And Here In The Mountains--"

"Oh,  How Good And Sweet And Noble Of You!" Dolly Broke In,

Tremulously. "You Are Always Thinking Of Others. Yes,  That Would Do

Him Good. A City Is No Place For One In His Trouble. I Imagine That

Nothing Will Help Him Much,  But You Can Do More For Him Here Than Any

One Can Down There."

Saunders Tried To Meet Her Eyes,  But They Were Steadily Avoiding His.

"My God,  Does She Still Care For Him?" The Planter Thought. "Does She

Still Actually Love Him,  And Will Not This Trouble And His Presence

Here Unite Them Again? She Has Too Great A Heart To Harbor Resentment

At Such A Time,  And She May Suspect That He Still Loves Her. If That

Is So,  I Am Simply Joining Their Hands Together--I Who,  If I Lose Her,

Will Be As Miserable As He. Oh,  I Can't Give Her Up! I Simply Can't.

She Is My Very Life."

Dolly Seemed To Feel The Force Back Of His Agonized Stare,  For She

Kept Her Eyes Averted.

"He Will Come,  I'm Sure," She Said,  Musingly,  And,  As He Thought,

Eagerly. "When Will The Letter Reach Him?"

"To-Night," Saunders Said. "I'll Urge Him To Come At Once. I'll Make

The Invitation As Strong As I Can. Shall I--Mention You--That Is,

Would You Like For Me To Express Your--Sympathies?"

"Oh No,  I Have Already Written Him. I Wrote As Soon As I Heard. I

Couldn't Help It. I Cried Till The Paper Was Damp. Oh,  He Will Know

How Sorry I Am."

"You Have Written!" Saunders Formed The Words In His Brain,  But They

Were Not Uttered. A Storm Of Despair Swept Through Him. He Shook From

Head To Foot. She And The Horse Floated In A Swirling Mist Before Him.

"He Will Appreciate Your Letter," He Managed To Say,  Finally. "He Will

Value It Above All Else."

"Oh No,  I Don't Think That." She Gave Him Her Eyes In What Seemed To

Him To Be A Questioning Stare. "In A Deep,  Heartrending Sorrow Like

His He Will Scarcely Remember My Words From One Day To Another. Do You

Know What I Think,  Jarvis? Down Inside Of Him He Has A Deeply

Religious Nature,  And I Predict That He Will Now Simply Have To Turn

To God. After All,  God Is The Only Resort For A Man In His Plight."

"You May Be Right," Saunders Returned. "His Whole Spirit Is Broken.

But Hope Will Revive. In Fact,  All This,  Sad As It Is,  In The Long Run

May Be Good For Him."

Dolly Shook Her Rein Gently. "I Must Go," She Said,  Smiling Sadly.

"Good-By."

The Horse Galloped Down The Road. Like A Fair,  Winged Creature She

Floated Away In The Sunlight.

"Am I To Lose Her At Last?" He Groaned. "After All These Years Of

Patient Watching And Waiting Is She Going Back To The Man Who Could

Have Had Her But Would Not? God Knows That Is Not Fair. Surely I

Deserve Better Treatment--If--If I Deserve Anything. Can I Urge Him To

Come--Will It Be Possible For Me Sincerely To Pen The Words Which May

Seal My Doom? Yes,  I Must--If I Don't I Would Not Be Worthy Of Her

Respect,  And That I Must Have,  Even If I Lose Her."

The Letter Was Written. It Was Full Of Manly Sympathy And Friendly

Assurances. It Brought The Afflicted Banker Three Days Later To The

Plantation. A Delightful Cool And Airy Room Was Assigned To Him. The

Open Sympathy Of The Mountaineers And The Negroes About The Place Was

Vaguely Soothing. Looking Back Upon The City,  It Seemed A Jarring

Place Of Torture When Contrasted To The Eternal Peace Of This Remote

Spot. Free To Go When And Whither He Liked,  Mostyn Spent Whole Days

Rambling Alone Through The Narrow Roads And By-Paths Of The Mountains,

Often Reaching All But Inaccessible Nooks In Canons And Rocky Crevices

Where Dank Plants And Rare Flowers Budded And Bloomed,  Where Velvet

Mosses Were Spread Like Carpets,  And Ferns Stood Like Miniature Palms.

One Morning Mostyn Saw Saunders Hoeing Weeds Out Of The Corn-Rows In A

Field Back Of The House; And,  Taking Another Hoe,  He Joined Him,

Working Steadily By His Friend's Side Till Noon. And Here He Made A

Discovery. He Found That The Work Furnished A Sort Of Vent For The

Festering Agony Pent Up Within Him. It Seemed To Ooze Out With The

Sweat Which Dampened His Clothing,  To Be Absorbed In His Heated Blood,

And After A Cooling Bath He Slept More Profoundly Than He Had Slept

For Years. He Now Saw The Reason For Saunders's Partiality To Country

Life. It Was Nature's Balm For All Ills. In Fact,  He Was Sure Now That

He Could Not Do Without It. Nearly Every Morning After This He

Insisted On Working In The Fields. Sometimes It Was With A Plow,  Which

He Learned To Use Under The Advice Of Tobe Barnett,  A Scythe In The

Hay-Field,  Or A Woodman's Ax In The Depths Of The Forests. But Still

Sorrow And Shame Brooded Over Him Like A Material Pall That Refused To

Be Put Aside. As He Lay In His Bed At Night He Would Fancy That He

Heard Little Dick Calling To Him From The Nursery,  And The Thought

That The Voice And Love Of The Child Were Forever Dead To Him Was

Excruciating.

One Evening After Supper Saunders Informed Him That Dolly And Some Of

Her Literary Friends Were To Hold A Club-Meeting At The Schoolhouse To

Discuss Some Topic Of Current Interest,  And Asked Him If He Would Care

To Go Along With Him. Mostyn Was Seated At The End Of The Veranda

Smoking. He Hesitated,  It Seemed To Saunders,  Longer Than Was

Necessary Before He Answered:

"I Hope You Will Excuse Me,  But You Mustn't Let Me Keep You Away. I Am

Very Tired And Shall Go To Bed Early."

A Little Later Saunders Left For The Meeting. Mostyn Saw Him Pass Out

At The Gate Under The Starlight. The Bell Was Ringing. Mostyn Recalled

The Night He Had Gone With Dolly To A Meeting Of Like Nature,  And The

Impression Her Speech Had Made On Him.

"All That Is Past--Gone Like A Wonderful Dream," He Mused. "In Feeling

I Am An Old Man,  Bowed And Broken Under The Blind Errors Of Life.

Saunders And I Are Near The Same Age. Look At Him; Look At Me; He

Walks Like A Young Greek Athlete. I Have Nothing To Expect,  Nothing To

Hope For. My Wife Died Despising Me; My Friends Merely Bear With Me

Out Of Pity; My Boy Is Dead; I Have To Die--All Living Creatures Have

To Die. What Does The Whole Thing Mean? It Really Must Have A Meaning,

For Many Great Minds Have Seen Nothing But Beauty In It,  Not Even

Excluding Sorrow,  Pain,  And Death. There Must Be An Unpardonable Sin,

And I Have Committed It. Some Say That All Wrong-Doers May Get Right--

I Wonder If There Is A Chance For Me,  _A Single Chance?_ No,  No,  I Am

Sure There Is None--None Whatever. But,  Oh,  If Only I Could See My Boy

Alive Again! I Would Be Willing To Suffer Any Torment For That,  But

Better Still--If Only He Might Be Immortal--If Only He Could Live

Forever In Happiness On Some Other Plane,  As Good People Believe,  I'd

Ask Nothing For My Part--Absolutely Nothing! I Brought Him Into The

World. I Am Responsible For His Marvelous Being. I'd Give My Soul To

Save His--I Would--I Would--I Would!"

He Went To Bed. He Said No Prayer. He Accepted His Lot Without Any

Idea That It Might Be Otherwise. The Night Was Profoundly Still. He

Heard Singing. It Was At The Meeting-House. Softened By Distance,  The

Music Was Most Appealing. It Seemed To Float Above The Tree-Tops,

Touch The Clouds,  And Fall Lightly To Earth. His Mind,  Weighted Down

By Care,  Induced Slumber. Dream-Creatures Flocked About Him. He Was A

Child Romping In A Meadow Over New-Mown Hay. He Had A Playmate,  But He

Could Not See His Face; It Was Ever Eluding Him. Suddenly He Ran Upon

The Child,  And With Open Arms Clasped Him To His Breast. The Child

Laughed Gleefully,  As Children Do When Caught In Such Games. It Was

Little Dick. He Held Him Tightly,  Fearing That He Would Get Away. He