Show VV i TI WE ran D QTJQKOT J C7 ZtY JZa4Y RL7ZJ Copyright 1905 by Dally Story Pub Co Just off the street in a narrow alley that reeked with tho scent of garbage rested a largo dry goods box and in the box crouched the figure of a man trying to shield himself from tho falling fall-Ing rain The faint lights of tho street glimmered In front of him but none of tho rays penetrated to his place of refuge The man had been sitting there for some time In silence and motionless mo-tionless At last he muttered i Theres nothing to it why keep It up Then he relapsed into silence again for another half hour At tho end of this time he muttered again No theres nothing to Itand why keep it up7 Silence again for a moment then Whats to gain anyhow by keeping up the fight Nothing Whos to caro if I drop it No one Therell be an end to everything All will bo blank no feeling either good or bad no moro misery no cold or hunger nothing absolutely ab-solutely nothing its pleasant to think that there will be nothing to feel Maybe theres a soul If so it will go darting hero and there through space like the pollen sheath of a grass stalks In a varying breeze Ho fell Into silence onco moro and listened to the patter of tho rain on tho top of his box whllo his thoughts ran over and over tho same line of reasoning Yes Ill do It Ho caught tho edge of the box to pull himself up from his crouching position It will be a very easy thing to do much I easier than to hold on another twenty four hours Yet theres something that tugs at my determination somehow some-how But It Is 0111 declaro it to be off now Ho crept out of tho box and turned In tho direction of tho North river rho rain beat upon his head but ho Boomed to care no longer for that Ho had thrust his hands into his pockets and his shoulders had drooped forward as if he carried a weight on his back Ho walked slowly sometimes stopping stop-ping still for an Instant as though he still argued with himself It was moro than half a mile to the North river at the point which ho sought to abandoned portion of a rotting old wharf There wero no nearby lights and tho place was murky and dismal The surroundings suited the mood of the man and encouraged en-couraged his determination Ho continued con-tinued on across tho planking which was curled and hollowed and twisted from tho contending forces of the dampness from below and tho sunshine sun-shine of the day from above Occasionally Oc-casionally a weak board gave way Just a little beneath his feet and involuntarily In-voluntarily he sprang forward to a sounder part of the flooring Reaching Reach-ing tho edgo ho leaned against a piece of piling which extended abovo tho wharf and looked down toward tho waters He could not sec the line whore they played against the timbers tim-bers of tho wharf but ho know that it was Just four feet down at this point No sound came to his ears abovo tho lapping of the waves against tho timbers for some time for the rain had almost ceased though no stars were visible overhead over-head No theres nothing to It and Ill not keep It up though I shall Just stand hero a little while longer Just f l I I IllIII f a He walked slowly while I am feeling no particular indisposition In-disposition either mentally or physically physic-ally Ho continued to gazo toward tho waters of tho river A half hour passed pass-ed Then a sound came to tho mans ear that was not from tho river Footsteps Foot-steps light hesitating footsteps sounded from behind him coming in his direction across the flooring of the wharf Throwing his arm about tho post ho half turned to listen more Intently Tho footsteps camo on directly toward him It seemed and he start d tn move away to escape detectlnV r r I for soon ho was going to put Into execution exe-cution the thing ho had como thereto there-to do But presently the courso of the intruder swerved a little and led toward tho edge of tho wharf several sev-eral feet away from tho man The footsteps wero far too light for those of a man they were evidently being made by a Woman or a child But why should a woman or a child COIl hero at this hour Tho footsteps halted at the edgo of tho planking and silence again reigned for a few moments Then a sob broke from tho form that had stopped there and a womans volco murmured 1 ul tl II HIll HI-ll 11I L I JL Laid a hand upon the womans arm God havo morcy on my soul I It I am doing that which I should not but it seems that I have endured all that I can endure There Is no use to try longer It is hopeless If only thero will be nothing beyond this absolutely ab-solutely nothingjust an eternal blank and void The voIce broke oft qulvorlngly and tho man still clinging to the post leaned outward toward the woman His free outstretched hand might almost have touched her Thoughts of his own situation had for tho present pres-ent vanished But why hesitate longer the voice continued soon only to prolong tho misery I wish I wero braver and yet I am bravo enough for this thing Thero Is no one to miss me there Is hardly one that would know my dead face But It Is strange that I hurried so to get here and am now no longer In hasto to do what I came for But I shall not wait another moment mo-ment God forgive me Sho crouched a little to make a spring But the man had crept away from the post and ho now laid a hand upon the womans arm Sho turned I quickly but made no outcry Who aro you that you lay your hand upon me she asked In a low but steady tone I am one who camo hero for the same purpose which brought you Then why do you restrain me Because something has suddenly taken a grip upon my heart that had not existed before I have been listening list-ening at your talk You have drunk at the thick and murky fountain you could be something to me and I be Hove I could be something to you I havo Just learned that sympathy Is tho half of bread In this world Let us go back together and take up the struggle again already I feel new lIfo In my soul We should belong to each other You havo saved my life and I shall save yours In a single Instant love has been born In my heart And you will lovo meI shall make you The woman did not answer But sho allowed his arms to steal about her and to lead her away from the brink of tho river They crossed the wharf back toward tho city Stopping Stop-ping at tho Inner edge of the plankIng plank-Ing he drew her to him closely and kissed her lips timidly and a momentary mom-entary trembling as of virgin confusion confu-sion passed through her body Then hand In hand they walked hack toward to-ward tho pavements and tho lights and the sounds of the city everything every-thing seemed beautiful and fair and In their hearts was a wonderful hope |