Weaker than a Woman — page 150: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

. LP a’ ‘ Ke aire F od | ~ . -- a2 4. "SS oa gg OO — = pa oad re oe a ot: 7 i 1. ey : _*» ~ ™, WEAKER THAN A WOMAN. 141 nestly that she was charmed. Then she left him, and went away home. *K ** *k *« *K ** * * Felix had intended to take up his burden bravely and carry it nobly, but human love and human passion were too strong for him#—-he could not face the world just yet. He staid all night in the shelter of the Bramber Woods, doing hard battle with his despair; he watched the sun set, and the moon rise; he watched the golden stars come out one by one; he watched the checkered shadows that the moon threw upon the grass; he listened to the wind as it sang its sweet song; he thought of all the moonlit nights on which he had met Violet. He fell asleep for a few short moments, and dreamed that he stood under the wet lilac bushes with her; her arms were clasped around his neck, her beautiful face was raised to his, and she was scolding him that even in a dream he could believe her false. He woke with acry of rapture. There lay the cold moon- light, there stood the giant trees, and Violet had married Sir Owen. All night he staid there. It was the one terrible battle © of his life. He was not ashamed to impart all his sorrow to the listening stars. They had listened to Ginone’s wailing when beautiful Paris left hislove. This story of man’s love and woman’s folly, of man’s trust and woman’s treachery, of love forsaken and forsworn, was nothing new to them. There were times that night when he almost went mad, when he cried aloud for death. But Heaven was merciful, and death came not. The morning light found him pale, weak, and exhausted, but that one fierce paroxysm had taken the sting of his sorrow away. It was better than if he had gone home and been ill for long days and weeks. That one fierce night of pain exhausted him ; when it had passed he was too weak and too tired to suffer more. He went home in the full ight of morning, and found Katie waiting for him. She had guessed what had hap- pened. She had not spoken of his absence, but she looked anxiously at his face when he came in. He bent down and kissed her. ‘Tt is all over, madre,” he said. ‘‘Now I shall live down my pain.” Katie looked sadly at the wound on his broad, white brow. _ “How did you cut yourself so terribly, Felix?” she (E(@) m comicbooks