Arizona -- Fiction; Grand Canyon (Ariz.) -- Fiction; Western stories
The trail was several feet wide at this point. Diana sat down on a
rock, her back to the wall, clasping one knee with her brown fingers.
For a little while Enoch stood looking from the dwelling to Diana, then
far out to the glowing peaks across the Canyon to the north. Finally,
he turned to silent contemplation of the lovely, slender figure against
the wall. Diana's dignity, her utter sweetness, the something quieting
and steadying in her personality never had seemed more pronounced to
Enoch than in this country of magnificent heights and depths.
"Well," said Diana, finally, "after you've finished your inspection,
perhaps you'll sit down and talk."
Enoch smiled and established himself beside her. He refilled his pipe,
lighted it and laid it down. "Miss Allen," he said abruptly, "you saw
the article in the Brown papers?"
"Yes," replied Diana.
"What did you think of it?"
"I thought what others think, that Brown is an unspeakable cur."
"I can't tell you how keenly I feel for you in the matter, Miss Allen.
I would have given anything to have saved you from it."
"Would you? I'm not so sure that I would! You see, I'm just enough of
a hero worshiper to be proud to have my name coupled in friendship with
that of a great man."
"A great man!" repeated Enoch quietly, yet with a bitterness in his
voice that wrung Diana's heart.
"Yes, Mr. Huntingdon," Diana's voice broke a little and she turned her
head away.
The utter silence of the Canyon enveloped them.
At last Enoch said, "You have a big soul, Miss Allen, but you shall not
sacrifice one smallest fragment of--of your perfection for me. If it
is necessary for me to kill Brown, I shall do so."
Diana gasped, "Enoch!"
Enoch, at the sound of his name on her lips, touched her hand quickly
and softly with his own, and as quickly drew it away, jumped to his
feet and began to pace the trail.
"Yes, kill him, the cur! Diana, he did not even leave me a mother in
the public mind! He maligned you. The burdens that I have carried for
all the years, the horrors that I've wrestled with, the secret shames
that I've hidden, he's exposed them all in the open marketplace. And
he dragged you into my mire! Diana, each man must be broken in a
different way. Some are broken by money, some by physical fear, some
by spiritual fear, some--"
Diana interrupted. "Enoch, are you a friend of mine?"
Enoch turned his tortured eyes to hers. "I shall never tell you how
much a friend I am to you, Diana. But my friendship is a fact you may
draw on all the days of your life, as heavily as you will."
"And I am your friend. Though I know you so little, no friend is as
dear to me as you are." She rose and coming to his side, she took his
hand in both of hers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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