Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-02-14

race, ana It's eyes nelu mex tISuIOhAS
in their cold, unwavering stare.
She drew her hands from her face
and looked fxedly at the dim study
upon the easel above her as she
crouched upon the rug. In the faint
light it seemed the fantastic home of
elusive shadows. Yet as her gaze grew
frmer the penciled lines started from
the background and revealed them
selves with clearness.
Repentance" title read below. A
woman in an October wood, half
cleared. She was looking to the west,
where a falling sun had nearly crept
beyond her straining gaze. Her hair
had fallen in wind-driven glory be-
hind her, her arms were stretched in a
pathetic gesture of recall and invita-
ton, and across her face fell somber
look of heart-wringing longing and re-
greet. And yet-such is the divine touch
| of genius-one who with clear eye
could read, might have seen in some
| Elusive, intangible line the birth OF
| golden hope that repentance had not
come too late; that the swift-falling
sun would rise once more.
| There was a dignity, poise and
grace, an inexpres sible pathos in this
lone figure of the wood which stirred
the heart and moved the very soul
to cry out that the mute prayer
must find an answer; that within
the ashes of it's crushed past there
must Turk a spark which should rise
to living flame.
One could not but know, as they
faced each other, in that light OF
shadows, that these two women
were in truth but one. She who sat
disheveled upon the rug surely was
none other than the sun-implOrino
creature of the autumn wood. II
was not that the likeness of Inca
ment was striking, but in the bit
ter abandonment of pose, in the wild
craving of their speaking silence, in
the tender wooing of the arms which
voicelessly called out their woe, they
were the same, and indivisible, one
the insensate shadow of a living
cry, one the sensate bodiment of g
life-wearing sorrow.
Eleanor sat long, and still. What
tempests tossed her heart in that
deep communion cannot be told. II
was herself, her soul, she had limne6
upon her canvased Repentance
and in the revelations of the night il
seemed all too plain to her that she
had painted on a signboard the Sc
cret of her heart and invited him who
ran to read.
The December sun shone in hel
window when she rose from he1
strange vigil by the living dead
There was a newborn resolution in
her look. She laved her face care
fully to hide it's stains of tears
Then she brushed her glorious crown
of hair and put on her coat.
"a walk will do me good" she sale
to bt<self. "The morning is splen
did. AS soon as L can after moor
I will withdraw my picture from the
gallery. It has told too much al
ready. He, at least, shall never
know"
She put on her jaunty fur hat.
long look in her mirror told her the
traces of the night of watching hat
vanished beneath the impulses of the
morning. She was still beautiful, NJ
doubt, despite her score and five o.
years; despite the tragedy of he1
heart.
She tore the study of Repentance
from its easel and thrust it upon tn,
| O1aNAAS oSoSSt lug. IHSn she SLOW
lly and thoughtfully drew on he,
gloves.
The studio bell uttered a long, i'm
perative summons. Eleanor started
sharply. What impossible call wa:
that? At sunrise? Who could i
be abroad so early, or so late? Well
let them ring. She was not at home
Again the bell called her, as if il
imperative demand. Its tone wa.
masculine, demanding. Who could il
be? Well
She flung wide the door.
Upon the threshold stood figure
tall, manly, strong, with barred head
as if before a shrine. Out of the
dark eyes set in pallid frame a glance
burned in upon her, devoured her
snatched up her spirit unresistins
into its wild caress, and then hel
lover came upon her with wide
stretched arms.
"Harold!" she cried. ooh! Har
old! Have you come at last"
And they set their faces to the east
where the risen sun spread a new
; glory across the snowy world