Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1903-01-29

1t CHANGED that wilfrid Lankester
and his publisher had once been
boys together and gone to the. same
school, and still called each other
"BilP' and .Drickp when they met.
Frederic Singster took from his
desk a small volume II, faded red and
gold, which looked as.if it might have
lain a Century on "a shelf In, the
library of generations of booklovers.
Il should say it is just in your line.
i can't read lit 'all,a not being much
OF word shuffier, but it's. a kind of
epic poem. and love story combined
by a girl who signs herself jeanne
and it seems to be very pretty, what
l can get out Of it. Put it into Eng
fish and I'll bring it out for the holiS
days in a handsome cover of red with
gold fieur-de-lis on it,"
Wilfrid put the book into his
pocket and went to his room. He had
thought OF, dropping in at the Authors,
Club and rubbing up against the men
who were making literary history at
first hand. Now he seemed to be wraps
ped up in the desire to get at this new
old poem. ir-sr
He opened the book and was soon
in the thrall of its mystic fascination.
Usually he dined at eight o'clock at
the little French restaurant three
blocks away. 1t was. his one diver
sion. Not that he cared SO much for
the bottle of good claret and the unde-
niable ragouts, but there was an en-
chanting atmosphere about the place
which pleased him. Then Henri went
there Henri was correspondent for
LIE Temps, and there was something
in his electric manner and graceful
way which reminded Wilfrid of Paris
III the long ago, when he spent some
happy. years there studying French
and music, and so forth. In return
for the fascinating atmosphere he
gave Henri pointers on the political
situation and told him what new
novels came nearest illustrating the
evanescent and Elusive American
view. a-- 500 ss 80
This evening he had no desire for
atmosphere and views. There was a
certain comredeship in the book that
superseded the. necessity of any other
association. 1t seemed to open a view
into life unknown-a gracious life
that held the light of olden sunny
France.
AS he unraveled the story from the
medieval language in which it was
told in graceful rhythm and musical
rhyme, that old life seemed to enter
his heart and to draw him nearer to
the dreamy realm in which the un-
known Jeanne" had lived and loved
and written her brilliant and sorrow
full story, interviewer with the light
and darkness of her country's history.
Thus he reached back to the life that
had spent itself in the poem of the
olden times until a golden pathway
opened down which he could look
into that dreamg life more vivid to
him than the everyday existence
around him. At the end of the path
way of light was a golden glory and
looking out of it a brilliant face,
with wine-brown eyes and he knew
that Jeanne" beckoned to him across
| the bridge of the centuries
81 have another life long to meet,
Without which life my life is incom.
plete;
Oh, sweeter self, like me, art thou
astray,
Trying with all thy might to find to
me the way?'"
he repeated to himself. Jeanne, ar,
thou, too, astray?"
. He could not cross that bridge, SO
he went out, led by fate, toward that
haunting face Thus he came to the
beautiful little city of ST. Pierre
| cleaning against the side of Mont
Pelee like pearl set IN a cluster OF
emeralds.
| Nowhere is life crowned with the
| island; on no other isle of France
is that rose-crown so fragrant and
sunny as in Martinique; in no other
| spot of Martinique is the fragrance
of the rose so sweet and the sunlight
in which it blossoms so bright as in
St. Pierre
Three days after Wilfrid Lancaster
LANDED on Martinique, he went with 8
friendly native to the Jardin des
lyflanlSSy u .mne lrOIn oI. fieTre, Wnere
the foliage. Of great trees tweaves into
an arch ofsparking emerald overhead
eand cool lakes glitter in the green
moss and the music of cascades
tinkles always in the air.
ct is more beautiful even than ]
had imagined it."
Then you had imagined it? Had
you known of it before today"
Everybody knows of your famous
| park. Do you think that little Mar
Unique, could have one of the most
beautiful gardens in the world all to
herself?" rs s,-~
sv-I never thought whether anybody
else knew of it; only know that we
| love it," - 3 ~ -s.s,.'
Jacques looked away up at Mont
Pelee towering above pretty little St
| Pierre.
1--WE have two loves" he said. 1.-THE
sJardins and Mont sPelee. could not
4 = q1te ..s..L. As.lseLz