The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1904-12-31


ipated Tor months beforehand, and the
woman whose magnetic spell had held
the denseIy packed house in the
thrilled silence only genius may coras
pass, lay, her head fallen forward On
her arms, every line, every curve OF
the supple, neryeless figure echoing the
despair of those last tragic, unfinished
words.
Then, as the curtain slowly descend
ed, through the silence there came the
sound of her own name, caught up ana
echoed on every side, till it sWelled
into one deep throated call. But across
the darkness of her mind it fell IN
meaning1y. She did not know she haa
reached her goal, the goal OF those Tar
off da---s among the roses, did not know
that her dream of then was tonight
reality. She did rot know anything,
except the one bitter fact that her
heart was broken. Mechanically, as
the curtain rose again, and like one
making a desperate effort at self-con-
troll, she got to her feet, and her eyes,
burning, despairiHg, stricken, seem
ing to hold the only life in the white
drawnness of her face, looked out into
the hopeless empty futurity. For
moment she sWayed uEsteadily, then,
with a low, half articulate cry, the
cry Of a soul that has touched the
nethermost depths and reached its pain
limit, she turned, and moved slowly
away
by Jove," said the younger Of the
two men seated in the stalls, she's
magnificent! I'm glad you brought me
along! That last cali was as fine
piece of acting as one need live to
see.''
But the elder man said nothing. He
and he alone in all that vast audience,
knew the truth-knew that to her it
had been reality, not acting.
On the satin coyerlet lay a pile Of
morning papers, but the woman whom
to-day they one and all hailed as a
genius lay with her face to the wall,
unheeding, uncaring She had not read
them, had not read anything but the
slip of paper crushed in her hand.
Dear" it ran, you were right that
day long ago among the roses, and
was wrong. | only understand tonight.
For you, my Iris, are genius, and
genuises do not belong to themselves.
This is Just line of farewell and con-
graduation, FOR you will believe, will
you not? that I do congratulate you
with all my heart And now good-by.
The old restlessness is on me again,
and | am off tomorrow. But, dear, re-
member always that | would come,
from the ends Of the earth to serve
you, if ever you should need me. Yours
always, HILARY ST. JOHN.
And the irony Of it ate deeper and
ever deeper into her heart.
She stood among the roses once
more, but she did not sing as she
gathered them; only, when the sound
Of a familiar. unexpected footstep fell
upon her ears, her face grew suddenly
radiant with radiance it had never
known before.
Dearest he whispered. and his
arms We're round her as he spoke,
what must you have thought Of me-?
But I only knew it six weeks ago
saw it in scrap Of tWo-year-old
newspaper, and started within an
hour. But the time has seemed an
eternity. Dear one''-the old tender
ring had come back into his voice
you did not think I had Willfully
failed you-faiIed you in your hour of
need?n
20, no. she whispered; mot that
never that"
Il have been picturing you here ever
since I knew it, alone and in dark
ness, and the hours have been hell.
Dear heart, you used to tell me was
second only to your work. You will
come to me now? You will let me try
IN some little measure to make up to
Jou?''
She drew away from him with a lit
tie inarticulate sound, half laugh, half
sob.
And you-=you came from the other
side of the world to ask me, a poor,
MANNED
To ask the woman I love- he cor
rected gently.
Listen first she said. 81 never
played again after the night you saw
me and wrote that letter.
Poor little girl" he murmured ten
derby. Was it SO sudden as that?"
mo. They gave me three months,
but could not play. I could only
think Of you, and how you had loved
me. Somehow I never understood,
never valued it until the loneliness
and the darkness came to me. And
then you had given ne SO much, and
Il had nothing to give you, except
that three months. It was d sort Of
offering, you see, and so, I came down
here the next day and staid here for
over a year. 1t was-0, Hilary
stretched out her hands to him, and
he drew her back into the shelter Of
his arms-sEiit just hell! And then
I went back New York, and they
operated on III they said it was the
complete resi- u lad done it-made
the operation pc lie, l mean. But
I don't know. Esen specialists make
mistakes sometimes, and DR.. Grant
made one that time. Hilary, II can
see today as well as you
He looked away, and his arms fell
from her. He would not have been
human If he had not suffered intense
" at that moment. But he turned to
her at last
Thank God, dear.s he said quiet
II. sBut why are you here then?,'