Los Angeles herald., 1905-06-25

10 attempt some sort OF eNplaHdJlol
when Brontinus interrupted her.
"Bratocles loves you" he said, "and
HE hearts desire is to make you his
wife az soon as possible. 1 will there
fore avail myself of the first oppor-
tunity to assure him that nothing
stands in the way of your happiness"
Theano. however, cried aloud, and
her countenance became livid and all
most threatening as she faced her
father and exclaimed:
"I will never marry Eratoclesl Never,
neverl"
bedroom.
Absorbed as she was in thoughts Of
quite a different nature, her fathers
proposition had surprised her, and she
was constrained to examine herself
closely. What was the matter with
her? Her father was right in assum-
ing that she was in love, but he was
far very far. from suspecting the
truth. Who, indeed, would believe that
she was in love with an extraordinary
an inaccessible man, perhaps the only
man on whom it was uniting that
she should bestow her affections? She
was frightened when at last the start
ling truth became known to her, when
at last she saw clearly that she loved
this man who was so much wiser than
his fellows, this pious and gentle phil
csopher, who taught other men to
,l.A Ii
though she had never seen his face
though she had never touched his hand;
she loved him with all her heart and
soul, so that her own insignificance
became the more marked whenever she
thought of him. And for the first time
she understood that in comparison with
the mysterious and inflexible power of
love even the tenderest affections and
all the other joys of love are of no
more weight than a dead leaf which is
whirled away by the wind on a stormy
evening.
One hope, however, remained to her.
Perhaps the great Pythagoras would
condescend to receive her and to hear
her story. One word from his lips
would suffice to cure the malady which
was devouring her. All she craved was
permission to approach him humbly
and to reveal the trouble which was
expressing her so sorely. Probably he
would repulse her, but at any rate she
could remember to her dying day the
few memorable minutes during which
they were together face to face and
their souls mingled with each other,
needless Of the formal restraint Of
their spoken words.
How she trembled as she waited for
him in the middle of the vast hall with
it's numerous columns, for thither an
attendent had conducted her! She had
scarcely given a thought to her attire.
Over her brow she had merely thrown
a light veil, and her bare shoulders
she had hidden beneath a gauzy scarf
scanned with gold, which she had has
tily fastened and whose flexible fringes
fell to her feet. Still as a statue she
stood and looked toward the ground.
Surely she would never have the cour
age to raise her eyes to his when he
appeared bedore her in a moment or
twol
Suddenly she heard the sound of
steady footsteps, and presently
white robe CLEANED like ray of light
as it passed between the lofty columns.
The next moment Theano heard the
voice which she loved so much. The
philosopher of Samos was before her,
and she was conscious that he was
enveloping her with the glance of his
piercing eyes. At the same time a de-
lightful sense of rest took possession
of her; she feared nothing now, neith-
er did she tremble. 1t seemed to her
as though she had always known, as
though she had always loved this man
whose soul had mastered her own.
And she forgot all her past life, all the
obstacles which had threatened to
spoil her career; she forgot Eratocles,
her father, Brontinus, and the fra
grant grooves of Sybaris. Only one
thing did she remember, since it fully
dominated her will and her reason, and
to this she gave utterance as with
clasped hands and quivering lips she
cried aloud:
81 love you! With all my heart and
soul l love you"
Her passionate words did not dis
turb the philosopher. Doubtless 9TH
ers under the spell of the same intox-
ication had made similar avowals to
him.
Look at me-" he said gently.
Thereupon she ventured to look him
i'm the face, but what she saw dazzled
and fascinated her so much that the
next moment she again turned her
eyes away from him and looked to-
ward the ground. Was 1t possible
that he was still so young, so hand
some and so admirably formed that
even disinterested persons could not
help noticing that all other men as
compared with him were ungainly and
of inferior race? His lips were en-
shrined within a glossy beard of au-
burn hue; i'm his eyes, which were mag
netic and brilliant as amber was an
expression of infinite sweetness. He