Red River prospector. (Red River, Taos County, N.M.) 1900-190?, 1907-05-02

And so It was with Farnsworth.
He began by merely working against
time, not to forget his love but to for
get the pain of it. Then, when the
love of the doing began to take pos
session of him, he gave himself to 1t.
with such zeal that he surprised even
himself. His friends seldom found
him at the clubs and his brother
artists missed him at the theaters.
On the few occasions when he did go
out among people he invariably re-
turned filled with a score of regrets
because he had gone, for it invariably
CHANGED that he heard something
about her. Her s%ojourn with friends
in London was one of unsurpassed
social success. In Paris she had been
dined and wined, and the last floating
rumor was that she had joined a mo-
tor party through France to the Re
viera. She was the guest of the Math-
ew Henderson's and, cruel tongues
added, young Henderson had fallen
madly in love with her.
Farnsworth did not speculate fur
llGls Jul Tie bllUB VI lhC pam IL
manned. 1t was there, always, in the
morning when he arose and at highs
when he went to bed, always that dull,
aching pain. 1t is hard to work when
an unseen viper is slowly eating out
the very core of ones heart, but
F%arnsworth clutched his play with a
grip of steel and wrote On feverishly.
Into it he put all the joy of his love.
all the bitterness of his sorrow, and
his theme was the immutability OK
love. He was just writing the closing
speech.
Love! 1t is the browning boon Of
God, it is God, the infinite, the quintes-
of perfection. 1t has no begin
ming and no end. Glory be to love
eternal"
The writer pushed back his chair
and stared blankly into space. Then
he drew a small vellum from his desk
and turned to the allegory, The
Ashes of Love- A wan smile over-
spread his weary features.
An hour or two later there was a
tap at the door of Farnsworth's apart
ments, but there was no answer from
within. The tap was repeated; then
the door was pushed open gently from
without.
A young girl in travelling costume
entered shyly, looking cautiously
about her. Her glance took in the de-
serted studio and swept down the
shadowy vista through the rooms be-
yond. There seemed to be no occu-
pant. Reassured, she crossed over to
the desk. She would leave a note and
slip out. A strange luttering of the
heart seized her when she found a
heap of tumbled sheets of a manu-,
script written in his hand. Something
irresistible held her gaze. Before she
was aware of it, she was reading the
closing lines. Her heart within her
almost ceased to beat. Then her eyes
fell on the little volume lying are
lessly among the leaves. 1t opened at
The Ashes of Love- and in the mar
gin she read his note-"base sacri-
lege." All the wildness of pent emo
ton mastered her. She kissed the
words hotly.
There was a sudden stirring in the
farther corner of the room. The girl
turned and, to her u|nspeakable amaze
ment, found a figure stretched u on
a couch, the face buried in the pill
lows. Softly she tiptoed to the pros
trate man, bending over him until her
hot breath famed his hair. He stirred
again and, unable to control herself
longer, she took his head between her
hands, smothering hot kisses upon his
hair, his cheek, his mouth. He open
ed his eyes |unseeingly. Pauline" he
cried, Pauline, don't go!"
mo, | won't go, darling. I've come
back to look for you. l came as soon
as ] found out. 1t was one morning
in the cathedral of Notre Dame when
the great organ vas crying out to
touch the souls of men! 1t was then
that | felt the divine revelation. L
knew what it was to love" A great
dry sob rose in her throat, but she
added with a trembling voice. the
knowledge Of love came to me. but not
the faith of it-not until now-for all
through the suspense of this drag
ging week l felt the cold fear clutch
at my heart. the fear that / should
find only the ashes of love and the
empty scrawl,"
The man, now fully awake, was star.
ing fXedly at the girl kneeling by his
side. Then he threw his arms pas.
sionately about her. "Paulinel" he
cried, holding her so close that he
smothered her sobs. Pauline, l thank
God it was given you to know and 10
believe"