Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1907-06-06
THE ASHES
OF LOVE
By D. E JOHNSON
Copyright. by Daily Story Pub. Co..

N~OPSAAShe' W Odiy otory FuD- Coz
Shall I read anotherG" he asked.
turning the pages of the rare little
volume OF prose pearls.
Yes, please do" she answered in
her soft voice, half coaxing, half
commanding
Suddenly he paused In his lingering.
Here is one named The Ashes of
Love-"
He settled back and began to read
1T was noon time and all the land
was warm with the kindly sun and
sweet with the fragrance of flowers.
The man and the woman paused to
feel the pulse of life. They had come
to the end of the road
Let us tarry here a while, love-
he whispered, the fire of his soul
cleaning through his eyes.
No, dear, 1 cannot stay. We have
come to the parting of our paths and
| must go back Idly she plucked a
red rose that brushed the border of
her mantel.
Darling. come with mel he cried,
and drew her to him, covering her
mouth with flaming kisses.
Il cannot, dear, l do not love
enough The woman's lips trembled
and her voice broke in a sob
The man sat still long time, tense
with the frenzy of his passion. Then
he arose slowly. shall 60 he said,
but the fire OF my love shall never
die She put the red rose into his
hand and left him standing there, as
one dazed, at the edge of the wood
Time passed and the woman's
heart began to ache. 1t was hunger
that made 1t ache and with each pass
Ing day the pain grew more intense
The only relief she found was to go
to the end of the road by the edge
OF the wood and look and listen long
ingly. At last she could remain no
longer. so she set out in search OF
her love whom she had sent away
She 1ourneyed long time, over rough
roads and through dark woods, and
after many days came upon a deserted
howell. Being tired and foot-sore she
entered 1t to rest The hut was
empty and bare. save for a crudely
built hearth, on which was a heap of
dead ashes. In the baked clay above
was scrawled The fire Of love- The
woman looked again. At her feet was
a dead rose half hidden in the ashes"
The reading came to an end, but,
with the book still open before him,
tho reader looked absently into space
Presently he drew out a pencil and
wrote something in the margin.
The girl. too, had been in thought
but broke the silence by saying with
touch of bitterness in her voice How
like a mans love, to burn and scar
then die. have always believed it to
be thing of passing moment"
"PaulineI" the man cried fiercely,
between set teeth. You speak like a
child that has not yet known the first,
faint awakening of love" He had
leaned forward to look her in the
eyes. but now he sank back slowly,
an expression of ineffable sadness com
ing over his face But then, how
could you know, if you have never
felt its relentless call If you have
never known its infinite. measure?"
He paused a moment She was quite
still, the stiffness that is awe in the
presence of power. when came
here tonight, 1 came with the burden
of my love filing my heart-my love
for you. was consumed with the fire
Of it. mad with the Joy Of it, and
TRANSPORTED with the glory OF it. But
now mere words would die on my lips.
They say love kindles love, but they
are wrong; for then, surely, my love
would have burned into your soul"
The girl looked tensely at the floor.
Perhaps l cannot love-" she said
simply. Il care for you, l know-yes,
more than anyone else. But do not
love you. can feel nothing of the
passion you have pictured"
The man arose. mo, that is true.
shall carry away no illusions. You
were kind, very kind. Some day,
hope, you may feel a measure of that
infinite law of life
James Fsrnsworth and Pauline Col
ten shook hands and parted, nor did
they meet again before the latter
sailed for Europe.