Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-02

oasis and thought of this new problem
that had entered into his life.
1t was near sunset. but the boat had
not yet rsturned. The sky was a flaming
splendor of violet and crimson and gold.
The desert beyond was rich ochre. and
Its very desolation was beautiful. There
was no sound to break the silence but
the bubblfng Of the spring.
Then there were soft ootsteps and,
looking round. he saw Hamil with a jar
upon her shoulder. She had come out
alone to draw water from the spring.
She did not speak as she came close to
him. but he could see her smile, though
only her eyes and forehead were visible.
1t was the smile of one who is going to
triumph.
He looked away from her across the
water in the jar he looked round again.
and his sight was fascinated by the sup
pie curves of her STOPPING body. He
could not take his eyes off her and he
was afraid.
Then she suddenly lifted her head and
Gaunt trembled in every limb. The veil
had slipped down from her face and he
looked into the full blaze of her lowell
ness. Quick as thought she dropped the
jar and replaced the veil.
burning passion in her eyes and knew
that no accident had disclosed her
charms. She filled her jar again and left
without a word. His eyes followed her
till she disappeared.
Then once more he gaZed across the
desert with the look of a hunted animal
seeking for some means of escape His
face was flushed, his eyes glttered his
heart beat furiously. The glorious beauty
Of the woman had gripped him. and he
her grasp.
He looked seaward toward the setting
sun. across the golden plain Of water. To
east and west. to north and south, he
was hemmed in by an impossible desola-
ton.
Yet he knew that he must find some
path. even across the painless wastes of
land and sea-
Sir Richard Gaunt did not sleep that
night. He did not even return to his hut
ne lay on the sand at the edge Of the
desert and stared into the darkness, as
though perchance he might see some way
out OF the danger that confronted him.
But the madness was still in his veins,
and he only saw the face of the woman.
the perfect grace and beauty of it and
the passion in the dark eyes.
And there in the darkness he fought a
great battle against his own desires. A
year previously there would have been no
DOUBT about the result-in fact. there
would have been no battle at all.
But before dawn broke in the east he
mad conquered his own desire. The 81
lence and peace of the night on the fringe
OF that vast solitude had played it's quiet
part in the contest. The great spaces of
sky and sand and sea had so belittled the
value Of human passions that the man
found strength to resist his own desires.
The very stars which gemmed the dark
ness overhead had seemed to look down
on him with blazing eyes of contempt
And when at last the dawn broke and
the gray sky was flushed with the SPLEEN
dor of another day, he knew that he
must leave the settlement and go forth
into the desert
He looked round at the various objects
which had come into sight with the
dawn. at the circle Of palm trees at the
nuts. at the sea. 'at the billowy waste of
sand. over which the sun was glinting
like ball of fire. His eyes moved from
one object to another in the familiar
scene and then they rested on the camel.
The huge, ungainly beast had lifted its
head and was looking plaintively at the
spring.
Here was the means of escape: here
was the ship that would carry him be-
yond the reach Of temptation and desire.
He would go out into the desert, but he
would go alone.