The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-08-30


gallery among the Egyptian and As
syrian antiquities at the British mu
scum. Enthusiast though he was, he
was tired. as human souls are tired,
with the cold reserve of carved stone
the impertrbable mystery of these old
kings and gods who had kept for thou
sands of years. amid the shifting sands
of the desert. their immemorial secrets.
His eyes ached with the close scrutiny
of minute and delicate detail. Then sud
denly his eyes rested on her fair and
laughing and full of the joy of life. and
his soul rejoiced because there was still
youth in the world. and secrets that no
kings and gods had power to keep from
the sons of men who walk the earth
today.
She came along the gallery between
two other girls bat he did not see these
as living creatures-only as dark fig
ures against the light of her presence.
1t was not till the three were close to
him that he became aware of her and
looked up. Their eyes met and stayed
together in a look that lasted a very
long time-almost half "A minute. She
came up quite close to him, always with
those others that did not count. and
then abruptly. the three turned TO the
right and the swing doors of the re-
freshment room vibrated behind them.
Then he tried to analyze that look of
hers-not bold or provocative vet with
no timidity, no bashfulness, no self
consciousness. Ii was the look of one
who trusts the world and thinks well
of il. Many girls nowadays have that
frank. fearless look. The qualities which
made the look a thing worth analyzing
were two: it's length and a singular
quality of recognition. Did she know
hi Ia,I h. /. =
he could not have forgotten her. He
fingered in the gallery till she and her
companions came back through the
swinging doors. This time she had no
eyes for him. He sauntered slowly the
way they went. noted all down the
Roman gallery the grace Of her free
gait. saw her disappear into the read
ing room. and went home.
His home was i'm Kent. and he was
going TO say goodbye TO il for while
for next week he started for the east.
10 watch, under cloudless skies, paid
and uninterested workers scraping at
the earth to bring to light such cold
witnesses TO old faith and loyalty and
love as lined the gallery where he had
met her.
The last days were full. His father.
who stayed at home and wrote the
books for which Neville gathered the
materials. had many last words to saw.
Also his typewriting girl had gone off
III, and there was a delay i'm getting
another So Neville spent a good many
hours IN the work secretaries are paid
for. Also his aunt. who adored him.
wanted his opinion on the new Dutch
garden that was now a bit of meadow
beyond the orchard. and was to be a
blaze of formal beauty when he came
home again.
You'll think about that mass of vel
low tulips and forGet-me-nots when
you are boiling your brains in Egypt"
she said
I'm not imaginative enough" he told
her. Il shall see the old garden as I
always do. and the rose arches all red
and pink and yellow. and my nice aunt
shipping off the dead flowers with a
pair of rusty scissors"
Aren't there any flowers out there?"
she asked.
''Oh. yes cactus flowers. but they're
not pleasant to pick. It's difficult to
believe that spring really viii come
again, isn't IL? when one sees the
Grown. bare trees and the heaps of dead
leaves"
But all the flowers are there under
the leaves, said the aunt; and spring
really will come again"
The aunt was right. Spring did come
again. And with its coming came Ne
Vile Underwood from the dry east. He
sent his luggage up from the station
In the dog cart that came to meet him.
and he himself walked up through the
woods in the splendor of one of those
afternoons when May takes the role of
July and plays the part perfectly.
The beeches were thick with bright.
light leaves. the elms were fully
dressed; only the oaks stood almost
bare The underground of hazel and
sweet chestnut was thick and fresh.
Through its moving green the sun
made a golden haze and the shadows of
the leaves danced on a pathway that
was all green grass and glad little
thriving wild weeds
Dear God. but it's good to see green
woods again." he said
And II was here. among the weeds.
that he met her the second time. In
the middle of that wood Is carrefour.
an open space OF bright fine grass, and
from II four broad green rides run.
straight as arrows. dip and dwindle
and grow invisible with distance. The
ground is green. the underground is
green and the new fronds of bracken
and the trees overhead. And in all this
green note Of deep blue is likely To
take the eye Of the sazer