Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-26

A&STSSsB must find, for otherwise my
&SlG$ Iona" cannot rightly be inter
TN'sN preed.
Henri Won Orr German composer and master of
no little fame, spoke with passionate warmth, his
eyes aglow with the enthusiasm which, his by
birthright had been cultivated and increased by
long years of unfang devotion to the art which
not work to him but wife, child, home, life
everything
The American addressed, puffed away contem
patively at his cigar. He was good to look at,
this man, with his square jawed, clean-shaven
face inscrutable grey eyes and sinewy form, set
off to the best advantage by the scrupulous neat
ness of his attire. Though not more than thirty
years of age, the between his brows and
the deep-cut lines around his mouth proclaimed
him to have been sluggard in the strenuous
life of the world of to-day. For a moment he
did not answer but sat, gazing with half shut
eyes at the rings of smoke as they formed and
vanished above his head. When he did speak
there tinge of bitterness in his voice.
"Well I wish you luck, old man; but to be
frank in American provincalism | will say that
I'm very much afraid you're up against it, for
to my personal knowledge women, as rule, don't
go about breaking their hearts. It's much more
convenient" he added sotto voce, "to break the
hearts of Others"
"As rule no." assented Won Orr eagerly, "It
is not as. rule that their hearts they break.
All no! And that is why say that it will prob
ably be many months before I will be able to
present to the public my opera. Somewhere in
the wide world there is an exception to that rule
and that exception | must find, though even
then will I not be bettered unless the broken
hearted one be singer. So you see, my friend
Emroy I have before me a quest indeed; but
l do not despair. I instead look forward to the
bright future, when the melodies of my Iona"
will be the lips of all-when Won Orr will
be but second to Wagner in the hearts of the
people Gladstone days are coming to me and l
will not shrink from the effort necessary to secure
my final success"
Clark Emroy smiled, and the same tinge of bit
ter hardness which marked his voice, characterized
his smile. He made light answer to the
remarks of his friend and shortly afterward left
the park where they two had been sitting and
returned to his hotel.
He went to his room, changed his coat for
a smoking jacket, and, after lighting his pipe,
flung himself into his chair and proceeded to
look over his mail. He glanced carelessly over
cast all aside when he noticed square, cream
coored, heavily crested envelope which, had, in
some way slipped to the floor unobserved. He
stopped and picked it up while muttered ex-
clamation escaped his lips he noted the firm,
feminine chirography on the face.
For several moments he turned it and
without breaking the seal; then, finally tore
it open and read the contents. The letter bore
no heading was it signed. 1t merely said:
81 coming-in what capacity you know.
Appealing to any sense of nobility which you
may have acquired since last l saw you | beg
that you spare me a sight of your face. am
that you will do this when you take into
consideration all that has passed between
There is no need of saying more, for probably
meeting would be distasteful to you as
to me-"
With muttered word which might have been
a curse or a prayer, Emroy mechanically folded
the letter and placed it in his pocket book with
hands tri1e unsteady During the few moments
spent in reading the note he had grown haggard
and old His brow was contracted as though from
pain and a faint white line showed round his
lips But he betrayed no other sign of emotion
and for the next half hour sat where he was,
smoking quietly. At last he glanced at his watch,