The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1909-03-27


warm place for my long sleep. 1 re-
call that my last thought was of how
| dreary and heart breaking my awak-
| ening would be in the spring. Yet
| when the awakening came-wel, am
female thing. and that must be suffi-
cient explanation.
1t was on warm and lovely day in
April that I languidly uncoiled and
! Slid out to lie upon the stones. Never
shall I forget how the beauty of that
| day thrilled me. l was glad, 1 exulted,
only to live once more. My memories
of love and sorrow seemed vague.
Had 1 ever wished to die? Well, now
longed to live
The valley stretched before my
eyes, green and shining like a great
emerald. There were splashes of yell
low where the buttercups grew. and
there We're shooting stars, and all the
sweet winds of spring
| l remember my first glimpse of my
self in still pool that spring. You
may have observed a woman. reft of
her love. in your own life. you human
things You may have seen her tears,
her anguish. her garb of woe Then
when few months have gone by, you
must have one day had your eyes daz-
zled by her sudden poisoning out
into new and wonderful beauty. You
must have marveled at the color in
her cheeks. the brilliancy of her eyes.
the warmth of her mouth. the subtle
grace of her movements. So it was
with me. Life throbbed once more
through all my being
The loneliness grew unbearable
One day as l lay curled, half-asleep.
heard a step. A moment later a
man came close to my heap of stones
sprang erect, kissing and swelling,
| for l had not time to escape. He
paused and looked at me-
Beautiful thing." he said, In a
tone of sadness Strike. if you will.
| shall not harm you"
He threw himself on the ground
near me. He was unarmed. Ashamed,
but incredulous. I dropped back into
a coil. and lay watching him, motion
less, save for the slow sliding of Ey
head from side to side. He looked at
me steadily.
That snake could be so beauti-
full" he said. in the same sad tone.
He reached out his hand with ca
ressing motion. Come" he said, I'VE
are alone. Let us be friends
His eyes drew me with an irresisti-
BILE fascination. A new, strange feel
ing stirred me. l uncoiled, and slid
to him with graceful undulations. He
laid his hand upon me, and both of us
were without fear
Days passed. 1 learned gradually
that he had come there to forget a
woman. He pitched tent near the
stones and dwelt there. l followed
him everywhere. never permitted
him to get out of my sight
One night when the moon hung
large and yellow on the violet breast
of the sky. he threw himself upon his
blankets. and held his hands out to
me.
Il am sorrowful tonight. Lilith."
ne said-he called me that Come
close, closer. my beautiful. Make me
forget nights"
In that hour. as l slid into the
warmth of his breast I knew that
sometime, somewhere, I had been
when 1 was a woman, that l should
| nave OOCH TSCISdtSu III tulS lOTI !
Beautiful, oh, beautiful! Yes; but I'M
fitted for any save the lower loves.
and this love was of the highest; the
love of woman for man.
1 shrank, quivering, from the mem
DRY of that other love. So must
woman shrink. loathing and shudder-
ing. from the memory of such a love
when. through some great, exalting
passion, a new and noble soul has
been born in her.
Having no arms and no lips.
curled close, close, into his breast, and
around his splendid throat l drew my
throbbing coils. Then it was that he
said: ''Lilith. what eyes you have!
They are like two little lamps of GRIM
son fire, glowing in the dusk"
All that night and many. many 9TH
ers. 1 slept there.
In the gorgeous pomp of an August
dawn the man awoke. with the snake
twined about him. The woman he
had been trying to forget stood beside
him. He flung the snake from him
and stretched out trembling arms to
the woman.
Dearest" she cried Did you
think could bear it? l knew better.
have followed you. and I shall never
leave you again." She sank to him.
sobbing. and laid her mouth upon
his.
He put his arms around her and
held her there silently.
Suddenly she screamed and sprang
erect.
"a snakei Kill it! Kill it,"
1t was coiled, kissing, to spring
at her. Already his hand was on his
revolver. There was a flash. The
woman screamed again. The snake
was dead. In a moment the man had