The Sauk Centre herald., 1909-09-30
CHAPTER vi.

Margaret took Van Torp with her
to the performance the next day, after
impressing upon him that he was not
to speak, not to whisper, not to ap-
plaud, not to make any sound, from
the moment he entered the theater
till he left it for the dinner interval
He was far too happy with her to
question anything she said, and
obeyed her most scrupulously. Twen-
ty-four hours earlier she would have
laughed at the idea that his presence
beside her at such a time could be not
only bearable, but sympathetic, yet
that seemed natural now The diva
and the ex-cowboy, the accomplished
musician and the Californian miner.
the sensitive, gifted, capricious wom-
an and the iron-jawed money-wolf had
found that they had something in
common. Wagner's last music affected
them in the same way.
Such things are not to be explained,
and could not be believed if they did
not happen again and again before
the eyes of those who know how to
see, which is quite a different thing
from merely seeing. Margaret's sud-
den liking for the man she had once
so thoroughly disliked had begun
when he had whistled to her. 1t grew
while he sat beside her In the dark
ened theater She was absorbed by
the music, the action, and the scene,
and at this second hearing she could
h11f
was subconscious Of what her neigh
Dor felt. He was not so motionless
merely because she had told him that
he must sit still; he was not so in
tent on what he heard and saw, mere
ly to please her; it was not mere in
terest that held him, still less was 1t
curiosity. The spell was upon him;
he was entranced, and Margaret
knew it.
Even when they left the theater and
drove back to the hotel, he was silent,
and she was the first to speak. Mar
garet hated the noise and confusion
of the restaurant near the Festival
theater.
you have enjoyed it." she said.
I'm glad l Drought you.
I've felt something I don't under
stand" Van Torp answered gravely.
She liked the reply for it's simplici-
ty. She had perhaps expected that
he would summon up his most pic
turesque language to tell her how
much pleasure the music had given
him, or that he would perhaps laugh
at himself for having been moved;
but instead, he only told her that he
did not understand what he had felt;
and they walked on without another
word
go and get something to eat," she
said when they reached the hotel,
"and I'll meet you here in half an
hour. I don't care to talk either"
He only nodded, and lifted his hat
as she went up the steps; but instead
of going to eat, he sat down on a
bench outside, and waited for her
there, rejecting on the nature of his
new experience.
Like most successful men, he looked
on all theories as trash, good enough
to amuse clever idlers, but never to
be taken into consideration in real
life. He never asked about the prin-
ciple on which any invention was
founded; his first and only question
was: will it work.
Considering himself as the raw ma
terial, and the theater he had just
left as the mill, he was forced to ad-
nit that "Parsifap worked"
Presently Margaret came out Of the
hotel, expecting to find him waiting
for her within the hall. and prepared
to be annoyed with him for taking so
long over a meal She stood on the
step and looked about, and saw him
sitting on the bench at a little dis
tance. He raised his eyes as she came
towards him and then rose quickly
'Is it timer" he asked.
"Yes, "she said. Did you get any
thing decent to eat?"
"Yes," he answered vaguely. That
is, now l think Of it. ! forgot about
dinner. It doesn't matter"
She looked at his hard face curious
ly and saw dead blank. the blank
that had sometimes frightened her by
its possibilities, when the eyes alone
came suddenly to life.
Wont you go in and get a biscuit,
or a sandwich" she asked after a
moment.
"Oh, no. thanks. I'm used to skip
ping meals when I'm interested In
things. Let's 60. If you're ready"
Il believe you are one of natures
Wagnerites." Margaret said, as they
drove up the hill again. and she
smiled at the idea
WELL" he answered slowly,
there's one thing. II you don't mind
my telling you. It's rather personal
Perhaps I'd better not"
The prima donna was silent for a
few moments, and did not look at
him.
Tell me-" she said suddenly.
IT'S this. / don't know how long
the performance lasted, but while 1t
was going on forgot you were close
beside me. You might just as well
not have been there. It's the FIRST
time since ! ever knew you that I've
been near you without thinking about
you all the time, and / hadn't realized
1t till was sitting there By myself.