The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-03-10
| THE LOST LAND.


the terrace, sitting out with a part
ner who had laughingly declined to
dance. The fragrant scent of hot
e.. house flowers hung in the air, and the
strains of the famous Ell Dorado waltz
f1oated out from the ballroom.
He was a tall, misunderstanding
man; he had a strong chin and good
honest brown eyes. His was the face
of a man who had fought a hard bat
tie and conquered.
The woman-the woman who
didn't want to dance-was a slight
creature with a pair OF haunting
gray eyes and a cloud Of fair, exQuis-
itely silky hair. There was a some
thing indescribably attractive and al
Turing in her whole personality.
The Ell Dorado" murmured Vanes-
sa, listening to the music. She gave
a slight, delicate laugh, then she
turned to her companion.
do you think there is an Ell Dora
.do-such a country" she asked med
itatively, ''or is it a fairy tale, like
the rest?"
Her sigh was infinitely pathetic.
It was difficult to realize for the mo-
ment that an eminent]y successful
woman was asking the wistful ques-
ton, a woman whose art had made
her famous, and who played the vio-
lin as none other could or would.
Curious, too, that she should ques-
ton David Royant on the subject. If
there was a man on earth who had
found the land of Ell Dorado this maj
had, for Royant was a millionaire,
and more than a millionaire, a man
who had built up a miraculous for
tune, as it were, in the twinkling of
an eye. He had stumbled on a gold
mine by pure accident.
"Oh, no, I believe in Ell Dorado.
OF course, there is such a land
there must be-" he continued, "cth-
erwise all the poets and dreamers
have been mad--all the singers. all
the musicians. And it would be
rather a pity to believe that, wouldn't
at?"
Ills was uOL IHe hISI llulC uC 'lo0
met Vanessa Leasing by any means,
for they were friends now Of long
standing; but the woman interested
him. For all her fame, for all her
magnificent success, and her curious
and indefinite beauty, her face was
not the face of a happy woman. The
eyes were hungry eyes.
Some people"-Vanessa spoke
slowly and very softly-"some people
hold that Ell Dorado is a land of gold.
1t is the city Of the rich man, and no
one can enter it unless he has great
wealth"
David Royant shook his head.
Don't believe that story" he said
decidedly; lit is a fable. I am a rich
man myself. but"-he spread out his
hands-"I haven't found the land
you speak OF, though 1 came near to
finding it once"
His strong rugged face softered.
A new look came into his eyes.
"Tell me-" she leaned forward,
"how did you come near to the coun-
try, how did you lose you chance of
landing in it,"
1T is a very ordinary story" he
smiled, then crumpled his program up
into a hard ball; "just the story of
a young man pa%ssionately in love
with a young woman, who goes
abroad to try to make a fortune Cor
her. He comes back years after with
his fortune, but the girl"
Eyes, the girl?" murmured Va
nessa.
"She's the mother of girls herself"
he answered simply, "a sparkling
young matron of thirty. Happy
enough, I've no doubt. even though
the man she married doesn't happen
to be quite so wealthy as 1 am. Oh,
T don't suppose she cared much for
me, really" he added with a dry
laugh. 'else she would have waited
as other women have waited"
Things are better for you THAI
they were for me-" she muttered.
She %shuddered as she spoke.
Years ago when I was young,
barely eighteen" she went on, II was
engaged to be married. He was a
struggling young barrister, and I was
one of a family of many sisters.
There was no earthly prospect of our
being married for years; but that
didn't matter in the least, we were
quite happy. And then, one after
noon, when l happened to be playing
my violin at a small afternoon party,
a big musician heard me, and told
me that if / chose TO work hard
should have a future before me-a
great future. Of course, 1 was ex-
cited-fiattered. Then, later on,
when the big mans opinion was cor
roborated by other great musicians,
1t seemed natural that I should &C
cept the great offer made me BY a
liberal patron of musician offer to
pay my expenses in Paris if l chose
to study music there, and definitely
take 1t up as q profession. Ny kind
friend made n stipulation, how
ever; I was to break off my engage
mentor a time. For an artist can
not serve two gods, she said, and !
suppose she was right. For music
demands everything--one's life, ones
soul"
you broke off your engagement
Royant spoke CURLY.
Il broke it off in a sort of a way
but il was an understood thing be-