Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-19

| or a million years. she knew not which.
and 10. where it had been stood another
| city, different, utterly different, only a
| hundred times more glorious. Out of the
created. into the black bosom of nothing
ness were they gathered. while others,
| ever more perfect, pressed into their
place. So. too, changed the mountains,
and so the trees, while the CULTS became
garden and the fiery lakes a pleasant
stream, and from the seed Of the strange
| flowers grew immemorial forests wreath
ed about with rosy mists and bedecked in
glimmering dew. With music they were
born. on the wings OF music they fed
! away, and after them that sweet music
| walled like memories
hand took hers and drew her down.
ward. and up to meet her leapt myriads
of points of light. in every point a tiny
/ face. They gazed at her with their
golden eyes; they whispered together con-
corning her. and the sound of their whis-
perfng was the sound of the sea at peace.
They accompanied her to the very heart
| OF the opal rose of life whence all these
wonders welled, they set her in a great
gray hall rooted in with leaning cliffs.
! and there they left her desolate
Fear came upon her. the loneliness
choked her, 1t held her by the throat like
thing alive She seemed about to die
OF II, when she became aware that once
| more she was companioned Shapes stood
about her. She could not see the shapes,
save dimly now and again as they moved,
but their eyes she could see, their great
calm pitiful eyes which looked down on
her. as the eyes of giant might look
down upon a babe. They were terrible
but she did not fear them so much as the
loneliness. for at least they lived
one OF the shapes bent over her. for its
holy eyes drew near to her. and she heard
voice in her heart asking her for what
great cause she had dared to Journey
hither before the time. She answered. in
her heart, not with her lips. that she was
bereaved Of all she loved and came to seek
them. Then, still in her heart. she
heard that voice command:
Let all this Rachers dead be brought
before her.
Instantly doors swung open at the end
| of that gray hall, and through them with
noiseIess steps. with shadowy wings.
| foated being that bore in it's arms
child. Before her it stayed. and the light
OF its starry head illumined the face of
| the child. She knew it at once-it was
that baby brother whose bones lay by the
shore of the African sea. 1t aWoke from
It's sleep. it opened it's eyes. it stretched
out its arms and smiled at her. Then it
| was gone.
Other shapes appeared. each of them
bearing its burden-a companion who had
| died at school, friends of her youth and
| childhood whom she had thought yet liv-
| Ing, young man who once had wished to
marry her and who was drowned. the SOL
1 dier whom she had killed to save the life
of Mole. AT the sight of him she shrank,
/ for his blood was on her hands. but he
only smiled like the rest. and was borne
away. to be followed by that witch doc
tress whom the Zulus had slain because
| of her, who neither smiled nor frowned,
but passed like one who wonders.
Then another shadow swept down the
| nal and In It's arms her mother-her
mother with joyful eyes. who held thin
hands above her as though in blessing
| and to whom she strove to speak, but
strove In vain. She was borne on still
1 ar -hnrn hn 1,
| her father. who blessed her also, and
whose presence seemed to shed peace upon
| her soul. He pointed upward and was
gone. gazing at her earnestly, and To- a
| form OF darkness cast something at her
| feet. 1t was Ishmael who knelt before
| her, 1shmae1 whose tormented face gazed
up at her as though imploring pardon.
struggle rent her heart Could she
| forgive? Oh! could she forgive him who
| had slain them all? Now she was aware
| that the place was filled with the points
| of light that were spirits, and that every
| one of them looked at her awaiting the
! free verdict of her heart. Rank upon
rank. also. the mighty shapes gathered
| about her, and in their arms her dead.
| and all of them looked and looked, await
| ing the free verdict of her heart: Then it
rose within her. drawn how she knew not.
| from every fiber of her infinite being. it
| arose within her. that spirit of pity and
| of pardon. AS the dead had stretched out
their arms above her, so she stretched
tured soul. and for the first time her lips
| were given power to speak
| LAS | hope for pardon SO l pardon,
| she said. Go in peace!''
Voices and trumpets caught up the
| words, and through the gray hall they
rang and echoed, proclaimed forever and
| as they died away he too was gone, and
with him went the myriad points of flame.
in each of which cleaned tiny face. She
| looked about her seeking another spirit,
| that spirit she had travelled so far and
only little dwarf that shambled alone
down the great hall. She knew him at
once for PAM. the priest. who had been
crushed in the tempest, PAM. the brother
| of Eddo. No shape bore him. for he who
| on earth had been half a ghost could
! walk this shost-world on his mortal feet.
| or her mind conceived. Past her he
shuffied shame-faced and was gone.
| Now the great doors at the end of the
| hall closed: from far away she could see
| them roll together like lightning severed
| clouds, and once more that awful loneli-
ness overcame her. Her knees gave way
beneath her. she sank down upon the
| floor. one little spot of white in its ex-
| fall and hide her. She covered her face
| with her golden hair, and wept behind its
| veil. She looked up and saw two great
| eyes gazing at her-no face, only two
| great, steady eyes. Then voice speak
| ing in her heart asked her why she wept
| whose desire had been fulfilled and she
answered that it was because she could
not find him whom she sought, Richard
Darrien. Instantly the tongues and trum-
pets took up the name.
| (To be continued tomorrow