The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-01-21
An Earthly Paradise

II was case OF 1--we at first sight
She was slender and delicate. with an
exquisite. appealing beauty. He was
big and strong and lusty.
They met at the seashOre. and. in
the privacy created by crowd, their
intimacy grew spaee She knew be-
fore she had spoken to him al all
that she loved him. AS soon as he
touched her hand he knew that she
was the only girl he ever could love.
The gossips smiled and nodded,
whispering behind open fans as gos-
sips will The 1rst interview lasted
only an hour. but It ended down be-
hind the overturned boat that lies at
the foot of the cliff and the boat
screened his first kiss
All through the evening, far into the
night, that kiss hung as a veil between
him and the rest Of the world.
AS for her, she remembered him in
her prayers that night. Please, dear
God, bless Jack! For he was Jack to
her, Jack and only Jack. and it seemed
to her that In asking God to bless him,
she was asking for blessing for her
entire world.
The next morning they met as old
acquaintances meet-no, as lovers
meet-and straightway they entered
into Paradise They were the first
two. They were the only two The
day heightened, the shadows grew and
with the shadows came the angel
with the flaming sword
To the two there appeared stran-
ger. a stranger who attracted his at.
tention from that first love of his. She
stood aloof from them for moment,
then begged some triiing aid from
him, then led him far away, down the
beach, long, long distance from the
overturned boat
When he returned there was no radi
ant Eve awaiting him in the garden
Had be dallied too long? Had she
grown tired Of waiting? Had she
thought him faithless? The sands
about the boat were empty, desolatel
The gates of Paradise were closed A
gray sea-fog held all the world.
He waited while the night closed in
about him. but he saw no glimpse Of
her, he heard no sound of her. In the
early morning, he sought her, first by
the overturned boat where the GardeI
of Eden had so lately iourished, ther
up and down all the long length OF the
beach. But his search was vain.
At last he found her, though, sitting
on the sand sheltered by circle Of
those silly, whispering gossips. There
could be no speech with her under
their watching eeys, near their listen
ing ears. She would not raise hel
eyes to his, although he felt in every
quivering nerve that she knew that h
was near.
One by one the gossips drifted away
Were they being kind TO him or only
kind to love?
With downcast eyes and fingers alb
sorbed in her work. she sat alone. too
proud to fly from MIN.
His heart at his finger-tips, ready t
lay at her feet, he approached he
softly.
"Dosia," he whispered, but she dit
not even raise her eyes
"Dosia, Dosia, pleased" he implored
and still her eyelids did not CULVER,
"Dosia, posia, won't you speak Il
| me? Don't you know me?'
He was PROSTATE at her feet, AM
now she raised her eyes, her eyes tina
had been blue and soft as the sky a
noon but now were cold as steel, fror
them shot the CLEANS that the d.
mon OF jealousy had stolen from tn
angels flaming sword.
II? ] know you? Yes. know jus
who and what you are" Her yoic
was ironical.
They were the only words sh
spoke Again with downcast eyes sh
went on with her work But he kne'
that the end Of all things had com
and he strobe away to face future a
long and as empty and as cold a
eternity
After q long time. though, he, to'
found consolation In work, In a kind
work that enabled him to forget eve
love. He built high sand fort with
tower that might reach even 10 tn
stars. And her work? II was a deel