Evening star., 1909-09-04


WM9AN ~ with confidence and
@kS0I/ graceful appear
9SN] ance of eagerness.
Il beg your par
don," he said lis this where Judge HAS
sci lives?'
lane lifted her face,spink as hersgowh'
and then she rose.
Yes" she said Her.heart beattso that
she could say no more.
..Why. then this Rudolph. eXclaimed
with a smile. must be Jane Hassel!'
Yes. Mr. Victor said Jane, simply;
I'm so glad you remember me-
Indeed. l remember you," Rudolph as
sured her graciously. May | come in?
In Rudolph's ten years of art study in
New York and abroad he had not once
found time to come back to the little town
whose Great House" on the hil had been
bis home For his mother had lived
abroad also. and their return now was
simply TO give attention to the property.
but you," Rudolph. asked Jane, little
pityingly: You have been living mere an
these years."
Yes" Jane said; III have been almost
nowhere Father and / have lived here
quietly with his books and my flowers
1T is a wonderful old garden said Ru-
dolph. rather with an air of assuring her
of its excellence than of admiring ,t
and because il was a delight to watch her
color reappear with each new question,
Rudolph added for graceful patronage:
Where do you like best to sit?'
lane tried TO remember, but she could
hardly think at all for the surging OF her
heart She had seen Rudolph only once
before since his return, and then he had
not seen her; but that time had set strange
little voices atune
She had been leaving shop when re
had handed his mother from her carriage.
Look. mother" she had heard him say
In his tired voice. ''at the West Hills.
Their outline is almost a straight line.
Wonderful
Early in the morning. Jane said, shy
ly. when the sun is just up, / always stay
over there by the ho1lyhocks. There IS
something about the way the shadows are
that makes me pretend l am little girl
And then
She stopped in confusion and looked ap-
pealingiy at Rudolph to see If he were
laughing.
And then" repeated Rudolph, with
DOlltG interest, Watching thS Soioi NiSoP
down her throat She lost the patronage
in his tone in the feeling that she must
prove herself to this man. who could not
dream that she. too, knew and loved the
" est Hills, and all the beauty that he had
learned to love.
Have you been very lonely?" asked Ru-
dolph, laying down her book without COM
ment.
Don't you see?" said Jane. turning TO
him with sudden passionate eagerness,
1--WE no one in the world to whom |
would talk of-these things-any more
than would let them see me cry. Think
of all the people whom you know-whom
YOU must know-and imagine having no.
body
Rudolph thought for minute, and from
his medley of friends and acquaintance
artists, debutantes, models, clubmen, ac-
tresses and few stray literary fash
lghts-he gradually. by the help of Jane $
mute Imagination. conjured up goodiy
company of brilliant, suggestive. respon-
sive minds, to be for the moment cut off
from whom. he heaved sudden sigh.
YES" he said and believed in the COM
pany, Minerva-born. for that instant.
I've got father" said Jane. Father
loves bis books, but he loves the logic and
science and-and all the mere machinery
of beautiful things rather than beauty IL
self"
Rudolph laughed delightedly. Here was
the artistic nature, indeed, and it was, as
il so rarely Is, unconscious.
Presently, when he remembered to ask
It, she took him to the other garden book
shelves. There was one behind the holly
hooks. Bricks had been struck out of the
wall and the aperture lined with thin
boards and filed with well-worn volumes.
and the holIyhocks kept watch before
them.
Exquisite" he said: Il fancy l cou.d
work In some delicious corner such as this
/ am very sensitive TO atmosphere" .
L always come here at evening"" said
little Jane. naively. Then do what ST.
Guido did-'wait for the magic to begin.
but never have known what it was"
Tell me what the magic is sometimes, -
Rudolph asked, sitting beside her on the
old stone bench.
We'll, sometimes" said Jane, II pretend
that am one of the little dryads there
come to life. And then talk to the other
dryads left there, lonely in the stone, and
L
is to be alive than just an immortal dryad.
And sometimes / pretend that one of the
naiads that used to live in the fountain
comes up in the white phlox and talks to
me-"
Rudolph rested his arm along the bench
and dropped his head in his hand. The
stone bench. the white phlox. the old sun
dial, Jane in the pink gown, he himself
what a charming picture they must make
il. the warm June afternoon; and how well
their talk fitted the picture, he thought.
In vast content.
And what is the magic of the morn
ings?" he asked, softly.
I'm the mornings" said Jane, happily,
Il sometimes have my breakfast in the
arbor. II is very early but the roses have
been a long time awake This morning a
big rose nodded right over my glass of
cream. and If a fairy was asleep in it she
fell out and was drowned and drank her
up. That was magic enough. surely
IF bring my share of magic" he said
impulsively. may 1 come to breakfast In
the arbor In the morning."
1T is at o'clock said Jane. doubt
fully.
THE very incest time" declared Ru-
dolph without tremor
'Ah," he applauded himself, as he idled