The Southern herald., 1910-10-28

kAAEM QbNA al AAAC sNeAesNa sA-AA
scendo Of the tragedy carried her -
a mood that barred out Ella l
out Clara, barred out Harry ~
than any; but unaccOuntably
was stin with her He was ,-1i "
no viii Of hers, but by sOuS 1s-1tO,
Of his own, some quality TIA AsN
him, as it linked her, to then l''79ioH'
ate subtleties Of life. He set l.'1U 70
her the eager spirit that was uH'pt
ing and putting forward this 'i, "
and tragedy playing on befor$ -oi'
She heard him reasserted, vigS.S
lawless, wandering in the voice OF Sue
mimic strolling player, addressing his
mimic audience. The appeal Of the
tenor to the voieeless galleries, I'm
derneath this little play we show.
there is another play" seemed indeed
the very voice of Kerr repeating itself
The lights went up with spring. A
wave of motion flickered over the
house, the talking voices burst forth
all at once, and she saw him, really
saw him for the first time that even
ing, as in her fancy, part of the au-
dience; as in her fancy, neither ap-
plauding nor dissenting, yet with
what difference He leaned back in
his chair, and leaned his head little
back, as if, for WEAKNESS, he wished
there were a rest behind it; and how
indifferently, how critically, how lev.
ely he surveyed the fluttered house,
and the figures in the box beside him!
How foreign he appeared to the ardent
spirit who had dominated the dark:
how emptied Of the heat Of imagina-
tion, how worn, how dry; and even in
mis- salience, how singularly pathetic!
She felt lump in her throat, an
ache of the cruelest disappointment
as though some masker, masking as
the fire of life, had suddenly removed
the coverings of his face and showed
her the burntout bones beneath. She
found herself looking at him through
a mist of tears-there in the heart Of
publicity, in the middle of the circle
of velvet curtains!
He turned and saw her She watch.
ed a smile of the frankest pleasure
rising, as it were, to the surface Of
his weary preoccupation. Something
had delighted him. Why, it was her
self-just her being there! And she
could only helplessly blink at him.
Was ever anything so stupid as to be
caught in tears over nothing! He
Strengthened and leaned forward.
Really" he said, you must re-
member that little man has only gone
out for a glass of beer"
So he thought it was the tenor who
had brought her to the point of tears.
! "Ah, why do you say that?" she pro.
tested
He continued to smile indulgently
upon her. Would you really rather
believe it true?"
81 don't know. But wish you
hadn't thought Of the beer"
He brought the glace of his monocle
to bear full upon her, why not? II
is all we make sure Of"
"Oh, if to be sure is all you want"
she burst out; "but you don't mean
it! Wouldn't you rather have some
thing beautiful you weren't sure of,
than something certain that didn't
matter?"
He nodded to this quite casually, as
If it were an old acquaintance.
"Oh, yes; but the time comes round
when you want to be sure Of some
thing The sun never sets twice alike
over Mont Pelee; but you can always
get the same brand of lager to-day
that you had the week before" He
looked at her with faint amusement.
mo, no! l won't believe you," she
stoutly denied him. There is more
in life than you can touch You're
not like yourself to say there is not. /"
He laughed, but rather shortly.
"My dear child, forgive me; I'm sully
tonight. l feel, as l felt at 10, that
the world has treated me badly. I've
! lost my luck"
"Tm sorry" Her tone was sweetly
vague. What could be the matter
with him? Then, half timidly, she
rallied him. IF you go on like this,
/ shall have to show you my tails.
man."
"Oh, have you indeed a talisman p
\ he humored her. And it was as II he
l said: "Oh, have you doll?" He did
. not even turn his head to look at her
She was chilled. She felt the disap
pointment that his quick smile had
I lightened, return upon her. She hard
ly noticed the rise of the curtain on
the second little play, and the sing
, ing voices did not reach her with
any polgnancy. She was vaguely
aware Of movements in the box-oi
;, " Harry's coming in, of Clara's little
rustic making room for him, of the
shift of Elias chair away from the
9 business of listening, toward him, and
! her husky whisper going on will
/ some prolonged tale of dull escapade;
e but to Flora they all made only 1
9 banal background for the brooding 81
g lence of her companion.
(TO BE CoNTINUED.)
e The Oasis Of Love.
2 The minds nve ehoxUs ,ia loya oa 4As