The San Francisco call., 1910-04-24

then he saw himself stripped of the plates of mail
with which he had buckled himself during his long,
wearing fight. The battered armor of battle fell
away and left him naked and futile and pitiful He
looked about him. in this sweet land of purple and
gold this upper height to which he had won by
stratagem sally, ambuscade, at the point of con-
quering sword, this stratum of the socially elect.
And he found it strewn with shards, cold unlovely,
repelling
He bore scars upon him, too and these he marked.
The old that had healed and the newer ones
still sharp and gaping, that had fallen upon him dur
ing his last month of breathless wearing combat
For he had fought fought hard to hold what he had
gained fought against the leaping traitorous revolt
in his own breast and-the call of a woman He had
fought and he had And to what purpose? !?
Only to learn that victory was denied him. that he
had been condemned and banished by judges who
saw but the thick dust of conflict raging about him
and said that he had lost. And this was the end OF
his ambitionl
JAR TO THE NERVES
But there was cooling draft ready to his 1ips
If he left this land under sentence he need not 90
alone or uncontrolled There was still one prize one
compensation that he could carry back with him to
the lower levels, the outer darkness He had handled
her investments Detray had said Yes that was true
And he had done WELL with the shrewd knowledge he
had gained in his campaign. He had piled gold upon
had never permitted himself read the full message
IN her eyes when he brought her and still more
But now he remembered it and read it. He and she
should take it for their journey back
He was standing in the dark room looking out
INTO the amp canyon of the street when the sudden
slamnling of his outer door set every nerve in him
to Janghng, With furious protest on His lips he
strobe to the switch and snapped it, waiting for the
appearance of the obsequious Hopkins He saw the
mans hand draw back the curtain, caught passing
glimpse of his lowered head and she stepped into the
full flood of the light
The years of marriage had wrought small chance
In Marion Keith, now Mrs Osterman. Slim grill sb.
her clear, gray had lost of their clearness
the curve of her fair face none of its purity She
was dressed Tor evening and where the cloak fell
away her young shoulders showed white and firm
Her entrance from between the dark curtains was
theatrc, but none the less effective. He recalled
her as he had seen her her wedding night in the
dim hall, when all her precious person had seemed
to hold distinct radiance. Now under the lights
she was dazzling.
He wanted until the shufling feet of Honk;ns b.d
passed down the hall and then he took her hand In
her eyes, close to his he caught again the old signal
and again, as always, came the answering surge
within him. What do you want here, Maron?" he
asked as he led her to chair. He did not ston to
find why he had not seized hr his arms as in the
hot fury of imagination he so often seized her Per-
haps it was because the habit of the struggle was
still strong upon him. She answered him with
straight glance unwavering, he sought the divan
Il thought it was time to comep she said. simply
Does it help matters to say that?" he asked, lust
as he would have asked months ago when the frst
blow of the fray had fallen from his raised arm.
Robert, this is the end" she answered firmly.