Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-24

1 iiuItu DIS liAONcLt do d iOWCIs Aoi .
| beautiful to me than-than all the women
| ford House. / am going home toto
save myself"
'Save yourself.' cried Jan. ''Mon Dieu,
| m sieur-does she not love your
"She would follow me to the end of the
earth.'
"Then-'
| Thornton Strengthened himself and wiped
| his pale face. Suddenly he rose to his
| feet and motioned for Jan to follow him.
He walked swiftly out into the night,
and still faster after that, until they
| stopped they could look over the forests
far into the pale light Of the south.
That's hell for me.' said Thornton.
pointing. Its what We call civilization
me- It's hell of big cities, of strife, of
blood-letting, Of wickedness. I never
knew how great a hell 1t was until !
came up here-among you. I wish to God
1 could stay-always!'
You love her, breathed Jan. "You
can stay
Il can't groaned Thornton. II can't
| unless
What IN sieur?'
"Unless 1 lose everything-but her.
JAMS fingers trembled as they sought
Thornton's hand.
and everything is-is-nothing when
| you give it for love and happiness. he
urged. The great God. l know
Everything" cried Thornton. Don't
you understand? l said everythlng! He
turned almost fiercely upon his compan-
ion. I'D give up my name-for her. Ia
| bury myself back there in the forests
and never go out Of thenl-for her. I'd
give up fortune, friends. lose myself for
ever-for her. But / can't. Good God,
don't you understand?
Jan stared. His eyes grew large and
dark
I've spent ten years Of worse than hell
down herewith woman, went on
Thornton 1T happens among us-fre-
quently, this sort of hell. l came up here
to get out of it for time. You KNOW
now There is a woman down there who
who is my wife. She would be glad If
never returned. She is happy now, when
am away, and have been happy-for a
time. I know what love is. l have 1eit
it. 1 have lived it. God forgive me, but
am almost tempted to go back-to her!'
He stopped at the change which had
come in Jan. who stood as straight and
as still as the blank spruce behind them,
with only his eyes showing that there was
life in him. Those eyes held Thornton s..
They burned upon him through the gray
gloom as he had never seen human eyes
| burn before. He waited, half startled,
and Jan spoke. In his voice there was
nothing of that which Thornton saw In
his eyes. 1t was low and soft. and though
| it had that which rung like steel, Thorn
| ton could not have understood or feared
| it more. $40
"M'sieur, how far have yon gone-with
her?"
| Thornton understood and advanced with
| his hands reaching out to Jan
| only as far as one might go with the
purest thing earth,' he said. Il have
sinned-in loving her and in letting her
| love me, but that is all, Jan Thoreau.
| swear that is am
| And you are going back into the
, south?''
yes. am going back into the SOUTH
| The next day Thornton did not 90. He
made no sign of going OH the second day.
So it was with the third. the fourth and
the fifth. On each of these days Jan went
| once. i'll the afternoon. to the office OF the
/ accompanied him. At times. when Jan
I was not looking, there was a hungry light
! in his eyes as he followed the other $
movements, and once or twice Jan caught
what was left of this look when he turned
unexpectedly. He knew what was i'll
| Thornton's mind, and he pitied him,
| grieved with him in his own heart until
| his own secret almost Wrung itself from
his lips Somehow: in a way that he
! could not understand. Thornton's sacrifice
| to honor and his despair gave Jan
| strength. and a hundred times he asked
| himself If confession of his own misery
would do as much for the other He re-
peate1 this thought to himself again and
again on the afternoon of the ninth day
| when he went to the subcommissioner 5
office alone. This time Thornton had re-
manned behind. He had left him In a
gloomy corner of the hotel room, from
which he had not looked up when Jan
! went out with kaZan.
| This ninth day was the last day fol-
Jan ThOreau. In daZed sort OF way he
listened as the subcolnmssioner told hin
that the work was ended. They SHOOK
hands. 1t was dark when Jan came out
from the company's offices dark with a
pale gloom. through which the stars were
| beginning to glow'-with a ghostly gloon
lghtened still more in the north with the
rising fires of the northern lights. Alone
Jan stood for a few moments close dowr
to the river. Across from him was the
forest. silent, black. reaching 10 the enc
of the earth and over it. like Iiena
light, beckoning him back to his world
the aurora sent out Its shafts of red ant
gold. And he listened there came Il
him family distant wailing sound ira
ne knew was the voice from that world
and at the sound tile hair rose alont
kaZan's spine, and lie whined deep dow
in his throat. JAMS breath grew quicker
his blood warmer over there-across th'
river-the world was calling to him, ant
he. Jan Thoreau. was now free to go
This very night lie would bury himself il
the forest again. and when he lay do"i
10 sleep il would be with his beloved star:
above him. and the winds WHISPERING
sympathy and brotherhood to him iii III
spruce. tops. He would go-noW- III
would say eood-bye To Thornton-and go
lie found himself running and kazaI
ran beside him. He Was breathlesS Whei
he came TO the one lighted street or tn
town. He hurried to the hotel ana 1oun'
| Thornton sitting where he had ieft MIN
1T is ended, m'sieur,' he cried i'll low
voice 1T is over and l am going. an
soirg tonight.
u Thornton rose Tonight" he repeated
Yes tonieht-now. I am going to picl
T up my things. Win YOU Gomez?
He went ahead of Thornton 10 the bar
1 little room in which he had SLEPT whil
at the hotel. He did not notice the chang
in Thornton until he had lighted tamp
Thornton was looking at him doggedly
} There was an unpleasant look in his face
a flush about his ewes, rigid tensenes
! in the muscles Of his Jaws.
And II, too, am going tonight" IN
r said.
Into the south. m'sieur?
mo. into the north There was
fierceness in Thornton's emphasis. H
y stood opposite Jan. leaning over the tabl
U on which the light was placed NV
broken loose, he went OH. I'm not go
a ing south-back to that hell of mine. Tn
I never going south again. I'm dead dow
l there-dead for all time. They'll neve
T hear of Inc again. They can have my for
j tune-everything. I'm going north. Tn
> / IN live xnith