The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-02-23
PhnndnP sc1o| md
Benefit
A Page Planned to Please
And Benefit the Women
THE FIXED STAR

Meanwhile, Waring stayed away
deliberately. He, too, was having his
bad hour. He was harassed with
Itself- distrust. with the fear that his
emotions were intense, not deep. He
loved Marguerite. but would his love
endure? He had loved before. but
never woman whose soul was SO
beautiful, whose mind was SO fine
Even when his heart cried out for
her, his fear of himself kept him
away.
One morning he awoke refresh ed
bodily and mentally. During the
night doubt had been cast out If
he could win this one woman in the
! world. live with her daily, all the
lesser qualities OF his nature would
fall into line, would be dominated by
the higher.
He went to see her She came
! toward him with the gravity of glance
I that he loved. with nothing gone
| from the friendliness of her greeting.
1t was as IL she had not noticed his
| absence.
II he had needed spur, no other
attitude would have given it so thor
oughIy.
II have not seen you for a week.
he said, holding her hand closely.
We had not met each other in
| this incarnation. that was ALL" he
said.
but you don't really believe that.
do you. that our souls live many
! lives?" she asked.
Just now / believe only one thing.
/ that have known you always" and
added, mentally. and loved you al
ways"
How can an artist and 4 poet find
time for such deep meta physical in
vestigauon?" she asked, hoping to
turn the conversation into safer, less
personal channels.
III Is an instructive feeling, that il
ALL Now am going to give you
some tea he said.
His intuition told him that she
wanted the friend before the lover,
and he was wise with the wisdom
that comes, alas, with experience.
They talked Of things spiritual and
things material until tho afternoon
was gone. He took her home. leav-
ing her with a lingering handclasp
! and long look into her eyes
The next day he returned, the pic
ture that wis hers framed and ready
| to hang. He insisted upon hanging
| IT. sweeping obstacles from his path
with the erergy that characterized
him, and ne insisted upon hanging it
over her desk, removing the picture
already there with the deliberate IN
tent that 1t should be his picture that
inspired her work and none other.
His determination carried every
thing before him. Every day he de-
Vised some theme that would bring
them together; picture exhibition 10
be viewed, music to be heard. His
strong personality EMBODIED her and
smut her In away from the rest of
mankind. He brought her books To
read and even her thoughts were
colored by suggestive phrases that
gave pause for reelection.
"A whole week." she wondered
Have you been painting every dav
and all day lcng?''
II have done nothing but think.
/ After your picture was finished,
sank into the slough of despond
partly physical, l think: it always
comes after hard work But this
time II put me into an utterly abiect
frame OF mind. / questioned whether
there We're any virtue In me. ! Won
dered If | mad emotions, not feelings
. II l were IN artist. not a man. And
| l thought Of you MORNING, noon and
night. You see, ] have really thought
of nothing else since first saw you
/ loved you then. You know 1t. didn't
your"
No." Marguerite said quietly.
ut must have been because Won
doubted the depth OF my feeling, not
its intensity. And so / stayed away
TO find myself, and day after day I
could find nothing but you. You are
everything that there Is in the world
to me-"
| He rose ana moved toward her.
She stood up, with sudden impulse
toward flight He took her hands
and drew her toward him.
II am afraid of you" she said, her
eyes dark and her heart beating
wildly.
And I am desperately afraid Of
you" he answered, but love casts
out fear" ard he heid her gentfS and
tenderiy Until there was only love be-
| tween than.