The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-05-31

night, eliminating with his open in
vitation to a challenge from the most
desperate duelist in Europe, had In
spired a volatile vivacity such as not
even the excitement of the Casino had
been potent to create in him. OF all
mad conjectures imaginable the mad
dest was too weird for him to credit In
his humor of that hour Eliminating
all else that had happened, In the
course of that short evening, his heart
had been stirred, his emotions played
upon by a recrudesence OF a passion
which he had striven with all his
strength to put behind him for time:
he had first heard the voice of the one
woman to whom his love and faith and
honor were irretrievably pledged, he
had then seen her Cor another who re-
markably resembled herr for the scant-
lest of instants; and finally he had
| mysteriously received letter which
could, he believed, have been convey
ed to him by no other hand but hers.
And now he was persuaded beyond a
doubt that the person of the alcove,
he had chosen to risk his life, was no
body in the world but that same one
woman.
But more than all else perhaps, he
expected and feared to find the room
deserted; for the balcony outside the
windows afforded a means of escape
| too facile to be neglected by one who
| wished not to be discovered.
His first definite impression was OF
CONSERVATION and despair; for the
lights had been shut off in his abb
sence. Then quickly he discerned.
with eyes dazed by the change from
|. the lighted hallway to the lightless
chamber, the shadowy shape of wom-
an, motionless between him and the
windows, waiting.
| An electric switch was at his ell
| bow. With a single motion he could
| have drenched the place with light.
For an instant tempted, some strange
scruple of delicacy, abetted it may be
by his native love of romantic mystery,
stayed his hand.
| Madame" said he, cor mademoi.
selle, whichever We may be-the win.
/ dows are open, meself's not OBTAINING
| We. If We choose, We may go; but
/ ye'd favor me by going quickly.
| l give ye," he continued, seeing that
/ she neither moved nor replied, this
| one chance. In thirty seconds turn
| on the lights
/ The woman did not stir; but he
/ thought he could detect in the still
i ness her quickened breathing.
What we've TAKEN" he amended
I'D thank We to leave as We go-if ye
came to steal. IT'S little l have to
| lose. :"
There was no answer.
| He touched the switch with an I'M
| patient hand, stepped forward single
pace, caught himself up and stopped
short, now pale and trembling who had
a moment gone been flushed with
| calm
''Beatrix!" he cried thickIy.
Dumbly his wife lifted her arms and
offered herself to him, unutterably
lovely, unspeakably radiant.
| 1t were worse than a waste Of time
to attempt a portrait of her as she
seemed to him. Seen through her hus
bands eyes. her beauty was incompar
able, immaculate, too rare and fine, toe
| delicate a thing to be bodied forth In
words, dependent upon the perfection
OF no single feature. Not in her hair
fair as sunlight on the sea, not in hel
eyes OF autumnal brown, not In the
wonderful fineness Of her skin or In
the daintiness of her features, not In
the graciousness Of her body, did he
find the beauty Of her that surpassed
expression, but in the love she bore
him, In the sweetness Of her inviolate
soul, In the steadfastness OF her i'm
pregnable heart.
But it's doubtful II ever he had an
alyzed his passion for her so minute
| ~. Mostly, think, at that moment OF
her abrupt disclosure to him, he long
| ed unutterably for her lips and the
! proffered wreath round his neck of hel
| slim, round, white arms
Yet he would not. Trembling though
he was, with every instinct and livery
fiber of his being straining toward her
with the hunger for her keen pain in
his heart, he held himself back: or his
| conception Of honor held him back
That which he had voluntarily forfeit
ed and put away from him for his hon
or's sake, he would not take back
though 1t were offered freely to him
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