The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-07-08
THE POOL OF aM
.DxENTURE AND IN
STORY TRIGUE
sBy Louis Joseph vance,
CHAPTER xxxv.
eBy Louis Joseph vance,

In after days, when he was alto
gether well and whole, they journeyed
forth, these two, the man and his
wife, from Rangoon northward The
railway carried them some distance;
later they struck off with their train
into the primitive wilderness beyond
the ultimate British outposts on the
Chindwine, main tributary to the IT.
rawaddy.
The land was peaceful, hospitable,
and very, very lovely in its wilder
ness. Their happiness was ecstasy.
By day they rode through jungle,
wood and rolling uplands, or less east
~ through the Businesses of the hills,
side by side, thought linked TO
thought, their hearts attuned. By
night their camps were pitched in a
new-found world of beauty, wonderful
in its shadowy mystery.
1t was so ordered that they came
toward shutdown of a certain day, to
the foot of a hill crowned with great
| pagoda of many multiplied roofs firing
ed with a myriad silver bells that
tinkled ceaselessly in the evening
airs.
Here they dismounted and together
| made the ascent of an age-old wooden
stairway, broad and easy, and throng
ed from the first rise TO the last with
weary pilgrims, beggars, lepers, laugh
/ ing children, mendicant holy men. The
sun was low upon the horizon when
| having bribed their way along that
| gauntlet, O'Rourke and his bride (she
! could never be aught less to him. at
| tanned TO the topmost platform and
| having received permission, with meet
| show of reverence entered the temple
| It was very dark inside and for a
| time they moved blindly in and out;
| but at length they came to a massive
| doorway looking toward the West, and
here they paused, hand in hand, look
| Buddha, who squatting cross-leggec
upon a pedestal, looked through the
incense-scented gloom ceaselessly for
ward to Nirvana
| The figure, carven originally from
stone, had been so heavily plastereC
with gold-leaves by the devout, thai
now it had all the semblance of being
gold to it's core; and, lavishly deco
rated with necklaces and bracelets o.
rare jewels set in crusted gold, in the
evening glow it shone like some grea
lamp of holiness. Only its face wa:
| in shadow.
Slowly the light struck higher be
meath the caves of the pagoda, anC
slowly it crept up and yet up, until itt
last blood-red shaft revealed the Bud
| dha's forehead and what was SCI
| therein, monstrous ruby.
The woman gasped family and
chung tightly to her husbands arm
He held her close, watching the great
stone flame and throb and pulse, like
a pool OF living flame swimming in
darkness.
And then the light of the world
went out.
Pensigely in the dusk they descend
ed the temple staircase. At the foot
before they remounted their horses
the woman came to the man and put
her hands upon his shoulders.
Terence" she said, Il think I am
very weary. Take me home"
He gathered her into his arms.
Il think, she said, ''it frightened
ne-made me fearful of this country
the Pool of Flame, up there
we've seen the last of it," he said
tenderly, land so have /. 'Tis done
with, like the days of me adventur
rngs. l have no thought but you. dear
heart. Let us go home"
THE END.