Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-01-26


path? May l walk with your he
asked, and, having received the assent
of her head and nonchalant IF you
WISH" he began:
do you know what l was thinking
! about. Miss Dale, as l sat there in the
! pagoda? 1 was wondering where l
/ had met you before. Since the very
first day You came / have often Won
dered that. l have seen you before
oh, no, there is no doubt about it-but
where I can't recall"
"In some other incarnation, dare
say" laughed she. "Was It when we
were swinging from trees or not so
long ago as that? Could it"-yes, she
would tempt the fates and be down.
right cOurageous-"cOuld 1t have been
in the days when 1 was in the
Exchange building. One meets so
many
'The Exchange building? All, pre-
ciselyi i recall 1t all now, and how
used to find myself unwittingly look
ing for you after that first day. But
I was called south. and when came
back you had vanished" He spoke
reminiscently.
1.-The first day? don't quite under
stand." Queried she.
II was coming down In the elevator.
harried to death, my mind in a fright
<,,l tokA 80
watching ME from some crowded cor
ner. and 1 looked directly into your
eyes" He studied her now with a
| smile serious and tender. II looked,
and 1t was like bathing ones face in
a pool Of spring water after a hot
Journey" he ended simply.
1t came back with such unmistaka-
BILE vividness to Anna that she spoke
spontaneously:
You did look worried"
"Oh. you remember, too?" he cried.
II can't tell you how glad that makes
me. 1 couldn't get you out Of my mind
somehow. You see, / never did get
you out of my mind. Some faces stay
with US. Yours stayed"
The woman beside him had become
very grave, feeling the beat Of her
pulse quicken with the distant surge
Of strange Joy, a Joy indistinct rs
the tremor Of an unrisen sun. yet all
pervasive. Realizing her danger, deft-
| ly she veered her mood.
"Yes, I passed our old elevator boy
| on the street few months ago." she
remarked casually, STOPPING to pat the
mastifrs head. Il remembered his face,
too. though 1t had been over a decade
since saw him."
The mans face was rueful ns he nod
ed appreciation Of her tactics.
Below them was the broad expanse
Of the Hudson. scintillating as a sap
phire in the glow of the summer after
noon. A yachting party steaming up
river waved hats and handkerchief ut
them In pure good fellowship. 1t SEEM
ed good to be alive. Temple pulled
two chairs under the shade Of the
trees. and they sat down. In the dis
lance the cliffs Of the Palisades rose
and beckoned nlluringly.
| "DO you know what I used to call
them. those cliRs" said he. seeing his
companions eyes upon them. my
enchanted palaces. When was a
child the palace Of enchantment meant
the future, the mysterious, ineffable
future when should be grown up,
| when should be a man, when the
world would be my garden, the world
and life and all their riches mine to
explore, to adventure In. And, oh, the
people by whom the world and the fu-
ture were inhabited, the cavalcading
knights. the lovely princesses! Love
and glory and all manner Of romance,
i had them for the wishing. Did you
ever have such an enchanted palace,
Miss Dale" asked he whimsically.
YES" -acquiesced she softly. falling
In with his mood, the sympathetic
bond which always asserted itself
when she was not on guard. drawing
her once again. "Oh. yes: I. too,
had my enchanted palace. a many pin.
nacled palace built Of gold and silver,
ivory. alabaster and mother Of pearl;
the fountains In its courts ran with
perfumed waters" Her voice trailed
or dreamily. and Temple thrilled with
the music Of It. "And its pleasaunce
was an orchard Of pomegranates. One
had no need to spare ones colors, you
know" She turned to him with IN
! adorable smile.
u know" He was at one with her
now, responding intuitively to the play
OF her emotions. "And the stars left
their courses to fight for you, and the
winds Of heaven We'd with each other
to prosper your galleons-wasn't it like
thatT He looked at her; she was
scarcely listening; she was watching
the sunlight catching on the tops Of
the Palisades. 1t was just rs well; he
was safer in his inspection of her 80.
"Uh-huh! Like that" she said, her
ears mechanically following his words.
Il dare say" she went ON musingly, 1T
must be that We pass the enchanted
palace while we are asleep. Surely.
at first, It IS before us-we can see IL
gllstening in the distance, like the
peaks yonder. We shall reach II to-
morrow. next month, next year. And
tnen one morning we wake up and
and 1t Is behind us. We've passed it,
and we can't turn back We must 90
on" Her voice ended In a little half
sob.
The sight Of tear trembling on her
lashes cost Burton Temple a hundred
conflicts with himself He felt a sud.
Gen warmth behind his eyes and in
MS throat. All he did, however, was
10 look big, hold his tongue and envy
the dead their enforced responsibility.
lin not often agitated," said
Anna. rising, with an odd, starry
smile. "and you must pardon me that
diznlaY Of oyerseptiment." But be-