The evening world., 1914-03-28

ana with Marie his VIII TO
The extraordinary and most trag-
ically poetic part ~ his drama was
the manner In which ~. Pierre. the
hpst city. chung to the vision OF the
woman he loved.
She wore II as a garment: he saw
her surrounded by It's beauty: dawn
III her In the street of the precipice.
morn In the music haunted Place de
Ia Fontaine: evening In the twilit
Jardin des Pnntcs.
The super mortal tragedy ~ the
city had raised her image to supernai
heights. The passion. the agony that
lives alone in the highest poetry had
mixed itself In this common mans
tragedy. The city oblitcrated from
the world was part OF his grief.
As ne lay like a man Fascinated by
"a serpent, motionless, scarcely SEEM
ing to breathe. with eyes fixed and
pupils dilatcd. the roar Of the anchor
chain through the hawse pipe shook
the vessel. lie sat up, leaning on his
elbow. exactly as a man sits up who
has been awakened suddenly from
sleep.
A disc OF reflected sunlight. liquid
ANDY trcm,uous AZ the water from
which 1t was reflected. was cast by
the portholc upon the wall OF tho
cabin: II trcmbicd and moved To the
motion of the vessel AZ she rocked
at her moorings.
lie gazed ut II. following |. with his
eyes as 1t lcaI,sd and auivercd; then.
slipping from the bunk. hc stood erect
on the floor Of the cabin.
lie was fully dressed. and. In the
act Of stepping from the bunk, his
full strength seemed TO have returned
To him. lie opened the door OF the
cabin and "A moment later he WAS ON
deck.
All the crew were gathered forward :
n boat was rowing away from the ship,
capt. Stock and the mate were IN A..
and they were making for the nearest
warship. The Anne Martin was close
In shore and the vast, fornless,
blankcted city cast its chill gray re-
Election ON the water Of the harbor.
Mounds of ashes terraced by the heavy
rains. wldornesses of ashes mounting
I
buildings vaguely outlined beneath
their cercment of ashes-cinders. dust
and ashes. and from all that tmmeii=
sity OF dcsolution not "a sound. save
now and then "A call from one of the
working parties, half invisible amidst
the ruins.
lie east his eyes over IL all and
then up to Pelec. still fumlng In the
mindless blue. Like "A mailman. es-
haustcd. the great mountain seemed
incXprcssibly sinister above the ruins
of the city II had protected for long
Years, fed with the gouyave water,
sheltered from the winds Gaspard
stretched out his arms-his fingers
were crooked; II WAS as though tn"
man were saying To the mountain.
"Ah, what would I not do with you
II I only had you In my grip
Then he clambered over the star
board rail,
The men forward did not hear tho
splash. nor did they notice tho black
head Of the swimmer passing toward
the shore.
lie had not even kicked off the deck
shoes he was wearing lie swan with
ease ana half unconsciously In his
condition all things wcr" possible "a
him; he would have guided his way
through turbulent sea Just NJ surely
as across this summer smooth harbof
And now he was cllnging ~ the angle
Of a great block Of stone shaken out
from tho once quay wall ana Sob
hcred round by the tide. He dragged
himself on to 1t and from II To th'
next.
The Place Berthe had been here
here in the sunlight the tamarinds
had shaken their leaves to the wind
and cast dancing shadows on the sun
smittcn pavement, the songs or the
canotiers had mixed with the sounds
of tradc-herc where ,anarnd trees
would bloom no more; where the
blasting scOriae had fused broken
stones and broken building. where
the sunlight was k@frlhk
Around him lay nothing hut mounds
where once the sugar barrels had been
piled where buildings had been
Mounds like the sand dunes on des
olatr coast \ httla wind had arisen
and. Just as amidst yhe dunes the vino
, brings the Whisper OF sand, here II
brought the FAINT silky whisper u
dust
lie had no ohicCtlyc--no object
here. but 10 feel III" ruin, to touch II
walk amidst II, be. ON" part of u. II
torture his soul All this was hel
bed tho dust he trod on her windint
sheet, the desulaiiun hei silence
II. passed amidst the mounds u
lhe great mountain of ash"S before
uim the rams had washed out wha
seemed the bed of mountain torrent
, II had once been u street lie b.sai
20 climb n THIS horrible ravlne Wa
tainted ny a faint slnhN -W"ll or cor
, ruptiOn. the crust Of the u1He broA
beneath his feet 50 tug' hc plunge
To- sometimes kncedcep tu" sweat raj
. from his brow, and the sun strucl
nssssly On Aip. lbs ssAs Hn tssDass