The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1914-04-17

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abject despair when one realizes that
she-or he-is linked to another hu-
mar being whom one can never love.
cannot even respect. And | am going
west to break It all; to be a free soul
again. And ever nOw he has chosen
my successor"
She burst into tears: they were a
relief to her overweight, overbur-
dened heart. She wept miserably,
staring out at the mountains, which
we're now tinged with the first saffron
light Of dawn.
You can never understand" she
cried.
Il don't know that I can't" answer
ed the young man slowly. What part
would you suppose l play in the cir
Gus company"
She looked at him. q don't know.
You look too strongly built to be an
acrobat"
81 am a clown" answered the young
man, but without a trace Of bitter
ness.
Wy AdLnNl HAh a NOAhRAA 9hAfNAg
wealthy man. He educated me well
80 far as / would learn. | ran away
from home. / broke my mothers
heart. At first I went on the stage.
You have been spared knowing the
horror Of the poor actors life, l think;
the s%habbiness, the uncertainty, the
sense that one Is sinking ones per-
sonality into the parts he plays. At
last, when | was starving, | got a
humble position with this circus. l
always had a talent for mimicry and
nonsense. / was what they called q
'high-spirited boy So they made me
. clown.
81 try to do my work. am a fairly
successful clown-at least, not bad
enough to lose my position. When
come on wearing my foolscap, with
my face painted, the people laugh.
That is my part in life.
But | like sometimes to get away
from myself, as on this occasion; to
realize that these parts for which life
casts us are only transitory, and that
the real man and the real woman are
something deeper than these, At
p least, / believe 30. Perhaps 1t is an
= Illusion. And yet, when look out at
G these mountains / do feel that there
+ may be opportunities for self-reahza-
z ton, not only in the next life but also
in this. Some day l hope to live in
just such a place as this; to be my
self; to till the ground and live my
life by labor, instead of pandering to
the gross minds of the public"
Doris was breathing hard. Here
was a tragedy like hers, but this wal
Of the soul, while hers was only an
accident Of life. What was her hU
initiation compared with his7
II wish you luck, my friend" she
said, and they ciasped hands.
The same to you" he answered.
WIN you tell me your manner"
"Doris-well, Doris Lytton, 1t will
! be, soon. And yours?"
John Graeme, the clown" he an
swered simply. only, l hope hat
|, shall not be a clown much longer.
now that l have seen these noun
! tains. Look" .
! The tops OF the peaks we're aaush
with gold and crimson, In the hard
Hight Of dawn the ~shadowy plain be.
meath them assumed an intense black
! ness. And far way the purple bases
} OF the mountains began, clothed with
!. their garments Of trees, which ended
toward the rock-strewn SUBMITS, oveI
which played the golden light Of th'
coming day. Then. even as thel
re watched, the upper rim of the suns
orb showed like a fiery bow above the
SUBMITS.
- A whistle blew. "All aboard" the
= conductors were shouting. A few Of
the passengers. who had been tempt
ed out by the spectacle, began moving
10 reluctantly toward the cars.
"a John Graeme caught again at Doris
hands.
40 1T would be wrong II we we're new
er to meet again" he said. Two
shattered livesl Perhaps, some day
one can be made out Of the broken
pieces7"
Doris turned her head away.
- When the day comes" he contin-
. ued in a low voice. "the accustomed
a round Of things will blot out the mem
Il ory Of this night from our hearts un.
less we seal this compact"
j, "All aboard" shouted the porters
: again.
y What do you want me to do?'
Doris whispered. That moments
poignant sweetness was always to re
- main with her, a fragrant memory
until the realization Of that newborn
hope Of living.
a TO watch the sun rise, here with
me, a year from today" said Graeme
At Doris raised her eyes to his. "a
will,' she whispered.
n Suddenly she stood upon tiptoe and
put her arms about his neck and
kissed him. Then she leaped aboard
the slowly moving train, under the
,e ~scandalized gaze Of the porter.
" The sunlight that was on the noun
l tains shone in both their hearts also
C Copyright, 1919, by W. C. Chapman)