The evening world., 1914-03-28

NeNer, even III Nnc ON uayS VI the
stokchold. had he experienced such
heat. yet still hr climbed.
lie had reached, now. a transverse
ravine. "a huge donga with steep banks
from which here and there broke out
the walls OF ruined houses. IL waS
the Rue Victor Hugo.
The silence here was terrible, the
Slence OF Nineveh. he silence OF the
Nothing, which IN at tho heart OF
things. Finotte and l.ys; the corros-
sole sellers: the merchants and traf-
nckers: the colored crowds. the little
spoke Of them here.
And. still. far above him went the
mountain OF ashes. the broken streets.
walls that had once been houses,
charred stumps that had once been
palm trees. And still he climbed.
lie had cast of hts, coat. never thlpa-
ing OF tho treasure In Its pocket. he
had forgotten all that. even Marie
had become vague as ghost In his
mind. one thing only stood clearly
before him, half mesmerized as no
was by exhaustion. heat ana tho rum
around him-thc beach OF Grande
Anse. The soot-black beach ana mo
green curling waves where man
might lind oblivion. lie did not know
In the least that n was tho vision OF
Marie that was calling him to the
cllfrs, where he had hrst truly met
her face to face.
Al noon. broken. dazed. grimcd
with dust. having a dozen times es-
capped by n miracle from death, nc
reached the summit OF the ruins OF
~. Pierre. and the path OF ashes
that had once been the road to Morne
Rouge. Gazing from here. and not
y,anctng at the ruined city. nothing
had altered. The sea lay the same
az OF old, and Dominica showed
ghostly and haze blue on the far sea
line. gulls were flying over the hay.
Eternal summer sat by the ruined
city, voicclcss. and lost In eternal
sleep. Though the silence OF the Hue
Victor Hugo had been broken by no
sound. up here. could be heard faint
breathing from the sea. The reQuief',
Of the ocean whose tide was now
flooding into the bay.
"Ah. the palms. the colorcd houses.
the old sea steps ! used To wash-the
voices Of the canotiers. the Tall ships
! brought thee. where are they?'
Vaguely. like "A voice heard In n
dream came the whispered lament Of
the sea.
Gaspard did not hear It. Ho paused
only to rest and breathe. he had
, slipped and fallen many times In his
ascent; cSatless. his arms were clay
cplored with sweat-caked volcanic
dust. his face was frightful: grimed
and seamed-it looked as though spat
upon by Ruin. In a few short hours
, his eyes had become sunken. his
checks had fallen In: his lips. baked
and parched and caked with dust.
{ were inhuman. tho lips OF n tragic
mask OF antiquity. A frightful thirst
4, illletA him. celebrating all other feel
ings. Beneath him lay the city, form.
lnal nd t.saIL aA ..ssN xa,lt ali q
dust. exactly as the ship of coral had
once lain beneath him bulked out
4, with coral In the stlll lagoon.
All, that night when he had turned
with Yves from tho vision OF the
? sunken ship. feeling that what he
!, had seen was evil. could he but have
seen this greater vision. This great
!. ~ story Of mans futility and the
fat" OF the imaginers OF vain things!
/, lilo turned, seeing nothing OF Il all
but the great white sheet OF light
p that leapt from the hortson half way
\ 10 tho zenith and the dazzle OF the
,, lie came along thl path o. clnder.
, that had once been a road set with
gronadillas and palms: merry with
= mule bells and songs OF the cane.
cutters by day. drifted over by fire
. flies at night. The volcanic dust, the
4 sun, the 'erTiDie clinb anu me runs
p had chiieh up the thirst which u
! known Oniy IN the desert lie walked
. schrceiS KNOWING where ne went
castlhs ms eyes from sue 10 SIDE oil
y me way IN search OF wafer tie mao
= forgotten the biack p,Sich NJ irand'
hhse anu ms nesirc ior W. "biiVioi
|, oi .he sea. re hnu ohiy o'e iihhe'
I, "'t,e "es're 10 or'hh'
Thirst In It's acutest form like thu,
q IL quite divorced from the scnsatidr
a which civilization knows as thirst
! u II a passion FAR stronger thar
hatred or desire; u aH"cts ~" SOU
, no less IMAM the BODY, II drives al
- other FEELINGS beiore u ana r"ign'
SupifW"' tue phSs''" p"ngS are
A n".'''.s .p'" '" ~' mn."'a' ue
= 80 "'" "''''
Y away
:, As ne turned IN" shoulder cf Peise
4 we ashcs 'taS'n on 'ne rotd s'lnp
y piacs 10 so,'sihlc uuSt' TOT ohly =,
~ fierr anu 'ne "eStern poI t'on o' tn'
/, Eh'n" nau "cn .Np'S''T " 'hr ,u'
II p'as. VI VIZ rlup.'on, 'he '"a" Wv
in.' +" ,on'' nsa'n' anu, nat n' pos
= S'ssa' US !" Se'' "'Pe "''b"' nav