Evening star., 1915-03-21


must be Aurora; but she had not known
that Aurora could laugh like that
And then she knew. 1t Auroras
love-laugh! The child woman, with the
shining eyes and the ripe mouth who "wanted
than others, and wanted it intensely" was keep
ing tryst with her lover She woman, and a
triumphant one!
Florence touched to sudden tears at the thought
Little Aurora But why had she not told? Who would
have been able to synpathze with her not her sister,
the sister who hoped to play the mothers part?
She thought of turning back. The child had right
to her love meeting. Yet she youngher mother
deadher father too preoccuped to guard her! There
was CHOICE Florence decided She had given to that
dead mother promise which must be kept So she
walked slowly her head bowed with sort of shame
till she could hear voices.
RAN all the way" laughed Aurora. ooh, how out of
breath l ami"
"How much loveler for being out of BREATH Dearest!
How adorable of you to hutter out to like this
bird, angel! oh, lyric love, half angel and half
bird and all wonder and wild desire"
Florence, listening started as serpent had reared
its head amid the She lost words in the wild
bewldernent of her senses. Then the voice went on
ooh, but your lips are sweet! They've wild tang
Aurora like raspberries in the woods. Heavens how
happy am"
A little silence fell.
"Ony-" it was the mans voice.
"Only?"
"Only hate hurting your sister. What miserable
Fate let meet her before did you? She is incapable
of understanding such change l have undergone
You altered all my world when you into it,
Aurora You my dawn, indeed"
~ hate all that about Florence too, horribly. But
will she suffer long, Earl? She isn't like She thinks
she loves you. But l, Earl, knozv that dol"
"rhanl God you do! Thank God you dol"
Their voices perfectly attuned,- they chmed,
nermingled set themselves to that soft rsting of the
corn.
Florence stood rapt in mystic pain, through which
the joy of these Others shot like the rays of distant
through blacklist night She swayed and sank amid the
corn. Perhaps moments oblivion came but presently
she aroused to the consciousness of moont silence and
trenbngy and groped her way back to the house.
AS she drew it she saw that the drawing room
was lighted. Someone had called, or her father had
returned How was she to meet anyone? Would it be
possible to bring coherent her tongue?
1t seemed if language had slipped from her memory
if, amid the chaos of her mind, she could not find
the broken shards of words She decided that she
would go to the side door and reach her undscov
cred But as she came up the steps called to
her from the doorway.
"Well, there you then! insisted waiting. |
knew you couldn't be gone far since the knew
nothing of your absence, Is Aurora out moongazing
too?"
"Bob!" The familiar little word detached itself from
the chaos and stood out with some awful meaning
"Bob!"
The young man ran down the steps and caught the
arm of the girl "What is it, Florenceo What has hap
pened? Aurora-she isn't with you? Nothing has hap
pened to her?"
He drew her up the stairs, and put her in the armed
chair the porch then bent her in trembling ap
prehenson
ut is Aurora! Something has happened to her. How
dare you two go out like this at night? I've warned you
often! But you wouldn't listen. Now something has
happened. Where is she? Where is your sister? Oh
for Gods sake Florence, tell tha-just that much!"
The effort she made to speak, to grasp that chaos