The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1915-07-22

Serves She nhd been taught 10 20
lightly. to avoid serious things. Her
reat-grandmothsr had gone lightly IN
the scaffold. exquisitely courteous till
the last
Il ask your pardon II jostled you in
the tumbrel," the old comtesse had
said to her companion on the way TO
the xuillotins. THE springs Of the cart
are poor'-and she went up smiling.
In the companionship OF the Amerf-
can girl. Therese de Ia Maine had
thrown on restraint II the Marquise
d'Esclignac had felt Julia's influence.
Tberese de In Maine. being near her
own age. echoed Julia's very feeling.
Except for their dragoman and their
servants, the two women were alone
In the desert.
Smiling At Julia, Madame de la
Maine said: Il haven't been 70 far
from the Rue dc Ia Paix in my Iife."
How can you speak of the Rue do
Ia Pafx, Therese?"
Only to show you how completely
have left it behind"
Julia's eyes were fixed upon the Inn
itless sands, sea where q faint line
lost itself in the red west and the hori-
zon shut from her sight everything
that she believed to be her life.
This is the seventh day, Theresel"
Already you are as brown as an
Arab, Juliai"
You as we'll. ma chere amiei"
Robert does not like dark women"
said the Comtesse de la Maine, and
rubbed her cheek. Il must wear two
wells"
Look. Therese!"
Across the face of the desert tho
glow began to withdraw its curtain.
The sands suffused an ineffable hue. q
shell-like pink took possession. and tho
desert melted and then grew colder-it
waned before their eyes, withered like
tea-rose
Like rose!" Julia murmured.
smell its perfumel" She lifted her
head drinking in with delight the
fragrance of the sands.
Ma chere julia" gently protested
the comtesse. lifting her head, per
fume. Julia!" But she breathed with
her friend. while a sweetly subtle. in
toxicating odor, as of millions and mil
mons OF roses, gathered, warmed, kept.
then scattered on the airs of heaven.
Intoxicating her.
To the left we're the huddled tents of
their attendants. No sooner had the
sun gone down than the Arabs COM
menced to sing-a song that Julia had
especially liked:
Love is like a sweet perfume.
II comes. II escapes
When It's present. it intoxicatcs:
When IT'S memory. It brings tear.
Love is like a sweet breath
1t comes and 1t escapes
The weird music filed the silence NJ
he silent place. 1t had the evanescent
luality OF the wind that brought the
breath OF the sand-nowers. The voices
If the Arabs, not unmusical. though
loarse and appealing, cried out their
ove-song. and then the music turned
o Invocation and to prayer.
The two women listened silently as
he night fell. their figures sharply
outlined in the beautiful clarity of the
EASTERN night
Julia stood upright. In her s. ere
1ding dress, she was as slender asa
10Y. She remained looking toward the
ORION, immovable. patient, a silent
watcher over the communicative
waste.
Perhaps" she thought, there Is
othing really beyond that line. SO fast
lotting itself into highland yet I
eem to see them comel"
Madame do l.,
I her tent, immovable, her hands
lasped around her knees, look afrec-
onately at the young girl before her.
uliz was delight to her. She was
arried away by her. by her frank sim
ilclty, and drawn to her warm and
enerous heart Madame de la Maine
ad her own story. She wondered
neither ever for any period OF her
onventional life, she could have
lrown everything aside and stood out
18th the man she loved.
Julia. standing before her. a dark
Inn figure In the night-isolated and
the fgurehead of a
ZIP, Its face toward heaven, pioneer
lg the open seas.
Julia watched, indeed. On the desert
lere is the brilliant day. passionate
ow' and the nightfall. They passed
lie nights sometimes listening for a
y that should hail an approaching
iravan, sometimes hearing the wild
y OF the hyenas, or of passing vul-
re on his horrid flight Otherwise.
ltii the camp stirred with the dawn
ID the early prayer-call sounded al
n Allah! Akbarl" into the still
sss' they were wrapped in complete
lence.
(To BE coNrINUED)