The Spectator., 1915-10-12
TIMES WHIRL|GIC
By MAUD COBB.

which 1t illustrates more, the power of men and women to rise on step- ping-stones of their dead past, or the regenerating force of love. However, here you are: Anna Devine, the oe!. ebrated actress, used to spend her summers at a famous place in the North woods, now torn down. It's only a memory with us who used to go there. But we had gay times there, and Anna was always the biggest dare devil of the lot of us.
 There was young fellow, guide, just an ordinary, simple woodsman, | but made like Greek god. Apollo. we used to call him. He took the name good-naturedly, and probably never heard of Apollo before Anna Devine was strsck by his appearance, as any woman would be-
 Just for a joke she determined to make the young fellow fall in love with her We were all in the secret In fact, she contided it to us.
 "The climax came sooner than was expected. Anna had staged the scene, | merely telling us to be at certain spot at a certain time. Sure enough, when we arrived, Jim Quantock was on his knees before Anna, pouring forth flood of rapture and all that. And Anna was as demure as saint until she looked up and spotted us.
 Then she burst into peal of such mocking laughter that Jim was aghast. How she let loose on him. Fury sue ceeded mockery-and all the time it was a game. She asked him how he could have the presumption to aspire to marry her. how he could dare to violate his duty as a guide, mere hired Servant-she rubbed that in and tell her such nonsense. When she got through with him he was as limp as a rag He was just standing with open mouth amazed at the transfor- nation.
 Then he looked up and saw us, and he spotted the game. He doubled his fists and stepped toward us. l can tell you I didn't feel particularly ! happy just then, with six feet of mus cular manhood advancing on me. And l was the nearest. However, he stopped short and turned upon Anna. And the speech he made, while it lacked the fiuency of the actress, didn't lack dramatic effect. He told her that she was a depraved woman, that no decent woman in any class tricked the man who loved her. His scorn seemed to shrivel up the actress. And when he went on to denounce her, telling her that the day would come when she would regret the hon est love she had thrown away, Anna just stared at him with wide, terrified eyes, and said not word.
 Then he turned on his heel and strode away into the forest Anna turned to me with a pitiful smile.
 "I guess he spoke the truth, anG I don't often hear it. she said. Will you kindly take me back to the hotel?'
 Well, time went on. and from that day Anna's nature seemed to change. 1 saw her act that fall and l was amazed at her performance. Gone was all the old charm that had captivated thousands. She seemed mechanical creature going through a mechanical part. The subtle power was lost for ever.
 Five years passed. Anna Devine was now playing subordinate parts in small companies. Sometimes a mana ger would advertise her name and she tried to come back, but she never could. She was gone-all that had y.1D .Nf IA was a woman who was strange even to herself. I guess it was about this time that she began taking drugs.
 The end was approaching. and Anna realized it. She had run through her money, she was living in a cheap | furnished room somewhere in squalid part of the town. She had all ready bought the carbolic acid, She was sitting upon the edge of her bed, | gathering courage to take the draught, when the door opened and Jim Quan- toCk strode in.
 He dashed the bottle from her hand. For a few moments Anna did not knew who he was. Then. somehow, among all her memories this one came back to her.
 I guess you spoke the truth when you said l would regret it. she said, and suddenly reached down for the i bottle again. But Jim was upon his knees before her just as he had been that day in the woods, and telling her again that he loved her.
 Tn those five years he had made himself an educated man, and a pros porous one. He had lumber yard in town that was paying handsomely. He had spent half the time at school and the rest in business. First he had made himself an educated man, then | he had built up his fortune. And through it all Anna had been his in- l spirStion.
 Well. that's all, gentlemen. You'll keep the matter sacred. I know. be- cause-wei. you see. I'm about the only old acquaintance whom Mrs. Quantock hasn't entirely dropped.