Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-21
THE GUDED MAN
By CLIFFORD SMYTH

name. Raoul moved out Of the shadow of
the bed hangings. his eyes fixed on David's.
His lips parted as if to speak. hut he words
were checked by M imperative gesture from
the man before him
I'm not sure thai / want to listen" said
David. II know this man. TIM certain that
! do'-bu | can't tell you when il that
I first met him. It's all very vague, like
the haze that sometimes covers the living
pictures en- the great pool Of light in there
This memory comes like something evil.
something that brings ruin Surely. YOU
don't want to bring ruin upon us, Sajipona
Why not blot it out altogether?'
She shook her lad sadly, looking wistfuIly
into his face. They casped each others
hands. Cblivious, for the moment, of Raours
presence
III YOU are king there must be no forget
ting, no dread Of memory that has been
lost You must know The Land of the
Condor is a land 0f dreams compared with
the rest of the world You have been out
there, David, but you have forgotten. Now
you must remember"
mo, not exactly forgotten" he said un-
easily. IT'S all in my head a lot Of things
iupbled together-ike the haze. in there.
have no wish to straiGhten it out. either.
There is such thing as knowing too much
sometimes. We are happier this way-don't
Jet run any risks changing what We already
nave Soon there viii he that feast. YOU said
anu 'HeI' II you are queen, perhaps YOU
VIII want me to he king. How proud / shall
be, You are very beautiful. Saiipona noble
aud great, like the daughter of real kings of
the eaflh. You are my dream queen. YOU
know, the first love to touch my soul with
knowledge of beauty Such "A woman men
die for! sometimes, when you sing to me
or tease old Narva; or when / would hold
YOU and YOU kind of ripple away laughing
ike the little brook at the bottom of the gar
den-yes that is the woman men die loving"
Il wonder if you viii always think that -
You mean ! may forget >"
NO. you will remember"
Remember You mean those other
things wrapped iif the haze-the thing, that
we wait to see come out in the pool of light
That's just il No, I don't want them they
spoil the first picture. To worship beauty
like yours, 10 live forever i'm the spell of your
eyes the-tragrance of your whole perfect
being-hat is hagbiness | want nothing
else. Why lose our dream loves? why snatch
from uS. even before it is ours the first pure
Hover that touches the lips of youth? Don't
rob me Of mine, my queen"
His appeal thrilled with a dreamy earnest
ness that would have moved'a sterner woman
than Sajipona, Nor could there be doubt that
the JOY he thus kinded in her revived a hope
that tnas coming had almost DESTROYED
Nevertheless. i'm spite of this response Of
her own deep passion to his her purpose re-
mained unatered, The very eagerness with
which she drank in David's words-feelinp
the temptation to- let things keep the hapny
course they had already taken-strengthened
her resolve 10 lose no time. to risk every
thing now. That such change as she had
feared could he wrought in David after all
this seemed nconcevabe. The witchcraft ~
wtchcraf it was. that drew him TO her wa :
something real real as life that eXorcisn,
could not dissolve Sure of her triumDb sbs
sought to put him TO the test herself
CONTINUED TOMORROW