Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1921-02-03

uptown end OF her Journey, linewis~,
she had two blocks TO run, from Fifth
avenue to Park. before she got home,
with hat. suit, furs and temper all de-
moraliZed.
While Mermaid prepared a bath, she
begged off by telephone from dinner
engagement to which she. had long
been looking forward Tonight she
felt 1t would be impossible to hold her
own, with anxiety on account of Mario
and Leonora forever at her elbow,
gibbering specter.
A hot bath and the ease of neglige
should have lent her some tranquility,
but did not. She made the merest pre-
tense of dining from tray in her
room. She CO lid not forget
Past seven; in less than three hours
Leonora must start upon her journey
And she could do nothing :.
nothing! but wait and wonder
and wiring useless hands
A little before ten an inexplicable
change in the texture of her emotions
made her aware that the peak of her
transports had been reached and
passed. OF sudden she found herself
more calm. not with the calm of mis-
givings set at rest. rather with that of
courage; dauntlessly addressing itself
TO fororn hope.
Intuition OWNED the explanation: In
that strange, deep sympathy which
made them one, her mental and emo
tional processes faithfully reflected
Leonora's; what agonies of doubts and
fears she had suffered tonight were
but replicas of those which Leonora
had suffered. But now the time of
waiting was no more: Leonora had left
her hiding place and, committing her
self bravely to her dark adventure.
had found relief in action.
If only she might be with Leonora
tonight as she had so often been, see
ing what she saw, doing what she did.
knowing what she knew, participating
In every reaction of her wits and per-
ceptions y
Only if she could sleep, it was pos
sible, she might dream A..
Darkening her bedchamber, she
went to the window. opened it, and
tarried a little in it's recess, looking
out.
Rain was still falling, torrential.
lancing the night with its myriad slen-
der, silver, slanting jets, brimming
cutters. flooding sidewalks, blackening
and Furnishing roadways to the SEM
blance of rivers of ink that mirrored
multitude of lights. She thought of
Leonora struggling through that scour-
ing tempest to an unknown bourne :.
The clock struck ten.
She turned back to her bed, threw
herself down upon it without undress-
ing. and closed her eyes. Immediately
she opened them again; there could
De no sleep for her till mind and spirit
were tagged oat altogether.
On her dressing table the convex
crystal of French cl0cL caught a
Sicdi pediu lioil SoiHe Slfttl ltSlil anu
was TRANSPORTED into the likeness of
little captive moon of dead white glare
Upon this, the brightest spot in the
room. Priscilla's gaze focused natural
ly. For minutes on end she watched
it, in phase of lethargic fascination
which was rewarded when the little
moon began to grow, to spread out.
its cold light filling the room, the
world. and all the spaces of her con-
seriousness, so that spellbOund percep-
lions grew faint, then failed. and she
was no more aware of herself as Pris-
ella Maine. an individual entity. but
only as a pnpoint of anonymous being
adrift in the measureless incoherence
of infinity. y.