The Washington times., 1921-12-25
toontinaed from Preceding Po0eJ

6IdlCus BOAue OAAO1ouS Weyo. xVW
there was nothing whatever to look
at. Surely David would come soon!
Astarte yawned. The sun was
getting hot. She would 50 down
into the domed room and wait there
for him. She threw q fragment Of
mortar at a sparrow. Then she
got up.
In the domed room 1t was cool.
The two-leaved outer door was
shut.
Astarte stood for q while in the
middle Of the floor with her hands
locked behind her head. Presently
she freed herself from her single
garment and began to perform
muscle exercises Of the sort that
Dekerto had taught her. This gave
her q sense of suppleness and
bodily welllbeing which was pleas
ant.
She stretched herself, delighting
in the faint contact Of her l0osened,
downward-falling hair with her
barred body. It was as spontaneous
a feeling of pleasure in herself as
that which prompts q glossy hlly
to roll and kick. A single almost
vertical arrow Of the sun struck
inward through the latticed open.
ing of the high-set window and
glinted on her auburn head.
There was nothing In the room
save the floor mats, the mattress
and the hanging lamp, yet It might
have been q shrine of the Syrian
Venus from whom AstArte was
named. for the sheer beauty Of her
was that Of a goddess fashioned
from ivory AID red-gold. just as
Dekerto had once said. SubcOn-
sciously she painted for someone to
stand before her and regard her
appreciatively.
A little later she was twO-thirds
asleep. curled up on the tattered
mattress. The sun-ray became YER
teal, shrank and disappeared.
Astarte slept, breathing softly.
When she woke some animal in
stinct told her that q considerable
time had passed. She sprans u
her feet, ran to the outer door,
pulled one of its leaves inward a
little way and looked quickly into
the court.
The shadow Of the twisted acacia
tree fiecked the flight of steps. 1t
was at least two hours after mid.
day.
David had not returned!
The querulous voice Of the
widow came to her Astarte
pushed the door 10 and went back
a few steps. They had planned to
take food-bread and dates-and 60
beyond the city and eat at noon
under the olive trees. There would
be goats to look at-perhaps
camels.
But he had not returned, and the
day was more than half gone, and
she was alone in this detestable
place where there was nothing to
do-no one to speak to or smile at
and the ugly old woman, his
mother, whined all the time like q
creaking door-hinge!
Astarte sat bolt upright on the
mattress. her fists clenched. breath
ing as though her breast was con-
stricted. She was furiously disap-
pointed, and as angry as q passion
ate child who has been promised a
much-desired object and then
cheated of 1t.
A sort Of desperation seized her
she felt that she was Gagged, and
glanced right and left at the naked
walls like trapped wild creature.
But why should she sit in this
place? She had only to open the
two-leaved door, descend the steps.
cross the court and she would be In
the street. She could 90 for little
distance, see this and that. and
then return.
Her heart leaped. Resentment
against David, disappointment and
tedium we're transmitted into q
sudden breathless daring that de-
fed and anticipated. She stood up.
Her hair was unbound; she plated
1t quickly into two plaits. for It in
convenienced her.
Slipping her bare feet into sand
ais she took the length of violet
hued satin stuff which she had
brought from the house of Herod
and folded herself in It in such q
manner that her head was partially
hooded. Now she would 60 out.
At the foot of the steps . dog
snapped for fleas A movement OF
mild, squafor-tainted air rendered
tremulous the acacia's delicate fol
iage. A single long, milk.white
blossom hung downward. sweet as
jasmine. Astarte stood q moment
on the lowest step to inhale this
fragrance.
Where are you going?"
The widow had come out from
behind ragged curtain.
Into the street. There Is moth.
ing to do here. I shall come back
in little while"
"YOu fell mo vo,,'ro oroinU into