The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1922-12-22

shutting his teeth together, he stood up, his arms folded on his broad chest. The afternoon shadows spread pools of darkness around their feet, the flowers seemed frozen in shapes of colored ice, as his dark, controlled eyes fixed hers.
 "You-you dare?" the youth breathed, thickly.
 She faced him in her silent dar- ing. Then it seemed to her as if the sky must roll up like a scroll and the earth collapse into a hand full of dust falling through space, for she knew that little Gargoyle of the "undressed mind''-little Gargoyle, looking out of John Berber's trained eyes as out of windows of ground glass, was fitting like a shadow across her own intelligence, trying to tell her what things he had always known about life and death. and the myriads of worlds spinning back in their great circles to the Power which had set them spining. NTOT until after the first halt
 
 which the boy sought to give his secret to the woman standing there, did she comprehend any thing of the struggle that went on within him. But when suddenly Berber's arms dropped to his sides and she saw how he shivered, as if as some unearthly touch on his temples, she was alert. Color was surging into his face; his features, large, irregular, took on for the instand a look of speechless, al- most demoniac power; he seemed to be swimming some mental tide before his foot touched the sands of language and he could helpless ly stammer:
 :'I cannot lit will not come It is as I told you-I have been taught no words cannot say what I know"
 His powerful frame stood placed among the garden surroundings like that of breathing statue, and his amazed companion wit messed this miracle of physical be- ing chained by the limitations of one environment, while the soul of that being, clairaudient, clair voyant, held correspondence with another environment. She saw Berber smile as if with some ex- quisite sense of beauty and rap tures that he understood. but could not communicate, then helplessly motion with his hands. But even while she held her breath, gazing at him, a change came over the radiant features. He looked at her again, his face worked; at last John Berber with a muff1ed groan burst into terrible human tears.
 She stood there helpless, dumb founded at his agony.
 "You-you cannot speak?" she faltered.
 For answer he dropped his face into his strong hands, He stood there, his tall body quivering. And she knew that her dreams was over.
 She was forced to understand. John Berber's long and perfect world training held him in wise. His lips were closed upon his secret, and she knew that they would be closed for evermore. TTHEY remained, silently ques-
 tioning each other, reading at last in each others speech less some comfort in this strange common knowledge, for which, in- deed, there were no human words, which must be forever borne dumbly between them. Then slow ly, with solemn tenderness, the ob- l nf rrI edge came into Evelyn Strang's face. She saw the youth standing there with grief older than the grief of the world stabbing his heart, drowning his eyes. She laid 8 quiet hand on his shoulder.
 'tI understand" With all the mother, all the woman in her, she tried to say it clearly and calmly. 'I understand; you need never fear me-and we have the whole world of flower to speak for us." She gazed pitifulIy into the dark, storming eyes where for that one heeting instand the old look of her, until forced back by the ber," which had always domin- dLcu, duu at IoSLJ Suc hu6", ndu - killed it. We will make the flow CTS speak-for us'' Again she tried to speak lightly, comforting ly, but something within the woman snapped shut like a door. Slowly she returned to the garden seat For a moment she faltered, holding convulsively to it, then her eyes, blinded from within, closed.
 Yet, later, when the mistress of Ieartholm went back through the garden to the roon where were the books and treas 1res of John Strang, she carried something in her hand. It was 3 lily bulb from which she and Der per hoped to bring into being new and lovely flower. She took t into that room where for so many years the pictured eyes of 1er husband had met hers in mute Iuestioning, and stood there for ! moment, looking wistfulIy about Ter. Outside light breeze iprang up, a single dried leaf 'ustled against the window-pane. Smiling wistfu11y upon the little Mrs. Strang set it care 'ulIy away in the dark.