Evening star., 1923-12-03

/ upon his shoulder and lay hidden
there.
Claire. Clalre"' 1t was his soul
He kissed the silken hair and
/ fondled IL, and kissed the tear wet
eyes: and his cheek lay against hers;
and she was in his arms, and he held
! her there tight clasped So that she
| might never go again.
i And after time she sobbed no
more, and her hand. lifting, found his
! face and touched it gently. and. creep
! ing upward brushed the hair back
! from his forehead-and then she sud
| denly clung to him with all her
strength and drew his head down until
| her lips met his.
And there was no world about them,
| they two lived.
! 1t was Claire at last who put his
arms from her in a wistful, lingering
way
I'VE have been mad for a little
while" she whispered. Take me
back home, John-and-and you must
never try to see me again"
And something seemed to grow chill
Not that. Claire:" he cried out.
You do not mean that--that. after
! this. you VIII so on with-with to-
morrow morning."
\ brave little effort at smile
qutvered on her lips.
We have had our hour. John" she
; said: yours and mine 1t can never
! be taken from us. and / shall live in it
all my life: but 1t is over now. Yes;
shall go through with it tomorrow
morning. There is no other way. I
must keep my promise
MOI" he cried out again. 1T shall
| never he: Claire, you cannot mean
what you are saying! a promise like
manly, horribly. lie would have muir
dered me"
"Eut tonight you are alive" She an
swered quietly.
Alive: Yes" he said fiercely. Il
am alive. and"
at is because you are alive that 1
promised" she broke in gently. He
kept his word. l cannot break mine"
Alive" John Bruce laughed now
IN sudden. bitter agony. Alive. yes.
And do you think that / can walk
about the street. and talk. and smile.
and suck the honey out of life, while
you have paid for II with tortured
soul?
Claire. you shall not, That man
is No, wait. There is myself He
called me a sniveling hypocrite. You
shall know the worst OF me before
you know the worst of him. There
is not much to tell--because he has
told you. 1 am a gambler, All my
can remember I've been rolling
stone. My life has been useless.
utterly worthless. But | was never
ashamed of il: never saw any reason
70 he ashamed until you came into my
life. II hasn't been the same since
then-and it will never be the same
again You have given me something
to live for. now, Claire"
She shook her head.
You do not argue Well" she said
softly. IF | have brought this to
you. John, l am giad-so glad for
this, too. oh. ! cannot tell you how
glad / am. for, because l loved you,
the knowledge of what your life was
hurt me. But l had faith in you,
John. as / always shall have. So
don't you see'-the brave little smile
came again-"that this is a reward,
something tangible and great, to
make still more and worth while the
promise that ] made?''
He stared al her. He swept his
hand across his eyes. She seemed
she seemed TO be slipping away from
him-beyond-beyon his reach.
That man. he said desperately.
''Yon said you knew him-but you
do not know him. He Is the head
and front and brains of a gang OF
crooks know, He held me d
prisoner in their dirty lair. a hidden
place, cellar over In the slums--
like rats they were. He ia criminal,