The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-05-10
One Year To LiUe

VINO 1nEA sArSE
ELISE DUCHANIER is beautiful
and innocent young girl of gentle
birth, who, BY misfortune. has sunk
to be a dresser in small Montmar,
tire theatre. Elise has the care of a
bed-ridden sister, who Ia attended by
an elderly doctor named Lapierre
who loves Elise. The young girl il
dresser to the Partisan star
LOLETTE, gorgeous creature Of
flaming passions, glaring appearance
and equally glaring morals. Elise's
modesty and beauty are a thorn
in Lolette's. jealous side, and the star
desires the downfall Of her littIs
dresser. Lolette's manager and pro
tector Il
MAURICE BRUNEI. the great entire
preneur, while another follower Of
Lolette's Is q certain Count Mordac
To this latter Lolette' confides the
fact that she is determined to ruin
Elise.
Elise meets young American named
TOM KENDRTCK, whom she at once
recognizes as a man of different
stamp from the hangers-on of the
y theatre. Kendrick asks Elise to &C.
company him to great bal masque
and the girl accepts. At this ball,
in pursuance Of her plan, Lolette in
duces Elise to dance with her, 80
that the little dresser attracts the
attention Of the famous Brunei
the man through whose hands many
beautiful girls have passed. Brunei
offers to make Elise a star-on con.
AftSAna that thA ewfKY o.
dignantly rejects. One day Elise
faints dead away in her room. DR.
Lapierre, who is summoned, reluc
family informs the girl that she hal
only a short time to live.
CHAPTER 1S-FATES CROSS.
ROADS
TT was a difficult thing to under
stand.
Elise had never realized that
before, until she stepped from DIR. La
pieree's house into the bright warm
sunnshine and walked with the crowds
on the pavements.
Death
To die, to leave all this behind-this
life, its hope, its fear, its disappoint-
ment. To die--to 90 over the edge
into the unknown. To forget and be
forgotten. To die.
She tried to imagine what it must
be like. She tried to find comfort in
the religious teachings of her convent
days and failed; for in her was youth,
youth with a hold firm on: life, youth
to whom life is the alpha and omega
of all things; youth to whom death il
q cloud no bigger than a mans hand
on the far horizon, thing to pass un.
noticed, thing which might grow and
cover all the heavens--one day, but
that day q long way off.
A man passed her, an ex-poilu
wounded in the war. He dragged him
self on one leg, with crutches, and or
his lapel was a dab of color, which his
country had given him in exchange fol
his limb.
A day previous Elise would have
pitied him. Now she envied him will
all her heart and soul and might. En-
We'd him! For though he had lost hi
leg, he had his life. He would live Il
be old, for a lost leg does not kill. HI
would see summers and Winters, sun
shine and cloud, the roses and tht
snowflakes. He would hear the bird
and see the hillsides. He would hvt
on till the appointed time, when the
world was wearying him and he wen
willingly to that promise which nov
seemed 80 empty to her.
There might be children ABOUT hi
knee to listen to his stories Of wher
the German guns Numbered death or
the frontier, and men died in filth anC
muck and slime because a few crimi
mails had spoken in council. His LOST
leg, instead Of being burden to him
instead Of being a reproach to all hu
manity, would be something ennobled
and little boys would listen eagerly t.
the tale Of how he lost it, and lister
again and again, and admire him, 81
that when their time came they toe
would go forth bravely, pitiful, sacri-
fees on the altar of futility.
He would be happy. He probably
was happy. For he had life.
She envied him. She dared not hope
to be whole and hale and strong
Dared not! But If it had only been q
limb she must lose; or an eye; or an
ear. Only that! As long as she could
live! But ALTO lose ALTO go out
into oblivion Her soul was sick with,
in her. She cried out against her God
And Marthe!
She remembered Marthe at last, and
the memory steadied her tortured
thoughts.
Marthe would be left behind. She
would lie on that bed in the garrett
above the Rue Jacques, alone and lone.
~, with nobody to tell her stories, no.
body to comfort her through her sleep
less nights of pain; and about her stark
want would spread its tattered cloak