The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-12-19

tgseA11 1870 =
What Is your answer, Leonora!
We can still be happy Forget
the past and the wrong did YOU.
Imagine it was only yesterday that
we said good.by m the orchard.
and that we are meeting again TO-
day to begin our lives over again
from the beginning. to live To-
gether always, always. Z
Mo-, she replied coldly. You
yourself Just said 30: Love passes
but once Iii lifetime. know
that from cruel experience. have
done my best to forget. NJ. Love
has passed Us by! It would be
sheer folly FOR Us 10 ask him 70
hunt us up again. He never
comes back. Our most desperate
effort could revive barely the
shadow of him. You LET him
escape Well, YOU must Weap Tor
your loss. lust as had "a weep
Tor your baseness. Well where
Is our youth now? Quite frankly
you can find mine on my dressing
table. And yours, poor Rafael
you just haven't any, not even
the kind that you can buy! Take
q good look ct yourself! Yo1sre
ugly, to put 1t mildly, my dear
boy! You've lost that attractive
s1inness 81 your younger days.
Al passion at this late date! The
idylI OF q midtile-aged siren and 4
bald-headed father of q litter Of
children. with paunch. Oh, Ra-
fael! Ha. ha!"
The cruel moclkerl How NIle
laughed. How she was avenGfng
herself Rafael grew angry at
this cutting, ironic resistance. he
began to flame with more ex
cited passion The ravages Of
time made no difference. Could
not Love work miraclesl He loved
her more than he had ever loved
her in the oIden days. He felt
mad hunger for her. Passion
would give them back the fires
OF youth Love was like spring
time that brings new sap 70
branches grown numb IN the win
ter,s cold. Let her say Yeg
and on the instant she would be-
hold the miracle, the resurrection
Of their sIumbering past. the
Awakening OF their souls 20 the
future Of love-
And your wife2 And your chit
/ dren LeOn0ra asked, bruta1iy.
as IL she wished to bring him
back to realities.
But Rafael was now beside him.
self, drunk with the neaTness d
all that beauty and with the
waves OF perfume that filled the
interior OF the carriage.
Wife? Family? He would leave
everything for her 1T was she ne
need to live and be happy!
II viii go with you: everybody
is q stranger to me when think
Of you. You, alone are ny life,
my love!,
Many thanks ( Leonora an
swered CURLY, II could not ac-
cept such sacrifice. Besides
all that sanctity Of the home yOv
were just talking about q FEW mo
ments ago ii the chamber? And
all that Christian morality, with
out which civilization would 20 &c
the damnation bow-wows. How
laughed when I heard you say
THAR
And again she laughed cruelty.
Rafael was crushed with bitter
shame. She was avenging herself
by bringing him face to face with
the abjectness Of his mad, hope
less passion.
and /. Leonora? Are we not
to see each other any longer?
'sAs far as my door II you
wish. and then till we
meet again.
s'Oh, please, LeoDora, stay here
for a few days! Let me see YOU
And he grasped her hand. pas-
sionately. She did not resist.
There! You see. Rafael?" she
said, smiling coldly. You have
touched me, and it's useless: not
the slightest thrill. You're as gooi
as dead to me-.
Rafael realized that it was true.
She had once trembled madly nll
der his caresses Now she was
quite cold!
Don't worry, Rafael. It's over.
spelled with d capital 3. It's NOT
worth wasting a moments though.
May / go in with your the
deputy asked anxiously, much as
a child might beg for a toy.
why? You'll only be bored.
1t will be the same as here. Be-
sides, / don't want Beppa to see
you. She has a vivid recollection
of that afternoon in the Hotel ae
Roma when got your note. To
lose prestige with her II she saw
me in your company"
Farewell. Rafael. Take good
care of yourself, and try not to
grow old so rapidly. / behave it's
been a real pleasure, though, TO
see you again. need just this
to convince myself it was really
all overr
"But are you going like this.
Is this the way you let passion
end that still fills my life! When
shall we see each other again?
st don't know--neVer; perhaps
when you least expect It.
Rafael pointed to the opera
nearby.
And if you should come to
sing here? If I were actually to
see you agafn?"
Leonora smiled haughtily, guess
ing what he meant
I'm that case, you will pe one
of my countless friends. l suppose,
but nothing more. I'm just as !
was before you knew me. The
property of everybody 49, under
standard of nobody! But OF the
ianitor Of the opera. If necessary,
sooner Of you. You are corpse
in my eyes, Rafael. Farewellv'
He staggered off toward the
center of the city, slowly, detect
edIy, with the thought of death in
his mind, bidding farewell to all
his dreams, which that woman
seemed to have DESTROYED forever