Evening star., 1928-08-03
WORLD FAMOUS STORIES
THE LOST JOY
BY OLIVE SCHREINER

tolive schreiner tMrs. g. C. Cronwrizhtl, 4,
the famous people that Cape Colony, south
Africa produced. Her most famous single
work is the Story of an African FERN.
All day where the sunlight played on
the seashore Life sat
All day the soft wind played with
her har, and the young, young lace
looked out across the water. She was
waiting, she was waiting; but she could
not tell for what
All day the waves ran up ana up on
the sand. and ran back again, and the
mink shells rolled Life sat waiting.
All day. with the sunlight in her eyes,
she sat there till, grown weary. she
laid her head upon her knee and feH
asleep. waiting still,
Then keel grated on the sand
and then a step was on the shore.
Life awoke and heard 1t. hand was
laid upon her and a great shudder
passed through her. She looked up and
saw over her the strange, wide eyes OF
Iove-and Life now knew for whom
she had sat there waiting.
And Love drew Life up to him
And of that meeting there was born
thing rare and beautiful-Joy, First
JOY was it called The sunlight when
so glad. the rosebuds when they turn
back their lips for the suns first kiss
are not so ruddy Its tiny pulses beat
quick. It was so warm, so soft! IL
never spoke. but 1t laughed and played
in the sunshine, and Love and Life re-
ioiced exceedingly Neither whispered
il to the other, but deep in its own
heart each said, ut shall be ours for
ever"
Then there came a tinne-was 1t after
weeks. was 1t after months nove and
Life do not MEASURE tifne) when the
thing was not as 1t had been?
Still 1t played; still It laughed; still
it stained its mouth with purple ber-
ries: but sometimes the little hands
hung weary and the little eyes looked
out heavily across the water.
And Life and Love dared not look
| into each others eyes, dared not say,
What ails our darling?" Each heart
whispered to itself 1T Is nothing, 1t Is
nothing-tomorrow it will laugh out
| clear" But tomorrow and tomorrow
| came. They journeyed on and the
/ child played beside them, but heavily
more heavily
one day Life and Love lay down to
/ sleep. and when they awoke 1t was
gone--only near them on the grass sat
| a little stranger with wide-open eyes
/ very soft and sad. Neither noticed It,
| but they walked apart weeping bit
| terly, "Oh. our JOY! Our lost JOY
| Shall we see you no more forever2"
| The little soft and sad-eyed stranger
| slipped a hand into the hand OF each
and drew them closer, and Life and
Love walked on with 1t between them
And when Life looked down in anguish
| iVr ffe cnff
| eyes. And when Love. mad with pain
cried out, Il am weary, I am weary!
| 1 can Journey no farther. The light is
all behind. the dask is all before a
little rosy finger pointed where the
sunlight lay upon the hillsides. Always
| its large eyes were sad and thoughtful
/ always the little brave mouth was
smiling quietly.
| When ON the sharp stones Life cut
| her feet he wiped the blood upon his
garments and kissed the wounded feet
/ with his little lips. When in the { C-3ert
| Love lay down faint for Love itself
| grows faint) he ran over the hot sand
with his little naked feet and even
| there in the desert found water In the
| holes in the rocks to n1oisten Loves
| lips. He was no burden; he never
| weighted them: he only helped them
| forward on their journey
/ When they came to the dark ravine
where the icicies hung from the rocks
for Love and Life must pass through
strange, drear places-there. where all
| is cold and the snow lies thick, he
took their freezing hands and held
them against his. beating little heart
and warmed them. and softly drew
them on and on.
And when they came beyond. into
the land of sunshine and flowers.
strangely the great eyes lit up and