THE OMINECA HERALD, WEDNES. DAY, APRIL, 18, “1934

a

ai

stuf had no doubt but that she would
very soon be on her feet again, He
trled to talk without a strain in his
voice, yet he could feel the falsenese
und. pretense of -his, effort when he
winted to take her fn his arms and
kiss her pale, sweet face.

Carta, knew ‘this,’ too

At inst, ‘when it wus time for him
te leave her,” she said: “When are
you gaing home?" | ;

“1 don't know,’ fe repliea

“Tt must be soon,” she-urgea = "T
want it that way. You must start to-
doy. -or tomorrow. Only that will
ite ome well.’ Claire’ wanta you.
“read this—* |

Sie gave him-a crumpled yeliow slip
wlopaner Tt wasa telegram, crushed,
BS " ahe bad’ been: bolding It a long

Prlereare

‘ine before be cums, He sie ted
itt end read the words which hls
wife had sent ler . The viesnee wip

atheist identieal, with the aue he tad
revived, -giviug him. the Impression
tlt Claire, in the stress of her emo-
lion, had been eble to find but a sin-
gle thought fer them both:

“T am so happy," tt said. “Sena
Panl to mé as quickly ag you. can,
Only God knows how giad I am.” * |

“She has faith in me," sald Carla
“She asks--me. to: ‘send: you to her.

What o privilege that Is, Paul, for one :

woman to- give" another!. No matter
how, hard J try I can never be as won-

derful Bs “Claire. The world does not i

hold many: women Hke ler,
you.: She wants yous
go.to her?! ..:. :

“You snid—tomorrow. ”

“Yes, tomorrow,”

He rose, and stood looking down at-
her.

‘I will 20," he said. “But some
time I will come for you, Carla, May-
be not now, not in this Hfe, but some-
time. May I continue to dream that?"
.a It is not a dream,” she said. “It
Js faith. 1 am giving you up for a
little while, that is all. Sothetime, in
another life, these tests which God put
upon us will return you to me.”

When he looked heck at her from
the dour. she was gmiling, her eyes '
filled with tears.

He trled..to readjust himself be-
tween the time of this last visit with

She loves ;
When will you

Carla and his departure for home, ~

Ils effort was on honest one, a strug-
sie to fit. himself to certuin. demands
which he accepted as necessury and
inevitable, He was sure of hiinself
as he returned to Claire. It was al-
most an exuliant gureness, which left
upon him no sign of spiritual or
physical torment, -He wag possessed
now by memories which blessed even
as they burned. It was as if some
where in him were.a little song, @
tart of himself, which said: “I have
11 tyont whereunto o6 one enters suve
I, alone. There: sits a memory on f
throne, There. .my life centers,”
Curla was the memory. ‘He made no
‘effort to turn away ‘from the truth, or
harden “himsétft th’ his “contemplation
of It, Some one had said that. memory
was o paradise {roi which Fate could
not drive one, And the room which
had built - itself: In -his: heart could
never be leveled or taken away from
him. It was indestructible, like 4 goul,

Claire, in a way, became the keeper
at the door. Because of her he had
closed {t, and’ because of her he would
never open it except to -himaelf. He
could concelve of no one but Claire in
this “‘sered place.- A long time ago,
when he” was @ boy, there had been
la his room @ picture of an angel with
snowy winga--and: golden hair, She
seemed to be floating through clouds,
and he remembered that his first tdeag

of heaven” canie' from ‘this’ abgel ‘and.

that she Inspired him to ask questions

a aed eeceemene

oO al

or Ponker

‘Oliver

~Curwood

WNL.
Service |

which his ‘mother gometImes found,
difficult to answer. The picture had
always remained In his mind. It re-
curred t@ him in thinking of Claire.’
It was impossibie for him to feel re-
sentment agatnst his fate, or even a
desire to change it, In going to her.
There were occasional women at whose
breasts the world found its spiritual
glory. Claire, he knew, was one of
them---like the angel in his room. It
wus he who had been the misfit In
thelr tives, and this defect in himself
he was prepared to remedy—if he
could.

He read Claire’s telegram many
times on the way south He tried to
Tread between its lines, Ele tried to
understand more clearly the change
which had come over. her. Derwent
had told him how she had watched
where the water roared out of the
chasm, “Whiter than death, as if she
would die unless you came out allve,”’
‘he had sald. And Carla:
you. She wants you,” And now her’
own words on the yellow. paper in his’
‘hand, entreating him to come to her
ns “qnickiy as he could, There was a
strange singing In his heart and a
dull ‘grief. If she should love him—.
at last—tike that. After years of wait-
ing, and hoping, and of yearning for.
:& woman to be a part of him—chil-
;dren—a-home he had dreamed of—

‘He folded the telegram for a last
time and put it in hig pocket,

He was sesing the tears in Carla’s
: eyes,

ry
}

CHAPTER XIII vO

Panl had told only Claire that he
was on his way to her. At the sta-
tion a familar face come out of the
hurrying streams of humanity to greet
him. [Et was Jimmy Ennerdale, whose
presence always gave him greater
comfort than that of any other man.
He had known Ennerdule for a long
time, and Claire had grawn up with
him like a alster. Jimmy hid always
seemed older thin Bank with a pre
‘matnre grayness In his hair ang aq
slight stronp in his thin. sensithve bady.
His affection for Paul possessed the
unchangedble quaticy of the muartle
out of which he was slowly and per.

sistently chiseling fame -for himself
as acseniptor - He had been working
In the West. and Pan! lad net seen

‘tds fora year: Ennerdale had grown
oadder in that time, he thought Hig
>free was thinner, bla halr whiter over
‘hig: temples, hfs phystea! tome even
lesa: robust thin when he had seen
“him lost - He had the same. quick,
hervous alertness: about him,. and tt
did -Paul good to see. the gladness in
his face as they. gelpped bunds. He
knew that Chitra, tiahle te meer htm
herself, had sent Jimmy tn her pltiaee.
“She is the aseltfd wnlting for
“yo,” : suid. Ennerdile; as) they. rode.
toward his heme. “Powas there with
mother hist evening, and she asked me
_to leet you, She eried and tng
“end Sa duninably happy. af you dva't

‘ mind, I'd like’to come over when you
two have settled down, und hare sou
‘Ing, May 12"
“You know you don’t need an invl--
tatlon,” said Paul:
He had an odd feellng of not know-

left. Ennerdale and entered his hoine,
He--coutdftéél himyelfunder.a strain
roused by the nearness of explanations
“whieh it was Claire's ‘right to-hear and
hia duty to “make. "
to talk about Carla, as he must, eveh
‘should Claire lo her ' wisilom ask -for
nothing,

© Clatcetwaa' waiting for shim. In: her
room. | This act of thoughtfulness

tell me about this monstrous hiaippen-

“Come tomorrow.” |
sl

ing what was: gotng to happen as he 4:

‘It ‘would-be hard.

y

=

“She loves ||

You will promise me that?”

‘vividly ‘than ever he saw the differ-

_love me

) love. me, not in the way you wanted.

‘you thatt™ |

——

woe he ha

fe pteasea t ‘him.-She knew “that in a)

“peculiarly embarrassing- moment: they-
should be alone, Ttoth wera” senal-"
_tive, each a little fearful, of what one
or the other might betray in their
first greeting, He was thinking: this
‘when he went to her. As her door
closed behind lim, his first Impression
was of a room filled with flowers.
Claire, like Carla, loved them. ‘The
air was delicately fragrant with their
perfume.. Claire was bending over a
mass of white roses when he entered,
and then came toward him with: both
hands held out,’ She did not put “her
arms about him or offer him her lips,
yet never had he seen such a light of
happiness shining in her eyes. He
made a movement to kisg her, but she
drew back in such a way that her
act seemed scarcely to be repelling
him.

“Not now, Paul. Not until we have
talked. Then, if you want to kiss me,
you may. ss

‘She was astonishingly free ‘of the
tension which he had anticipated, and
as she stood with her fingers clasped
warmly sbout his, telling him how
‘glad she was that he was alive, and
how doomed to despair and unhapp!-
ness she would have been ff :he had
not Iived to return to her, he won-
dered {f it were Claire, his wife,. who
was talking to him, or another Clalre
—s0me one he'tiad never known, For
she séenied, all at once, to have drawn
herself ‘farther away from him than
she had ever been, but in such a
sweet and friendly way that the
change in her seemed one which could
not bring hurt with ‘it,

It was Claire's ‘fight that was hard-
‘est. It was going to take a Joan of
Arc courage. to say what she had
planned to say.

' She "made him sit near her, so they
were facing each other,

“Paul, we are galing to be honest.

He knew he wag preparing to equivo-

cate as he gave his word. A lie to |

save Claire from hurt was more cred-
{table than truth. The impulse, to
shield her, to keep from her all sus-

picion of his love for Carle, swept |.

over him. as-he looked at her. She
was like the flowers on ‘the table, ag
easily. crushed; he thought. More

ence between her-and Carla. Carla

‘would fight on through tragedy, even |~

to death. Claire,-.-suffering more,
would droop and fade like a petal in
a: rose, shrinking from the quicker
and more physical action which the
other would: find for himself. He was
not analyzing himself, or her, «The
thought—like & pleture—fmpressed |:
itself upon him, and Claire, gazing at
him in these. epic, Introspective. mo-
ments, as if partly.seelng the swift
visioning in his mind, surprised bim
by saying: .
“Paul, | wonder if ‘you know, just
how much I honor and respect: you.
1 wonder {f you realize how fine you
are, I have failed to play"my part—
as your wife.. I have not let. you
know these things as T should. The
-fault. In our lives ig not yours. I[t Is-
smine. I think I could have made you.
Yet I saw the unfairness of
{t unless I could make myself love you
first. [| hoped and prayed for that. .
“There wasn't love when we. were
miarried, on either side, You did sot.

fo Jove a woman, and my feeling for
you wis an fmmeasgurable respect and
admiratian for ao honornuhle zentle-
man, Tt seems trite and superficial
to suy that the interests of our fam
Hles brought wa, tozether, dues [t not?
Rut tt is true. T wanted ta love you.
But I diseovered—atter a little while
—that, something was in ny way.”

“YT know,” he found himself saying,
“You coutda't Inve an aninul Clilre,
T was that, antl, the day vou came to
the Mistussiul, TE have been blind and
brutal. God ‘knowa Foam unly half
worthy of sow

“and Carhim .

So softly did, his wife anenk Cartas: |
name, that, for, fl moment Jt seemed as
if.he had not heard, tt

. We hive “promiged ourselves to he
honest, "she continued. “Do you re-
‘member a letter ,] wrote | you ‘from
Purls in which T said 1 wag coming to’

you and that I was’ sure a more tm-'|

portaut thing, would happen: ‘for us iné
your. woods | than” any journey, like”
your promised. ‘one around the world,’
could glva?’ —

"Yes, I remember."
- "Bo you know—now—why I told

y

An

{'Then she spoke of ‘unother man.
‘{ was of Jimmy Ennerdule,-the.seulptor,:

‘| ly to sueccess.-

wo NF

“T have only" ‘wondered. ad

“1¢ was because I had seen, pocause:
I kad read between the Ines of your
‘letters; because T knew at last. a-great
love -had.come into your life, and that
Carla Haldan had brougit {t to you.

You do not love me.- Youtove’ Carla. +

And. loving her, you .would saerificg
everything for. my. sake. ‘

His fabric of lies was gone, “his
soul inid bare. under" the gaze of his
wife's eyes.

ae Want’ to henr. rou ses It, Pan
She was repeating Curla’s words whis-
pered to hin in the blackuess of the
earth, “That Is why F came to sou

there. A.. woman may hide her love
from # man, but. not from another
worn, and it’ was impossible for
Carla to keep her secret from me,
Yours was still more open, though -I
saw you making a mhgnificent fight.
I kmow, Paul, But I want to hear. it
from your lipg. I must hear it, Do
you love Carla Huldan?”

. “¥es, I love her.”

- “More than any other woman in the
‘workd?" ; .

*“¥ -could only love ‘one woman: ‘40
that way.” - fyewtt,

He was conscious of ‘bnving: struck
# deadly blow, a hurt he w would rather:
have died than Inflict upon Claire... It
had dragged itself from him In spite
of his’ determination, and he watted
for his punishment, ite effect on her.
Claire's eyes did not waver. She ald:
not flinch.’ A starry, radiant’ light.
came into her face, and she gaye a
breathless, half-articulate ery, not of
shock or. of pain, but of joy, He saw
the blood flushing her ‘cheeks, the
tenseness leaving her body, and they
sat for a time in silence, neither mak-
‘fing an effort to speak. —

- Then he sald:

“] thought I would bart you.
you are glad!’

“Yes,-I am glad.
love Carla.”-

She rose to her. feet, and took a
letter from the tuble. She was trying
‘to ‘keep from: crying a as she gave It
to him: ~*

‘“T want: you to read it ‘and:-then
come back to me,” she said. “This
‘evening, if you will, "Paul “I lack the
courage to tell you things... You will
understand when you open it, alone.”

oe

And

T: thank Goa yon

int and lost himself in the human
stream going up with the elevators.
On one of the floors was an office, al-.

ways ready for him. He shut himself

in and locked the door.

Be opened the letter. - There were
many. pages, closely written’ in ‘Clatre’s
“hand. “With almost childish candor
they began to tell him of a woman's
fight to triumph over herself, Like
_ indestructible redolence they:
breathed the sureness of Claire's faith
in herself. Without emotional effort
she told him that unless. Carla’ had
come into his life she would never
have let him know. what she was
about to reveal. There was no man
In the worl] more worthy of a wom-

an’s love than he, she said, Yet, from b

the beginning, she had ‘been unable to

boild her respect and admiration into }Jts “hu =

greater things she should have given
him,
_pelling the thought ‘of making ”, him
care freutly for, her when she could
“not love him, she had: ‘kent herself
away from ‘him ‘so much." One's: pas-
‘sion for anther, In its héllest form,
was “guided -by'a single force. One
tight stem that’ and hold tt ‘back,
‘hat it’ was ‘impossible to make ft die..
‘Such a love: waa Curla’s ‘for him.:
It:

who was driving his way so persistent-'
She: had accepted ‘Jin-.
‘my almost ‘as a brother during . her:
girtiivad,: but very’soon after her mar-.
rige the truth had*come to her, she:
stid; and had grown stronger with
“each ‘year, ‘She cared: for Ennerdale
just ‘es Carla cared: for him.- It svas:
“Paul whe might have been ber .broth-
er« with: such frank ‘and unembar-
‘rassed simplf{elty-.did she confide in
hint,--She knew that Ennerdale loved

B,C. LAND’ SURVEYOR:

SC “Allen Rutherford

Surveys promptly executed

Smithers, B.C

He® went to the Kirke- Durand build-

‘That was one reason why, re- BE

‘a part of;-the-;dream- which absorbs /!
1 them ‘both, +:
{green and: blue-black. edge.of wiider- /'

‘before. he: might, have had fifteen thou- jj

i

ue

a

2

and. repeated that a man could
nog)’ “conceal#that fact.from a woman
though. he did not express it in words,§
and she was sure Jimmy had no ide
of her sentiment “toward -him. “Thi
love for Jimmy waa the other reason
the more, vital ‘of the two, whieh hadi}
held her aloof from Paul, She lovec
Jitamy's work and‘ wantéd to’ ‘becom
a part of. ite _She- had, meyer. held it toe

Mh
le

it In that way until ' she, knew that hed
loved Carla, ° a
Paul finished, and it seemed aa”
though tiny. raindrops were falling inj
his brain, ‘so..cledrly. could. he _
and feel the beating of hia pulse, . in}
a few moments the moaning of lites,
cane. to° him in a distant wave. ° Tt 7
struck -nenrer In the slamming of anf
¢levator dior, Indistinct voices passed (i A
down the hall. From another street, yt -
blacks away, the hammering of ‘rivet
‘drivers on new steel rose above ther
Tush and roar of traffic. Paul looked [2
from his window, as lf he might se
the nit. oti of which the same sound |j
had ‘came night and day for three
yeurs. His eves” ‘fell. _upon glaomy, "a
sooty walls. Uader him day an unend- {
Ing fabric of men’s toil, a freat sea Ni
cof: roofs strung with wires, cragey i
with ugly architectural warts, broken if
‘with chimneys, strenked ‘with tarred 3@
gutters, aud with the gaping, shifting (4g
mouths of ventilating funnels sucking i :
alr inty thelr artificial lungs. He !
lanked dawn and saw a thousand mov- ; \q
ing things, im a strenm, like ants. };
every hurrying particle a. human ‘sul
strugeting in the furious, Twentieth:
century effort to. nuke itself Hredler "4
thin God, From all this Claire had ;
frevd him. She had given Aten wei -
Hfeand with ‘ft loveyatid: happiness. ") :
He crushed her letter in his hand ‘dj
as (f some pitiful breath might wrench ‘ i,
its precious pages from him. "4
Then he turned to the telephone. [t a :
was Impossible: for. him to wait, He i
wnuted ‘to tell ber there cwag one, other |i
woman! tn the world. a8: ‘wonderful as
farla,

i

iy

Rt ara ‘mustn't’ conie’ to’ ied gor
evening. T. have something which I!
“auaist do hefore I. see’ ‘you “again,” :
That night, :when, he? went; to his f
hoine,’ Claire wi is nat there.” : .
She hadtefta note for him.
“l huve gune to. see “‘Curla,", it. gald, 1
“only a woman “can make another |
woman--like Carla—understand.” °

CHAPTER XIV -

‘on

And hore we and ourselves where |
we hegaum with the lovely Crippled ; a ear
Lady on-her porch at: Peribonka.

. There. have been changes, since. the i a)

sa: ‘pit; but a:  radghty "force
‘enerby iu;unending streams -
through ‘high-tenston wires. The. Mis-

vied, (3g
Y for ia 7
HI tind. 4: This |,

neat ox- fy

8 almost J;

‘Ing a yery ‘small corner of it as the {
whole, could not understand why a ao
‘fan Ike Paul Kirke should deliberate- I
ty saver himself from the huge prestige | a
and wealth bullt by his father's suc
cess,..and, jas. the: story... went, bear.\; a
away with him all his personal pos- |:
sessions {n a trunk and a handbag. |.
It could understand, quite easily, how q ;
a husbend and wife might end thelr a
miurital relationship, ‘but it was puz- ‘im
wed and shocked thal a woman Itke (I
Clalie Kirke should throw’ herself 7
away, soon afterward, on -a stoop-®
shouidered, . _ preiaturely, ageing man \ ae
who was possessed’ of nothing on earth ia
but an admirable ‘passion: for shaping!
things out of marble, -  .

s * ‘ * a s a
’ Carla always sits on her porch so i 7
that she fs looking up the river towurd i
the north. Paul.is-there, working out (i

F
»

“Thirty, miles beyond the
:ness; whieh ghe can. see -Paul has aj 7
timber. concesalon,; and - fifteen , men q
working with him, where’ a little while |]
sand, -But;these fifteen men, , and i
-what . they. are. planning to do, with( ml

the concession, mean more _ ta. Paul
and Carla than all the millions mh
the warld, i

Cantinnad Nryt Wants .
Ry
f