OCR Text |
Show IBBWHrMlAafi tggBmmmimmitKtammmrKBmmKKimm BBBBBB ..T.I..LII n i. .. - i .... -.,... n. ji ... ....im ! v-v-i' BbVbBBBb CX30CXXX)CO0COCXX) ' BU Raijfoow Gold H BBBBBBBl bbbbbIbb . ' t " BBBb By Temple Bailey COCXXXXX)CXXXXX)CO0COCXX HBH Copyright, igio, by Atsoclatud Litotary Yict BBfll Tho dimness of tho big drawing room was Bllghtly lessoned by tho glow of tho light through tho perforations perfo-rations of tho samovar. Evolyu Her-rick Her-rick was pouring tho tea. "1 had a letter from Christine this morning," bIio sold as she handed a cup to Bruce McKonzlo. "What did sho say?" ho aakod. ca-gorly. ca-gorly. "Walt until theso peoplo go." bIio murmured, "and then I will read It to you." it was an hour beforo tho crowd melted away, anil oven then they woro not alone, for Philip Herrlck loungod on tho couch In tho corner. Evelyn read tho note In nn undertone. "1 nm coming home, Evelyn. After oil thoso years of study my volco Is a failure. Do you remember that I ubc1 to Bay that 1 would And my pot of gold at tho end of tho rainbow, and Bruco would tell mo that no ono over really found rainbow gold? All thoso years 1 havo been Booking a thing that did not exist, nnd you havo stayed at homo and havo found happiness. 1 often think of you and Bruco nnd of tho friendship that Iuib grown up between be-tween you. Something you Bald In your last letter mnkcB mo feel that you two aro about to enter upon a dearer relationship than friendship, and I wIbIi you hnpplneBB, I who havo misBod happlncsB In my Bonrch for rainbow gold." Bruco nnd Evelyn looked at each other. "You boo, bIio knows," Evelyn Bald at lastN From out of tho BhodowB Philip Herrlck Her-rlck asked, "Has sho lost her volco?" "Yes," Evelyn told him, "her beautiful beau-tiful volco; and sho gavo up everything every-thing for It." She did not Bay, however, what waH In tho thougutH of each ouo of tho Phlllp Sank Down on the Fur Rug In Front of Her. thieo an tley sat. In tho dim room. They had all lovod ClirlfiUno, and sho had been engaged to Bruco; hut fooling fool-ing tho call of her genius, bIio had chosen n enroor rather thnn marriage. And now Evelyn and Bruco wero engaged en-gaged and Chrlstlno was coming back. Behind tho samovar Evelyn wIiIb-pored wIiIb-pored to her lover, "I am afraid." "Of what?" he demanded. "That when sho comes hack you will find that you havo not forgotten her." Ho shook his head. "Sho did not love mo, and now I know that I did not lovo her not in tho wny that I love you, Evelyn." Their voices after that sank Into a murmured monotone. Tho darkness gathered, ond the man on tho couch, looking through tho parted curtains, could boo tho starB. Ho thought of tho girl who waB coming hack. Whon Bho had gono away sho had been radiant radi-ant with hope and beauty. She had boon courted by a dozen admirers. And she was coming back a failure; coming back to find her lovor ready to marry another woman. Ills heart ached for her as It had nover ached for hlmeolf. His own love had been hidden thnt nho might not bo hurt hy seeing It, hut through all .ttio years there hod been for him no other woman. And oven as ho thought of her she came, parting tho curtains Boftly and standing thero In the dlmnesB beforo any of thpm saw her. She laughed a little as sho came toward them, and they Jumped to their feet In startled amazement "You didn't expect me bo soon?" she asked, and kissed Evelyn and gave her hands to Bruce and to Philip, Sho had lost some of her beauty. She was paler and thinner, and tho light was gone from her eyes. Sho gavo a little tired sigh aa ah drooped Into tho . , i -iiHlr .thnt Philip had placed In- front BBH of (ho lire tor her. BBBl "How good It sceniB to bo with you. BBBj all again," sho said, "tho thrco dear BBH peoplo with whom 1 played as a BBI Presently sho wont on, "And now, BBB Evelyn Is going to marry Bruco, which BBfl Is oh It Bhould be. 1 havo come book BB to givo you my blcsBlng." BBh Tho word wuh sntd lightly, but, .'BBB Philip, watching her, saw tho trouble BBI in her face. Did sho still lovo Bruco? BB1B1 Would this marrlago mako her still 'BB more unhappy? BIBb "When I went away," nhe ealct BBb after a sllcnco, "1 thought thnt my R return would bo n tvhunphal entry. BflBl Evcryano would want to hour me BBfl sing and now no ono will caro to BBfl hear Philip sank dowu on tho fur rug In BBJ front of her. "Ib It all gono. you BB voice?" ho naked softly. BH "1 still havo n llttlo volco," Bho sald, BBBj "but no ono car en to hear It." BBb And again thoro wno sllcnco. There. BBBJ was constraint, too, in the atmosphere, BBBJ ft r Bruco and Evelyn had grown Into , BBBJ each othur'B Uvea and away fronv "BBBj Chrlstlno'H. Only In Philip's heart. BBBj was tho real wolcomo that sho craved. BBBj Sho folt this Instinctively, nnd It BBBj as nor need or him. perhaps, that BBBj mndo her ask later, when the four had . BBBj talked of many thlngn. "Will you rldo BBJ back to tho hotel with mo, Philip? .1 ;BBB know Evelyn had a dinner engage-( BBB ment nnd Bruco will want to nay, BBJ good-by to her without us." BBB Philip Insisted upon a stop at n tea- BBB room, whoro they ordered Ices na an. BBJ excuso but ato nothing, BBB They talked of Bruco and of Evelyn BBB and of tho coming mnrrlago. "Evelyn BBB cIiobo tho batter part," Chrlstlno said. BBH "A woman Ib only a woman after n't, BBB and homo-keeping hearts aro hapi I- BBJ Ho felt that sho regretted tho iosi HHH of Bruco, and tried to comfort her. "1, BBB don't bollovo thnt you would havo BBB been happy with him, Chrlstlno," he' BBj BBJ Sho looked 'at him 'startled. "With BBH whom?" sho demanded. "With Bruco, of courso," ho snld. "Oh!" Bho laughed a little. "Did BBB you think why, Philip, I am glnd 1 gavo up Bruco. If I had loved llm 1 could not havo given him up. If I had IBBh loved him no career could havo takon BBj mo away from him, nnd thnt was why BBj 1 went nway to scorch for my pot of BH gold." Sho stopped for n moment; then Bhd wont On with somo hcalta- BH tion: "Thero was somo ono elso thnt BBB I loved, Philip, but I was not light BH enough or frivolous enough to turn BBB from ono man to another. 1 folt that BB I must glvo up Bruco aud tost my- BH self but tho other man nover told BJ mo, Philip, thnt ho cared." H Something In her volco mndo him BBl look at her startled. "Would you havo given up your ca- BB roer for that other man?" ho do- BB "Yes," sho Bald softly. "1 would Bl havo been glad to havo used my voted ' BBfl for lovo Bongs and lullahys, Philip. 1 BB knew that I was following a phantom, ' H that my greatest hnpplncHH would not BB como from a career. But I felt that I H must go away becauso this other ' jB man wns truo to his frlond, and bo- BB couho I folt thnt I muBt bo very sure H myself." B "I could not tell you. You under- B stand?" ho asked eagerly. "I did not B dream that you cared, and I thought B Bruce'fl llfo was bound up In you." B "I know It wasn't," she said. "'But B that had to bo proved, and only my B going nwny could prove It. And I nm- H moro than glad that I went away, r B "Philip, becauso I havo learned now H thai lovo Is tho greatest thing In the Bl wcrrld. I now so many womon over B thoro living their pltirui llttlo lives HBj women eaten up hy JenloiiBlca and nm- hltloiiH and tho craving for excitement, M and 1 learned thnt nothing mnkou n ' M woman happy hut lovo and n homo. B All tho modern theories, nil tho nd- M vauced arguments can nover mako me bollove anything clue." M And then ho know thnt all his wait- BV lug was to hnvo Its reward, Ho told BB her, then, of his ilreaniH nnd of his IH dcHlroH. Ho wanted her in his llfo; It iH seemed to them both, nn thoy wont M qut. that tho world had changed"; there was n radlauco about tho stai- M lighted evening that was a reflection- : BB of the rodlanco within themsolvcu. jH Ah he left her nt her hotel, Christine jH whispered, "I hnvo found my pot of H gold, Philip." B "Where?" ho demanded. BB "At tho other end of tho rainbow,' . BB she said. "At tho end that was aear "t H est home, Philip," , , H |