Show I AFTER THE FESTIVAL 1 I i i BY DY S. S PERKINS The midsummer night plays its slow i soft valse with on all nil the i strings Tho The night Is 18 quiet nn and be- be i witching It Is as ns Ir if fur far awny away behind I Ithe the tho brushes somebody Is whispering our name name or or is it far out In the quiet suburban road wh where re everyone IB is sleeping sleep sleep- in tug ing or In Iii one of or the streets of or the city where mighty might wanderers uro are hurrying hurry hurry- ing lug homewards s. s or far far far Va a away hurrY I Jn in inthe n the wl wide e world way beyond tho tim mountains moun The night is silent but thousands of or eyes stare in the tho alluring depths and tho the souls are 1011 longing The festival cl is over The guests have hare gone their tbell laughter has hns lied died I away The aroma of their cigars clars and still stUl clings lo to e ng although although al al- al I though tho windows aro open and the thedoor I door dool of tho the eran veranda 1 Here Hero he be stands In the night alone all alone all alone There I Is nobody chatting and anti laughing In the I rooms It feels eels ghostly nn and uncanny I and anti In tho the kitchen l his wife Is he helping the girl to put lUt things in lu order In the bedroom his little girl Is asleep adear adear a adear dear little nn angel c with golden curl and and blue eyes that look Innocently into the tho world where everything is deceit and falsehood illusions burst like soap bubbles Oh how hio empty empt everything is Vh liy did they thoy all go away Their laughter and gay chattel chattering Ing made him forget what had happened They suspected nothing all these happy y people TV who ho had been heen guo ts in hla lii the tho rich m mer mr merchant r. r chant An Anders ers Dan Bangs Bang's s 's home for fOI he had hall never nover forgotten his hla duties as a u host bust but brought life into tho the conver conversation when It was dying Ing out And old ullI hud made a speech In his honor What I had he lie said Tub Thi man whoso whose jO joy or of living hIns is t so o strong that It affects all others s an and forces them to feel leel happy happy a as himself Yea Yes he lie had Indeed loved life Ufe Ho lie inhaled tIm the balUl balmy night air filled ell with the fragrance of tho the flowers inthe in tho the garden He Ire Inhaled it as if he wanted to get intoxicated to forgot forget everything to mako himself believe he was still happy huppy Nothing had happened everything was lute 1110 it ue need to bo be only ten time better Th The Tho hard times had bad not como He lie hud had never nevor forged that note noto It was allan all allan allan an u ugly ly dream ream sent to him as a C warn warn- ing lug lIe He stool stood there In itt lii lib III beautiful home Ho lie had hall a whom he adored and an angel of ot a child How happy they were to be ue to together lt No no nothing noth ing had happened No forged not 1 impossible impossible He wanted wante to tomako mako malco tho the road smooth for the woman he ho loved loved and and the child was lo to grow lip a happy strong healthy girl And then sometime when he lie and aud hi hh lii- wife had both grown glown old sho shio would come conic cometo cometo to them with tears in her eyes es and thank them for tho the happiness of or her childhood days Oh no It was too late too late Post The blood bloo rushed through h his is veins and hammered at his hla tem tem- nies In hIs big cold collI hand band he be was holding the letter that ha had come corne In the evening even even- In inc ing mail mall Ju Jut t as his guests were Inthe in inthe inthe the midst of their say gay rejoicing Heh He Ho h had opened the door himself for he knew it would come Nobody noticed anything tho h he lie fell felt he be was as pale palea a a. a ghost and the the tak tal the tho music had hod deadened rl hi his hir But Thit now over ever was Oh how terrible to think of it all alI His home broken brohen up Id hi lIfe Ife his future ruined mined and his hones bones blasted And two human bein two Innocent oils his wife's antI and his hla little ho he drew down with him into misery he lie had promised them life and d happiness s. sHe s He was alone alono all alone was not a human being who could con ole him not a Ian hat where he lie might re ye t thIs his poor tired heAd hond and nd cry Yes he wold cal ca'l hIs h's wife tell her everything e h her r to him Mm But mit woud she understand him Wold she Bhe not drive him away who had ruined ruin ruIn- ed cd edher her life Hark What hat wa va that Somebody was coming Comins III no the road ro H He trembled Cold It be the tol o The Tho shot through his brain like a knife What was to be ue done He ran rau to the tho limp put It out ont and 11 Ii toned listened Th sound of tho the steps coming ne nearer Now nw they were cose He Ho pressed his liS hand his beatin beating beat- beat in ing heart The They were it cit the garden en gate no now Oh God Almighty A And ho shouts In his terror Ger Ger- Gertrde Gertrde oh Gertrude His wife camy rushing tho the dark room Are you sick darling she cried and her voice olce was trembling with fearNo fearNo fear No dear he lie and felt v ace q if it peace nence had once more come back to him It lit is Is the the polee who have c come to arrest me yes cs It Is true I have forged forge a note Now Gertrude you yon know everything e She Sho rushed to him stared into his face faco said it wa wao not true the tile doorbell rang she burled buried her head hend In the pillows s and Sobbed while he fell feU down at her and stroked her golden soden hair hall His voice was quiet and aud firm film now non Tell me you rou for forgive ive he ho be begged She Sue throw w her arms around his n ck and burled buried her hor face upon his shoulder Once Onee more the bell rang Then Thou he stood up lowly lit nt tho the lamp and anti the tho stranger er outside walked around the house and stood In the open crand veranda cr ver cranda anda and a door I be beg your pardon portion are are you Mr 11 Anders Auders Dan Bang I know why you conic come Bang Dang replied replied re re- plied as ns he went out for his hat and coat COZil Then he came camo back bent down downan I an and kissed ha wife on the forehead I IDe Be De strong he said and said and tU turned Cd awn away At the thc door he I with himself nn and said In a voice trembling with emotion Tell Tulle I that father has gone on n a long trip till And he went Into the tho summer night with tho the stranger |