Show In the Hills II DONT DON'T feel bad Karl Karl- Karlit it will only be two two years and that isn't so very long it will soon pass And her big brown browneyes browneyes browneyes eyes looked up into his gray ones with witha a comforting glance He looked down upon the sweet face below him and smiled This slender girl at his side was so brave so hopeful and to her two years did not seem long but to him two years of sep separation ration from her was torture It could not mean so much to her for his love was everlasting it could never change b but t she was so beautiful so young would she be permitted permitted permitted per per- to return to him Her beauty was too great to be wasted in a Ii little mining town and so had thought a theatrical manager passing through the town and he had offered her great inducements inducements inducements in in- to join his company for she had a voice like a nightingale and with training would make a good singer Elma was poor very poor She lived wi with th her old father the assayer of th the village who would soon SOO l be unfit for labor and Karl Harding the one who had won her love had nothing to offer her but his honest heart and two willing hands And so she was to go she had signed the contract for two years and andon andon andon on the morrow would bid farewell to all she loved on earth and go to meet her fate on the stage She and Karl had for the last time dim climbed bed up the steep side of the mountain to the great stone in the grove of pines on whose smooth side Karl had written their names j jElma Elma Elsworth h l Karl Harding Oh what hat a happy day that had been J the same on which Karl had told Elma of his love and she had consented consented consented con con- oh how willingly to be his wife The sight of those two names written in Karls Karl's bold hand brought broughtY Y back the scene so vividly that her eyes r filled with tears She would always love that spot dearer than any other on earth And now for two long years she was not notto notto notto to see it she would be among strangers in strange cities and with no one to love to comfort her like Karl These thoughts caused the keenest anguish but hut she would not let Karl see her weak weak- ness t i And now the evening was creeping on The great ball of fire had sunk in ina a asea sea sea of blood below the range of mountains mountains mountains moun moun- and tinged the tips mountain-tips with its glory and turned the gold in Elmas Elma's hair to gleaming red Neither spoke but kept their eyes fastened upon the sunset Their hearts were full and Elmas Elma's eyes filled with tears as the red of the sky resolved into the gray of ofF F evening and turning to her companion she said Let us meet here Karl when I 1 come back We have spent our happiest happiest hap hap- i hours here by this rock and our next meeting will be one of the happiest and when I 1 come back Karl Ill I'll Ill I'll-I'll Ill I'll never have to leave you again No never dear And you will come no matter what happens Even if even if-even even if you do not love me any longer Even though I I may be dead you will come in memory of this hour Promise me you will His eyes look down upon her with a a pleading expression in their gray depths and brighten with happiness as aR she answers I I promise But Karl dont don't talk in that manner As though I 1 could ever everlove everlove everlove love anyone else But we must go for father will want me with him this last evening Slowly the two turn and wend their way back to the smoky little town Eighteen months passed Eighteen month brought nothing but success success success suc suc- cess to Elma The manager who had been so im impressed pressed with her at first at-first first was not long in learning that she had extraordinary extraordinary extraordinary extra extra- ordinary ability and though she had but modest parts at the beginning of her career he gave her so much assistance assistance assistance assist assist- ance in her work that at the end of a year and a half she was one of the leading leading leading lead lead- ing ladies of the company praised by bythe bythe bythe the critics and with a brilliant future before her if she cared to work for it But Elma did not care She had a strong steadfast nature and her thoughts were always back in the little smoky town with Karl And though life before the lights foot-lights was alluring and applause was pleasing to her vanity life behind the scenes was anything but pleasant The spite and petty jealousies jealous jealous- ies incident to stage life pained her and the shame and deceit of it all could not but be hateful to her Her salary had been very high and she had accumulated accumulated accumulated quite a small fortune and looked forward with longing to the end of the two years which in a few short mouths months would come ome She and Karl did not write to one another as she was never long in one place and Karl was often away in the mines so she had scarcely heard a word about him in all the eighteen months except occasionally occasionally occasionally occasion occasion- ally through her father She was thinking of him one morning as she sat in her room in a large hotel in Denver Perhaps he is thinking of me now thought she and no doubt down in that hot mine toiling to make a home for me But she was mistaken Karl was at that moment in Denver Important business had brought him hin for forthe forthe forthe the first time out of the mining district where he had been born into a large bustling city To use a mining expression Karl had struck a bonanza and had suddenly I I become a rich man The old mine which for or years had paid so poorly had at last revealed its treasures and and Karl had come to Denver to form a company to work it He had heard that Elma was in Denver and the thought of seeing seeing seeing see see- ing her again made him almost wild with joy As soon as business would perm permit i t him he went about finding her where where- He felt bewildered surrounded with all the noise and activity of the western metropolis and wandered around aimlessly for a while without accomplishing anything Suddenly his eye was arrested by a huge brilliantly painted play It announced the appearance of a celebrated company and prominent among the names of the artists who were to appear was that of Elma Elsworth The name was painted in huge letters and Karl stood before it and read it over and over again Charming Elma Elsworth Of course she was charming but Karl rather wished wished wished wish wish- ed the poster had not announced it so glaringly he felt rather jealous of every everyone's everyone's everyone's ones one's knowing it Two young fellows passed down the street by him They glanced at the poster and he heard one say to th the other Going to the show tonight and the other replied Guess so Going to try and see the charming Elsworth tonight She a deuced pretty girl Dont Don't you think so So this was the way in which Elma was spoken of Karls Karl's blood boiled He longed to togo togo togo go and punch the head of the fellow who had spoken in that tone of his Elma A deuced pretty girl indeed He walked savagely down the street and after purchasing a ticket for the theater that evening sought his hotel Eight o'clock found Karl in his seat in the opera house It was the first time he had ever been to a place of this kind To be sure in his native city i traveling companies had played but their per performances had been given in a school-house school and were of the barnstorming barnstorming barn barn- storming character So o it it was no no- no wonder the poor fellow fel felt t as though he were dreaming amid the glaring lights and brilliant scenes around him bim But now the curtain rose and Karl beheld with increasing wonder the che various scenes of the play He watched with beating heart for Elma to appear but when at last she did appear he could not believe his eyes That his Elma That dashing woman decked out in jewels her face covered with paint and powder sweeping about the stage in rich gowns the simple little little girl girl who had left him not yet two years ago Karl knew nothing of the stage or he would not have been so overcome e by bythe bythe bythe the sig sight ht and the society drama would not have seemed so o strange Karl kept his eyes fastened upon the stage but not understanding half that was said because of that strange feeling at his heart But very soon he woke up to the events taking place before him All that happened o on the stage seemed real to him the men and women seemed really living their parts and the words the they uttered to come straight from their hearts and when in one scene in which the hero of the piece confessed his love for Elma Karl could scarcely contain himself but when Elma in impassioned tones declared she loved no other than the man at her side and allowed her stage lover to kiss her lips yes just as asKarl as Karl had done in in the days gone by he could stand stand- it no longer but rising left the theater What a fool I have been he muttered muttered muttered mut mut- bitterly as he felt him himself self in the free open air once more I might have known she would have loved a handsome man like him better than a rough fellow like me It was only in inthe inthe inthe the play but she said I love you to that fellow in a more passionate tone e than she ever used toward me And so he thought and each moment brought keener anguish but he had made up his mind He would write to her and free her She should never feel that she was bound to him that beautiful ful elegant creature the wealth he had attained had no attraction for him now I now that she would not share it but she f should not not feel that he was an obstacle in her path to glory and so he after r finding out the name of her hotel sent the letter which broke all ties between r him and Elma The next day he was speeding toward his mountain home vowing never to leave it again And Elma The note came as a cruel blow to her for h her r love was as astrue astrue astrue true and great as it had ever been The note had been abrupt merely saying saying saying say say- ing that as he K Kirl HI did not consider them suited to one another he thought it best for them to part She was very proud and would not for the world let Karl dream that she would have had it otherwise as she believed he cared ared for her no longer so the next post bro brought him his ring and both thought all over between them When summer came and with it iti i ended Elmas Elma's contract she no longer longer- wished to hasten home but lingered on in m the East putting off as long as possible ble the dreaded home-coming home but 1 the illness of her father demanded her immediate return and so with heavy heart she went back to the little mountain mountain moun moun- tain tam city of her birth She was confined rather closely to the house hous the first week after her return and as a result had not seen nor heard of Karl But Butone Butone Butone one evening after seeing that her father had everything he needed she went out for a walk She strolled past the old familiar places everything reminding her of that happy summer years ago l' l when suddenly she recollected that this was the anniversary of her departure from home and turning she directed h her r steps toward the grove w where here she and Karl had parted What a host of I tender memories the things along the path brought back There was the rugged old pine under whose shade she and Karl had so often sat And there was the old stone on whose smooth upper side was vas was written her own and d Karls Karl's names She sat down on the edge of the rock and idly traced with her finger the names Elma Elsworth J Karl Harding But the rush to tender memories overwhelmed overwhelmed overwhelmed over over- whelmed her and with a sob she he hid her face in her hands and gave away to her grief She could sob unrestrainedly here for she was alone and she cried aloud in her sorrow Oh Karl Karl how can you care care so little Someone else too that evening had r remembered that on that day two years past he and his betrothed had parted agreeing to meet there again He climbed to the old spot and a curious tremor went through him as he caught the gleam of Elmas Elma's dress through the trees She has not forgotten then II he lie thought with a glad thrill and approaching approaching approaching ap ap- nearer heard Elmas Elma's agonized cry as she sat sobbing on the old stone His heart reproached him as he heard her words He had been too hasty in breaking the bond she had hadnot hadnot hadnot not wished to be free She was still true while he he-he he he strode forward and clasping Elma Mina in his arms cried Oh Elma forgive me forgive me i But only the rock heard Elmas Elmas' reply l' l 4 Edith Ellerbeck N |