came back to mock him. He might forget, sometimes, bending above
his desk, or struggling against the perplexing problems of his
profession in the field, but not here; not in the glare of the
footlights, amid the hum of the crowd. He crushed the unread programme
within his hand, striving to converse carelessly with the lady sitting
next to him, whom he was expected to entertain. But his thoughts were
afar off, his eyes seeing a gray, misty, silent expanse of desert,
growing constantly clearer in its hideous desolation before the
advancing dawn.

The vast steel curtain arose with apparent reluctance to the top of the
proscenium arch, the chatter of voices ceased, somewhat permitting the
struggling orchestra to make itself felt and heard. Winston shut his
teeth, and waited uneasily, the hand upon the rail clenched. Even more
than he had ever expected, awakened memory tortured. He would have
gone out into the solitude of the street, except for the certainty of
disturbing others. The accompanying music became faster as the inner
curtain slowly rose, revealing the great stage set for the first act.
He looked at it carelessly, indifferently, his thoughts elsewhere, yet
dimly conscious of the sudden hush all about him, the leaning forward
of figures intent upon catching the opening words. The scene portrayed
was that of a picturesque Swiss mountain village. It was brilliant in
coloring, and superbly staged. For a moment the scenery; with great
snow-capped peaks for background, caught his attention. If was
realistic, beautifully faithful to nature, and he felt his heart throb
with sudden longing to be home, to be once more in the shadow of the
Rockies. But the actors did not interest him, and his thoughts again
drifted far afield.

The act was nearly half finished before the Star made her appearance.
Suddenly the door of the chalet opened, and a young woman emerged,
attired in peasant costume, carelessly swinging a hat in her hand, her
bright face smiling, her slender figure perfectly poised. She advanced
to the very centre of the wide stage. The myriad of lights rippled
over her, revealing the deep brown of her abundant hair, the dark,
earnest eyes, the sweet winsomeness of expression. This was the moment
for which that vast audience had been waiting. Like an instantaneous
explosion of artillery came the thunder of applause. Her first
attempted speech lost in that outburst of acclaim, the actress stood
befor