Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1897-12-03

settled in big armchair for his usual
after-dinner nap. II was nearly dusk,
and Jack asked her TO play TO him in
the twilight, 80 they went up stairs to
the drawing room. Doris seated her.
self at a piano, while he went over 10
the fireplace and sank deep into big
chair piled with cushions. Doris played
divinely, and the music went deep into
his soul. IL wove subtle spells az il
filtered through the shadowy room,
and made him sink deeper into the
chair and guard the silence of death
lest he should lose single note of the
harmony that spoke to him out Of the
dimness, out Of the feecy haze that
wrapt all things. A whole world Of
spirits whispered in his ears; they told
him Of Jack Halliday-much about
Jack Halliday. IL was too dark for
Doris to see his face, so he let his feel
ings have full play. Every note raked
up some iong-forgotten dustheap in
his heart, recalled thought after
thought of past hopes, ambitions and
love--chieAy love.
Suddenly the music ceased. Doris
closed the piano with bang, and
turning tap in the wall above her
head, filed the room with great blaze
of light. Halliday sprang hastily
from his chair; then, regaining some
of his old composure, "By jove, you
might give fellow some warningl"
he said. She smiled, divining the cause
Of his nervous face and the softnessin
his eyes with woman's ready intui-
ton. Then they both rubbed their
eyes because of the sudden glare of
the electric light till she laughingly
said, "Caught you mapping, Mr.. Hal
liday. L really didn't know that you
ever took anything seriously" and a
picture of the invariably fiippant and
supercilious Jack Halliday rose up
before her. She saw half-reproach-
full, half panied look in his eyes, so
she added, 81 mustn't be personal or
You'll hate me-" then taking a chair
on the other side of the fireplace she
went on tentatively, Lets talk sober
sense for an hour or two, and keep up
the illusion"
=, g, Intoxicated nonsense is nicer, isn't
it2" he answered weakly. \
"Mr Halliday, do you want me to
frown2"
"No, but" the smile that was on
his lips died away as the pain in his
eyes deepened. "Do you know what
You are risking? Are you in earnest2
Shall we really take each other seri-
ously for change? He paused here.
wondering whether single men and
women ever did take each other seri-
onsly--in his world, at least In the
other world, where people had 10 work
Cor living, ii was different. They
had to be serious or g under. Then
Il(~uhet lsnef Il rHSx ~
maryS Ing at the kindness and good
will in her face.
"Why not?" she said slowly,
Doesn't the small talk sometimes
bore You more than the big words?
Weren't you serious when L turned
the light onp Tell me what you were
thinking about, il I'm not too curl
GUS"
A world OF invisible poetry had
sprung up between Halliday and Miss
Verrall during the last hour or two.
Each one felt that there was something
indefnable in the other, something
that made them more akin, more
trustful and less afraid-,a strange new
feeling that made them throw off their
stage trappings now and become
human, with all the strength and
weakness of ordinary human beings.
Doris was silent now. She was
waiting for him to speak. Her heart
was too full for words, filed by that
strange, new sensation that made her
wish to help him, to comfort him and
give him happiness, even at the risk
of her life-a feeling unselfsh, self
sacrificing and purely womanly that
increased with every word he uttered.
Jack began nervously, gaining force
as he went along. "The music rather
stirred me up and set me thinking Of
the nothing, the empty nothing that
represents my pasta thing / thought
was gone and done with--quite gone.
It's different with you" he went on.
you've got some one at home you can
talk sense to. haven't sit alone
in my room sometimes and think of
another life than the feeble imitation
of q one lead--something real, some.
thing like the people who say Time is
money lead. We say, Time is made
to be killed. suppose it's because
we've got the money. It's not the
work want, but it's something differ
emit TO the aimless vanity of our life. "
She looked at him--kindly, it seemed
TO him. He thanked her with his
eyes and continued: ''rhis may be
seutiment. even sickly sentiment, but