Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-06-10
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JOHN STRANGE WINTER.
, Copyright, 1898, by the Author.
CHAPTER XIV.
FROM THE CORNER WINDOW.

FROM THE CORNER WINDOW.
As the train steamed out of Padding
ton station on the following day Mary
gave great sigh of relief. and Alan
Stacey. whose spirits had gone up as high
as the day before they had been low-fcr
he was, like all people of buoyant dis
position. subject to great alterations
of ftemperament-moved his seat over to
the one beside her and put his arm
round her waist.
s'Little woman. he said. ''it is aw'
fully Jolly to be going out of London
again. isn't it, even although we are
not going for holidayH By Jove. that
was good idea of yours. What wise
little head you've got l should have
gone on tagging my heart out in that
used up atmosphere, and you came with
your wonderful woman wit and solved
the question in an instant You women
are wonderful creatures.
She did not say very much She nes-
tied up close against him with curiously
mingled feelings On the one hand she
felt that she was leaving her troubles
behind her; on the other that she was
only putting off the evil day for little
time. She felt that she was safe and yet
that she was insecure. She had gained
breathing time. resting place, but
that one day she would have to tell Alan
Stacey the truth was as inevitable as
that one day she would have to die.
"By the bye. did you remember to tell
John to send the papers after us2"
''No. did not tell him. said Mary
She flushed up vivid, guilty scarlet,
for, truth to say, she had purposely re-
Trained from instructing the intelligent
John on this point,
"Ohl Well. Of course we can easily
write and tell him to send them. " said
Alan. "All the same, don't know
whether newspapers are not rather a
bore than otherwise.
"You see. said she apologetically,
"we generally 60 to hotels where there
are papers.
"Oh. yes. yes. yes. it's all right. |
dare say we shall be much better with
out them if we find that the Powys
Arms is not so luxurious as to have a
London paper Let US try it at all
events.
So they started on their pilgrimage
without so much as daily paper to
tell them what was going on in the
world
1t seemed strange to Mary herself
that she was not more eager to know
further news of the survivors Of the
Arikhama. but she was truly happier
not to know From that moment she
flung herself into the present with an
energy which was intensely pathetic,
and Alan Stacey was more hopelessly
in love with her than ever.
She had arranged with Miss Win
nington to be in readiness to come If
she should send for her. so that they
made acquaintance with the little Cor
nish fishing village without the re-
straint of a third person. They were
like two happy children. The weather
was lovely. the air soft and sweet, and
they tramped over the golden sands and
prowled among the rocks as if never g
care existed in the world or ever could
do.
"You like this place, sweetheart2'
he said to her on the evening Of their
first day
II love it, she answered. II should
like to stay here always Alan. don't
believe that place like the Sycamores
is good for you. 1t is too fat. too much
shut in; there is not air enough for e
brain worker Let US give up London
and settle ourselves in some such place
as this, where we can live more of the
ideal life and make up the waste as fast
as we create it. I believe it would be
good for both of US There is that sweet
old place we passed among the trees to.
day. Fancy having that for ones own.
Fancy asking ones London friends to
come down and spend week in such a
place as thisl What joy it would give"
''Yes. but should we have any Lon
don friends to ask if We settled our
selves here altogetherf"
"Why notH You have friends all over
the world. You are not dependent upon
London. Of course you would have your
friends just the same.
"And you would really like to leave
Fulham. to have no resting place in
town.
81 am afraid I would, Alan. You
see. I am not like you. You were born
to it. You are well used to the rush and
turmoil of life feel sometimes as if l
could not get air, as if were choking. :"
Everybody feels it in London, my
dear, and when you've got air and are
not choking you feel bored to death {;
you feel you would give anything to be
back again in the place where things
. hum, to be in the thick of the fray. 1t
Is vegetation to spend all your life in a
quiet place, even a paradise like this
But tell you what we might do. I've
had my doubts about the Sycamores for
some little time. We might move into
q fat-comparatively small-and take
a cottage down here solely for work.
That would pay better than setting up
our tent in any such place as this alto
gether.
ga cottage one could turn round in.