Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1905-07-14
The Reckless
Hour *
BY IZOLA FORESTER
Copyright, 1904. by Izola FORESTER

| safe enough. She had volunteered go
ing back to the boxes for it, and hat
found 1t sticking In the velvet arm o
Aunt Victorias chair, just where sh,
had left It,
"Did you think that I was neve
coming?" she asked as he reached
the carriage. The figure turned
quickly Mt the sound of her voice. ant
she found herself looking into Thorn
tons eyes She caught her breath ant
stopped abruptly, startled and hesi
tating, afraid to let him guess the grea
flood of gladness that swept over hel
at sight of him. When one believe!
person to be in Manchuria 1t is some
what bewildcring to meet that persor
alone Oh Broadway at IL p. m.
! He did not speak. merely opened the
door for her.
I There is some mistake" she paused
! "Of course there Is mistake. There
always is when come in for anything
good. The fact remains that the RES
have gone and that was told to wait
for you"
'Who told you to waltz"
He took her by the elbow and helped
her imperatively into the carriage.
81 was with Mrs. Culverton. She was
In the third box, and l was late. Their
Gully came along and took her home
himself. I believe your aunt told him
to wait for you, but he wanted TO &c
directly home. SO took his place. You
don't believe mel"
"Oh, yes, l do. At least l believe
part Of 1t. You always twist the truth
and the fairy tale together so perfectly
one can only guess at which is which
l believe that Mr. Culverton was asked
to walt for me-"
Thornton ignored the discrimination
He was gazing intently at the pale
young face. 1t must be true all he had
heard at the club. She did not look
happy. 1t was Vie Wilmlngton's affair
the digging up of Estevan. She always
had some two-fOr-a-penny title tagging
after her. 1t was only three weeks of
now. The thought brought with 1t a
fash of recklessness. They would have
her for lifetime. Tonight for Ole
short half hour she was his. He leaned
OWaru uer Suuueuly.
| "Gladys. are you sorry to see meT'
! Don't" Her eyes met his In half de-
FAINT entreaty. ut isn't fair"
"Fair to.whom?"
! "To him."
! Thornton's jaws squared aggressive
E.
! "He hasn't anything to say about II
yet. You needn't be frightened. The
wolf won't eat you. Won't they even
let You be glad or sorry?"
Don't; please, please don't"
Say you are glad to see me-"
"Im not glad to see you. You went
away Of your own free will. I wish
/ you had stayed"
Until 1t was overT
"No, forever!' she retorted passion
ately. II never wanted to see you
again"
He smiled. 1t was Gladys way to
make one last final charge when she
knew she had lost the day.
! You never wanted to see me again."
he repeated, because you are going to
marry man for whom you don't care
snap of your finger, and you did love
me-"
II did not" She faced him with
proud, hurt eyes and flushed cheeks.
He laughed with a riotous sense of
happiness IN her pain. If he still had
the power to hurt her there was hope.
1t was the reckless hour
you did, sweetheart, and you do
now, and you always will. You know
you will. Manchuria or the moon, 1t
won't make any difference, not IL you
marry hundred times, not II It's years
before we meet. can always come
back like this and look In your eyes
like this and see love In them like
this"
She met his steady gaze, dcflantly
at first, then In open confession. as
he said, and before he knew 1t she
I had covered her face with her hands
and was crying. He felt suddenly
helpless and ashamed.
GLADYS, don't do that. I'm brute.
dear. I'm sorry. l won't say another
word. I'm going back this week. Stop.
dear. Gladys
from her face. 1t was dear face.
He had carried Its memory with him
around the world and 1t had brought
him back to the starting point. He had
been poor-not decently, openly poor,
but living on hope and blue sky and
terrapin. There was another Darby
Thornton who bestowed spasmodically
unexpected and irregular checks on an
undeserving grandson, also advice and
admonitions. The weight Of gratitude
had become too trying. Darby had
never been able to even up the balance
between the acceptance of the checks
and the following out Of the good ad-
vice and the admOnitions.
He had thought that Gladys had
known he was next of kin to Jobs
turkey. Everybody else did. He did
not mind. In a way it rendered him
harmless with undesirable parties SO
far as matrimonial intentions were
concerned. But Gladys was desirable
He had known that she loved him.
He had left the day after the accident.
1t had been her frank betrayal then
that had shown him his course for he:
sake. They had been on the train with
a party bound for the Whitney place at
Rosemead. There had been an acct.
dent in the tunnel to the train. ahead,
and the one they were on crashed into
the rear cars. In the darkness there
had come the sudden jolt and jar OF
grinding brakes. Some peopl. came In
headlong rush from the front cars,
and woman's scream rang out shrllly
above all He had inst stopned he