The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1905-10-27


and rescued her. Now in this silent
room. every thought which had
5uoved her up seemed an added weight
crushing her down.
No explanation was possible. If he
| demanded one, her pride would in
stantly reassert itself. If he de-
nounced or upbraided her. she would
welcome every scathing word. But il
he should speak words of love to her?
If she should detect note of tender
pity in his voice? God would not per-
nit her to suffer that?
How much LONGER would he keep ST
lent II must have been hours since
she began staring into the fire. already
fading with every throb of its glowing
embers!
DO you believe in fairy tales?"
Leslie barely suppressed a crv of re-
lief and looking up. found Kennard
seated near her. his elbows resting on
his knees and his hands clasped be-
tween them. For a moment she could
not trust herself TO answer, and he
repeated the question as though she
had not heard.
do you believe in fairy tales?"
I'll love then,"
The answer was an exclamation so
emphatic and enthusiastic that they
both burst into laughter. and the ten
sion once relaxed, they laughed again
and again spontaneously, reassuringly,
1oI1 oh in
sheer gladness.
What are we laughing att" he
gasped at last
I'll don't know! Do you?'
at couldn't have been my question"
Nor my answer"
mo; and vet" He hesitated a mo-
ment and then turned swiftly to her
DO you know how irresistible your
laughter ISL"
"Why, no."
Its the most contagious"
Dear me, that sounds unpleasant.
What were you going to say about
fairy Ia!esp"
1t was difficult to heed the delicate
note of warning in that half-jestirg
change of subject-difficult to keep
from whispering the few syllables
which might dispense with so manv,
many words-difficult to understand,
in sound of such joyous laughter, that
she would not have it So But Ken
nard understood and needed
Il merely asked you If you liked
them, and you said Say it again,
pleased"
"Why?"
"Oh, because it sounded so jolly and
hearty and in just the right mood"
''1hen Id better not respond to an
encore What made you speak of fairy
tales? Don't you care for them?"
They were the only things l could
read at the hospital. People brought
me heaps Of reading matter, scientific,
economic, philosophic-every kind OF
literature-and novels by the ton. Blu;
the only thing which didn't bore me
was a book of fairy tales which | be.
gan reading aloud to one of the kids
appropriating for my own amusement.
| read each story perhaps dozen
times, and every reading placed me
more and more under the magic spell
have never had any patience with
fairy tales since l became grown-up,
and yet when was absorbed in those
pages l recovered all my childish sense
Of proportion. The princes were more
than mere men, the princesses hope
fully real, the giants enormously
large, the good fairies impossible to
doubt and the bad ones excitingly
possible, with just sufficient improb-
ability to keep them from being too
scary-"
Il know"
What! have you"
Lots, and lots and lots of times!"
Surely it was an eager, animated lit
tie girl that nodded rapidly as she an
swered, looking out at him through the
waning firelight-a small comrade,
sympath etic. enthusiastic and fearless.
There was a delightful suggestion OF
womanhood, II is true, In the dressing
of the hair-the big braids had been
CIoN0Ily JTduSlOIlcu lHCO QulIc IHO
young lady's coiffure-there was even
a hint of coquetry in the daffodils
which nestled between the wavy
a delicious assumption
Of quiet dignity, in perfect keeping
with natural childish grace and inno-
cence. But these only added to the
picture.
Kennard nodded back at this
charming little ompanion-smilingly
when l was a small boy" he con-
tinued-T mean very little chap,
you know used to squat on the nur-
sery floor before the fret was i'm
possible to sit in chair and read fairy
tales, things seemed all wrong that
way-and, will you believe it? at the
hospital I felt an irresistible impulse
70 drop down on the floor and sit cross
legged whenever touched that book"
"And did you? Oh, of course you
must have! They wouldn't have come
back otherwise"
The words were the statement of an
ndisputable fact.
"Who wouldn't have come back?"