The Press., 1906-11-07
Gerald's Mlfe 'zo1A .z,;;;
 FORESTER
Copyright, 1908. by Ruby Douglas

IudL lAOJ O1O AOL ANO HI 1 AAAC- vile proper, but in Pineville-by-t -the-Sea, otherwise Pineville improper.
 All that Frederick saw were pines, plenty of them, a flat white ribbon of roadway and a bit of a postomce, roughly shingled, in the midst of the nearest clump of pines. He stepped Into the postoffice as the central spot of civilization. Some one was stamp ing letters behind the glass inclosure, a girl with smooth dark hair. Beatrice had smooth dark hair.
 He watched the girl stamping letters with interest and wondered why some one did not tell her to wear her smooth dark hair in two soft braids around her head, crown fashion, as Beatrice did.
 "Where do the Vaughans live, pleaseY' he asked finally, when the stamping ceased
 "The vaughans? Oh, MT. Gerald Vaughan and his wife? It's brown house down near the shore, with a wide veranda and a funny roof. About a mile straight down the road"
 A wide veranda and a funny roof. That sounded like Gerald. He won dered how Gerald's wife liked it. Bea- trice was artistic, but not artistically eccentric. She had a horror of things odd, bizarre, so called bohemian, and yet she had married Gerald. And Ger aids brother knew that Gerald was utterly odd, bizarre and bohemian, so called
 He walked on down the fiat white ribboned roadway and wondered whether he would find her like the girls Gerald had always admired. A lithesome, limp, blessed damozel type, with close silky gowns and loose foppy hair. Last summer she had not been that type. He thought of the trim girl figure holding the rudder of the Water Lily that last day. She had been more than the sort of girl to fall in love with. She had been a good fellow, stanch friend. And as he watched her he had stopped rowing, and they had drifted slowly in the sunset glow that flooded the lake while he told her.
 There had been no actual engage ment. He had nothing to reproach her with. He had not been in a position to ask her to be his wife then, but he had thought a girl like Beatrice had meant more by kiss, a hand clasp, few vague words of understanding, than other girls. He had thought she might wait until next summer. And now, in April, he had returned to New York to learn that Gerald was in disgrace, had married on nothing, eloped to Pine ville-by-the-Sea, N. C., and his wife was Beatrice Stafford.
 Gerald's mother had said they were penniless. Gerald's father had remark ed that he didn't give a rap. They could exist upon love and art.
 More or less for Beatriee's sake and a little for Gerald's, Gerald's brother had taken 1t upon himself to visit the bridal couple and help Gerald. smeth- ering his own love, he had made up his mind that as long as Beatrice had married a Vaughan she should not suf- fer from it.
 There was no bell at the door of the little brown house with the funny roof It was merely bungalow in weather ed shingles, and he pounded on the door Justify until 1t opened and Bea- trice stood before him.
 She was not the blessed damozel type yet. Her smooth dark hair was wound about her head In just the same crown fashion, and she wore a short dark blue linen skirt and white shirt waist. The sleeves were rolled to her elbows, and from her finger tips to el- bow dimples there was flour sprinkled.
 He had not expected to see her face oln he expected her to act as she did. The color rose in her cheeks, tipping even her ears with pink. It was an old hab- 1t. He remembered 1t.
 "I thought you were In London" she said.
 "You don't give a fellow a very de- cent welcome after he's travelled from London to this wilderness to say con- gratulations
 He stepped into the hall after her. She hesitated and laughed, looking at her floured hands.
 q can't shake hands with you, and and the biscuits are in the oven. I shall have to watch them. Do you mind coming out to the kitchen?"
 He didn't mind. There appeared to be only three rooms-the studio-sitting room, the dining room and the kitchen. Collapsible ready-in7a=minute studio di- vans were in the sit room and din ing room In lieu of bedrooms. It was all charmingly, most uncomfortably odd, bizarre and bohemian.
 "Where's Gerald?" he asked when he had found a chair in the kitchen.
 Beatrice knelt beside the stove to ksr face.
 He went to the postoflce for the last mail. You must have misse4 him."
 "well, what ever made him come to this lost corner?"
 something definite, you know! Don't you knowP' she added quickly, seeing the puzzled look on his face. "Well, Gerald's chum, Netherby Ames, broke all to pieces last fall from overwork and so on, and he was ordered down here. And he couldn't afford to come and stay indefinitely, so he pulled few wires, and things happened. He has made postmaster here at Pine vile. And he got lonesome and healthy and workful again a month ago, so Gerald's in his place, and he's in New York Don't you see? It was really very definite and businesslike and right under the circumstances"