The Yale expositor., 1908-05-15


"On me-" considered /. because of
my recent attentions to the Other
Girl; but l sheathed my reply in a
glittering generality. mo self-respect-
ing girl would" observed, with out
ward ostentation and an inward
cringe.
"And the sooner he realizes it," she
pursued as we shot into the high
road. WE'LL" She shrugged meaning
ly, regarding me with wrath black
eyes from between two pink chiffon
curtains.
THAT veil," l hastened TO observe.
''is about the most becoming thing l
ever saw you we"
She cut me off with an icy stare.
took refuge In a smile, and lost my
self in contemplation of Cicely's dim
pie.
An ominous pause ensued, broken
only by the swift hum of wheels over
the hard clay road. To the right an
endless chain of buttercups cleaned
gold in the dapple sunlight; on the
left was a sharp. sterile declivity. We
skinned dizzily past, around a mar
row curve, down, down, and up again
to level ground before Cicely broke
the silence.
Il might as we'll tell you," she an
nounced, the light of battle in her eye,
that have accepted Jack Ransdale."
The devil you have!" l exclaimed
with unconscious profanity, putting
on brakes SO precipitately as to jeop-
ardise both our lives. "It-it's sud
den, isn't it?" I queried, apologeti-
cally.
"Oh, not so awfully,' she responded.
airily. with rush of crimson to her
temples.
tried to get at her eyes; but only
two glistening rows of jetty fringe
across the pink line of her cheeks
greeted my agonized glance.
Suddenly she laughed and tossed her
head, shaking down a whole cataract
of sun-gold curls.
turned toward her with forlorn
hope. "It's all a jest, huge joke"
/ suggested, feebly, but hopefully-de-
spite my rising ire.
We'll, hardly" retorted Cicely,
drawing herself up.
Then" remarked /, glacially, pride
rallying to my assistance, we're in
for mutual congratulations"
Cicely gave a start, holding tremu-
lously to the cloudy pink streamers
| flying beneath her dimpled chin.
Then: Realty" she exclaimed, gush-
ingly, how lovely!"
''If you don't believe it, babbled
on, in quite overdone effort to con-
vince, read that" / produced a close
| ly-written sheet of note paper from
my inside pocket and thrust IL into
her little gloved paw. I watched her
excitedly as she scanned the endear-
ing contents. In a moment she re-
| turned It to me with a disdainful little
| gesture.
"Maudlin," she shifted, contemptu-
ously, mere drivel. Angel and your
devoted slave UGH" A ripple of
silent scorn fitted over her face. Her
poise was enviable, to say the least;
though her lips were not so red. as be-
| fore.
Spleen getting the rein of me at this
juncture, skinned a couple of miles
in twice as many minutes.
Suddenly / felt the clutch OF terri
fed fingers on my biceps. you are
mad!" she cried, white as death.
At the next turn l slowed down a
trifie. allowing momentary breathing
| space.
"By the way" began Cicely, calm re-
stored, you seem quite confident that
she will accept you" She regarded
me, for all her occurrences, with un-
concealed triumph in her flashing
eyes.
Can you doubt my assurance after
reading those lines?" l asked her, in
differently.
Scarcely. But you haven't told me
yet who she-who the lucky girl is?"
she Queried with elaborate uncon-
cern.
WINGED under the dainty infection
of satire, but retorted, sententiously:
''The girl I love-"
"Ohl" She smiled; her brows went
up into delicate black arcs.
Another horrible silence held US In
grip. Then, the idiot In me rushing to
utterance, l pleaded: Dearest, don't
marry him!" My voice was nimsy,
my eyes ridiculous Q presume), for
Cicely treated me to a most incisive
stare.
"You are beside yourself" she de-
livered, frigidly. giving her attention
to the whirling landscape.
On we sped like fury. one, two
three miles. was beside myself
Cicely sat very still. her lips com
pr essed and colorlsss. her loosened
hair blowing in cloud OF tangled gold
across her white face. You don't
want to kill yourself and--and me,
DO your" l heard indistinctly, above
the noise of the machine and the
shrek of the wind In our ears.
Life isn't worth living" l hurled
hack brutally and shot crosswavs Of