Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1908-06-26

make 1t, sup
I'LL TAG IT. THAT'S pose" she broke
ALL in, with a shrug,
"but as 1t is our only alternative
really don't see the sense of sitting
here arguing"
Aldrich smiled and nodded. Fasten-
Ing the brake, he sprang to the ground,
and. going over to the other side,
helped Dolly to alight.
For an instant they stood in the
middle of the road facing each other.
"But what is to become of the ma
chine? ?" she asked.
Aldrich dived into his pocket and
brought forth a notebook and pencil.
"TlI tag 1t, that's ALL he laughed,
trusting to the fates that 1t will not
fall into hands piratical." He scrib-
bled a line across one of the blanks
and fastened 1t to the forward cushion.
Forty minutes of steady walking
brought them a mile nearer home.
With an u~nconcealed sigh of wearIpGk
Dolly flung herself down on apak
.log.mfsrcich slipna
sac her. HIS face indexed a variety
of emotion. Hope, that had hitherto
buoyed him above every difficulty,
shrlveled within him. She would new
er forgive this.
"Dolly," he began appeallngly, "heav-
en- knows I'd rather have lost my right
hand than
She interrupted him with a little i'm
patient gesture.
Jimmy, please spare me. It's bad
enough in all reason, but let us not add
tragedy to a situation which is already
melodramatlc in the extreme"
Aldrich subsidized under the snub, con-
templating the toes of his boots in
gloomy silence. Some minutes passed.
The darkness yielded gradually to a
splendor of gold light flung down from
a cloudless sky by thousands of stars,
and everywhere through the misty yell
low innumerable dogwood blossoms
shone solemnly like white crosses.
Suddenly Dolly started up and walk
ed off down the road again, the other
following gloomily.
Miss Templeton," he began after a
silence, "do you know why I asked
you to come out with me this after
noon?"
She did not reply at nee. The tone
more than the words caused the blood
to scorch her cheeks for an instant.
why" she returned after a little,
ito celebrate our independence, of
course, just as every one else is doing"
She gave him an inscrutable little
glance from the tail of her eye.
Il wanted to ask you a question" he
announced gravely.
please" she began, walking faster,
couldn't we discuss
Don't distress yourself" he inter-
posed bitterly. "Three times is'-he
looked at her resentfully-''quite sufi-
cient to show a fellow how many diff
ferent sorts Of a fool he can make of
himself. 1t is solely in the interest of
friendship 1 wish to speak now"
Dolly frankly admitted to herself
that friendship was even less interest
ing than the other thing. She bit her
lips as she demanded petulantly, "Well,
what is your question:"
'The other day." he replied quickly,
"T heard that you were going to be
married; that you were going to marry
a poor man, after all. Also that you
had made the statement with your own
lips. Is it trueY' The last words were
uttered hoarsely, almost as a charge.
Dolly's white lids hickered as she
looked up into his eyes.
"It is quite true" she answered un-
hesitatingly. the crimson playing all
owe her face.
Aldrich stopped short and faced her,
compelling her glance to meet his in a
Sxddenly masterful manner.
"WhyT he demanded passionately.
Dolly shrank away from him; his
vehemence half frightened her.
Because" she said proudly, II love
him"
Aldrich was silent for a moment, but
OILS silence was more tense than words.