The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-05
CHAPTER z.
Miss Vests Rennest-

The surprising change in her held me
spccchIeSs All the animation Of the
breakfast table was gone: there was no
hint of the response with which, be-
tore, she had met my nonscnSical sal
lies. She stood there. white. clipped, uu-
smiling, staring down the dusty road.
One hand was clenchcd tight over some
small object Her eyes dropped TO it
from the distant road. and then closed.
with quick, indrawn breath.
Her color came back slowly What
ever had caused the change. she said
nothing. She was anxious 10 leave at
once, almost inpatient over nv delhi
things together Afterward | recalled
that ] bad wanted to explore the barn
for n horse and some sort Of n vehicle
to take us TO the trolley, and that she
had refused TO allow me to look /
remembered many things later that
might have helped me, and did not,
AZ the time | was only completely be-
wlldered. Save the wreck, tho respon-
sibility for which lay between Provi-
dence and the engineer of tho second
section, all the events Of that strange
morning were logically connected; they
came from one cause. and tended uneT.
ringly 10 one end. But tho cause was
buried, tho end not yet in view.
Not until VIC had left the house well
b'HlHu UlH lHD gITl 1Uca relax us
tense lines. ] was watching her more
closely than | had realized. tor when
we had COMO a little way along the
road she turned TO me almost pctulnnt-
~. 'Plcase don't stare so at me- ~ she
said. to my sudden confusion. ~ know
the hat is dreadful. Green always makes
me look sghastly.'
Perhaps it was tho green T was
unaccountabIy relieved. "Do YOU know,
"A fpw mil 1ool,,J "a,
pallid to meip
She glanced at me quickly, but I was
gazing ahead, We wcro out of sight
of the house now and with every
step away from it the girl was obvious
~ relieved. Whatever she held in her
hand, she never glanced at it, But she
was conscious OF it every second. She
seemed TO come 10 decision about il
while we were still in sight of the
gate, for she murmurcd something and
turned back alone. going swiftly her
feet stirring up small pu(fs of dust at
every step. Sbo fastened something 10
the gatc-post. Il could see the nervous
haste with which she worked When
she Joined me again it, was without
were free now, and while she looked
tired and worn, the strain had visibIy
relaxed.
We walked along slowly in the gen
cral direction of the suburban trolley
line. Once nun with an empty wagon
offered MS a lift. but after glance
at the springless vehicle / declined.
''The ends of the bone think they
are castanets rs it isl / explained,
But the lady
The young LADY however, declined
and We went on together. Once, when
the trolley line WIGS in sight, she got
u pebble in her low shoe. and we sat
down under tree until she found tho
cause of the trouble,
"I-l don T know what | should
have done without you. / blundered.
Moral support and-and all that. Do
you know, my first conscious thought
after the wreck was of relief that you
had not been hurt ~
She was sitting beside me- where n
big chestnut tree shaded the road, and
| surprised Il look Of misery on her face
thnt certainly my words had not been
meant TO produce.
"And my first thought" she said,
slowly, ''was regret that that
hadn't been obiterated, blown out like |
candle. Please don Z look like that
| am-only taking
But her lips were trembling, and be.
cause the little shams Of society are
forgotten at times like this. / leaned |
over and patted her hand lightly,