Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1909-01-15

| tp'fHU thii 4n lt'i;i''f jii"F
II h"n~ }an did l'nH, nr;hI yhat
said
"Nno. hot low. You do believe me,
don't yon;"
| YES. do"
"Ihank yon And. Phil. will try
to sister straight--because you ask
me-"
"You mnst"
81 will. II Is good to be here. !
must not come again. must ~
Not again. Alike"
"On your account
"On your own What do careT'
- didnt know They say
what" hr asked sharply.
"A rumor-I heard it-others speak
OF it--perbaps to be Gisagreeable to
me-"
What have you heard"
"Thlt-that you might marry
again"
"WeI. you can uail that lie," lie said
hotIy.
Then II Is not trueT
"Trne! Do you thuk ia take thar
chance again. even If felt tree 10 dc
| itw
"Frcer' she fatcrtu. "3nt 20" are
free, l'bll!'
81 am not" te SAID tercely. "No
| nah Is free 10 marry twice unhec Sjcn
conditions. It's jest at decency and
q slap in the face OF civilization' N
done for-tinished / had my chaDce
and failed DO you think J consider
myself free to try aSai0. with the
chance o. further bespattering NV
famiiyT
wait uhtiI you really love" she
,aid TREMENDOUSLY.
He laughed incredniously.
~ an GLAD that it is not trne am
glad" she said "Oh Phil Phil. fni
n single one of the chances We IN"
again and again and again! And we
did not know we did not know! A"d
yet-there were moments
Dry Tipped he looked ut her. and dry
Of eye and lip she raised her head and
stared at him. through him. far he
You'd q, thu twin ghosts fioating under
the tropic stars locked fast In their
first embrace.
Then she rose. blindly. covering her
face with her hands. and he STUN
bled to his feet shrinking back from
her-because dead fires were flicker
Ing again. and the ashes Of dead roses
stirred above the scented einbers-
and the magic Of all the east was de-
scending like veil upon them. and
the phantom Of the past drew nearer,
smiling, wide armed, crowned with
living blossoms.
The tide rose. swhying here where
she stood Her hands fell from her
face Between them the grave they
had dug seemed almost filled with
towers now, was filling fast, and
across it they looked at one another as
though stunned. Then his face paled
and be stepped back. staring at her
from stern eyes.
"Phil," she faltered. bewildered by
the mirage, sis 1t only bad dream,
after allT And as the false magic
glowed into binding spendor to en-
gulf them, "Oh1 boy, boy, is it hell or
heaven where we've fallen?"
There came loud rapping at the
door.
phil" she wrote, 81 am a little
frightened. Do you suppose Boots sus-
pected who it was? must have been
perfectly mad to go to your rooms that
night, and We both were-to leave the
door unlocked with the chance Of some
body walking in But. Phil how could
| know it was the fashion for your
friends to bang like that and then
come in without the excuse of re-
spouse from you?
81 have been SO worried. so anxious
hoping from day to day that you would
write to reassure me that Boots did
not recognize me with my back turned
to him and my muff across my eyes.
"But scared and Inundated as ! am
realize that it was well that he
knocked Even as write to you here
in my own room, behind locked doors
am burning with the shame Of it.
"But | am not that kind of woman.
Phil Truly. truly am not. When
the foolish impulse seized me had no
clear idea of what wanted except to
see you and learn for myself what you
thought about Gerald's playing at my
house after | had promised not to let
him.
"Of course | understood what risk
ed in going | realized what common
Interpretation might be put upon what
| was doing. But. ugly as it might ap
pear to anybody except yOu. my mo-
tive. you see. must have been quite
innocent, else | should have gone about
it IN a very different manner.
II wanted to see you: that Is abso-
lutely all | was lonely for a word.
even Il harsh one. from the sort or
man you are. | wanted you to believe
II was in spite Of me that Gerald
came and played that night.
HE came without my knowledge. |
did not know he was invited. And
when he appeared ] did everything to
prevent him from playing. You will
never know what took place, what l
submitted to
II am trying to be truthful, Phil. !
wait to lay my heart bare for you. but
there are things n woman cannot Who'll.