The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-08-15
Thrust and Parry

Thrust and Parry
My Dear Floral am going out early
and shall not be back to dinner.
Clara
FLORA let the little note fall as If
l.. she disliked the touch Of 1t. She
was relieved to think she would not
have to see Clara that day. 1t was
her desire never to see Clara
again. If only they could part here and
nowl How she wanted to shake the
whole thing off her shouldersi How
foolish not to have gone to Harry when
she had first made up her mind to! For
why, after all, make him any explana-
tons? Suppose she should just take
the ring to him and say: ut
gives me the shivers, Harry. Let's
take 1t back and get something else
If he didn't suspect the sapphire
already, he would never suspect it
from that. The worst he could do
would be to laugh, to tease, to tell her
she could not live up to her own ro-
mantle notions, since, after all, she had
weakened and was wanting the usual
thing.
But there had been times when she
had thought that he did suspect the
sapphire. Well. IL he did, giving it
back to him would practically be CIV
ing 1t back into public custody in the
bred young woman. And how beauti-
fully it would extricate her from her
wretched situation! Logically, there
was no fault to be found with such a
course. It was eminently sane and
safe. Yet it still appeared to her as if
she were acting a towards part. She
was neither frankly giving the jewel
to the authorities with the proper in
formation, nor frankly handing 1t over
to Kerr. But she was trying to slip
it back into the questionable nook
from which it had been taken, and she
grew hot at the thought of how Kerr
would despise her if he knew the
craven course she was meditating. She
seemed to hear him saying, Il had
thought Drawer things of you"
OF course that was his way of ex-
pecting that she would give him the
ring And she felt sort Of rage
against him that he should want that,
and only that, so very much. Yet she
didn't know what else she wanted him
to want Every time she thought of
Kerr she had to whip up her resolution
with the hard facts of the case to pre-
vent herself from drifting over on to
his side completely.
But did she really want Harry to rid
her of the ring? She would get hold
OF MIN nrSI ana l4eH Sne would see
what she would do
She stepped into the hall with all the
confidence of one who has fully made
up her mind to carry matters with a.
high hand; but at the telephone she
hesitated. Calling him UP at such an
hour of the morning demanding his
attendance on such fanciful Grand
wouldn't he think it odd? No. he
would think it the most natural
thing in the world for her to be so
Eighty. Reassured. she gave the club
number and stood waiting, listening to
the half syllables of switched off voices
and the crossing click, click that was
bringing her fate nearer to her. She
heard some one coming up the stairs
and down the hall toward her. Marrika
stood stolid at her elbow
Mr. Cressy,'' she pronounced
Yes, yes" said Flora, with the club
clamoring in her left ear.
HE is downstairs said Marrika
Flora nearly let the receiver fall.
Harry here?a- What piece of lucki
But here on his own account, at such
an hour-how extraordinary.
Hello, hello" persisted the club.
Whats wanted?'
why, T." Flora stammered ITS a,
mistake; never mind. / don't want him
now" She hoped that Harry had not
heard her as he came in, since it was
his informal fashion to await her in
the large entrance hall. She didn't
want to spoil the chance he had given
her of seeming offhand about the ring.