The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-09-07

There had been plenty of DON for
the car to pass them.
She had uttered a name sharply,
with a quick indrawing of her breath,
and the car had been so very near to
the pair it had forced into the hedge
that the driver must have heard 1t.
:et the sun was in his eyes, as l
have said, and lie couldn't possibly
have seen their faces. He went on
down the narrow lane. ard al first
ToTmentilla was too dazed to notice
that he was gradually slowing CT.
But Michael noticed it. Ii fact ne
was beginning to grasp the situation
altogether.
You know the man." ne asked,
with q half smile. He is slowing
down. Locks as if he were going
to stop. He is going to stop. Has
stopped, in fact. I'M beginning to
think I'd better make myself scarce.
/ Good-by. hank You very much in
deed. I suppose I had better so,
hadn't II"
YES" said she, with a desperate
effort to regain her self-pcssession.
"Do-do go, please"
Her anxiety TO see the last OF him
was not fattering, but he under
stood that this was not a moment
for mere manners, and disappeared
round the corner before the owner
Of the red motor had come up to her.
He was an experienced youth. Some
thing in the poor girls eye perhaps
had told him that the best thing he
could do was to leave her now.
She was still leaning against the
hedge when the stranger reached her.
Greenie's little bunch of wild roses
was pressed to her breast. Her wide
brown eyes gazed at him with
a frightened, reproachful stare.
Through her parted red lips her
breath came quickly.
The motorist was a short. stcckish
young man, very broad in the shout
ders and rudy and weather-beaten in
the face. He had small, tTinkling
blue eyes and light, closely-cropped
hair. He wore. no goggles, and his
big coat and ugly cap were Of q dis
tinctly sporting cut. But his face
bore a curious compleIity of express
sions at that moment, JOY and dis
tress in almost equal proportions
predomjnating.
"Saldy!"
Leave me alone" She spoke
childishly, petulantly, and her mouth
grew sull,y and hard. 1--WE been try
ing to forget all about everything
all this tire-it's just like you to
come and spoil everything when I was
beginning to take an interest in doing
good to others, and finding some
peace of mind. It's Just like YOU"
Gust like me? Oh, Sandy"
"Just like the hatefulness OF every
thing. When I was beginning to lose
myself in other things, and beginning
to be happy again.
Happy? Oh, Sandy!". The deep
reproach in his tone Infatuated her.
Her eyes blazed.
II suppose you think no n could
possibly be happy without you? How
like a man! I was beginning to think
Of other things and other people.
And now-now you come to Malinder
and wake up all the grisly wretched'
ness of everything. How like q
man."
He plunged his hands into his big
pockets and planted his feet far apart
with an attitude of logged determine.
ton.
Look here, Sandy" he said, "you
mustn't speak to me like that. !
won't have it, I really won't. I won't
be bullied. I will explain everything,
You didn't give me q chance before,
I've behaved like a hound, but I ad-
mitted that before, and I'm ashamed
to have to confess that I didn't know
what I was doing. I lost my head,
I can't understand ] It's a thing
I've never done beft in my life,
and yet I wasn't drul... And you
know what Dolly isl hadn't time
to draw back-to explain that I'd lost
my head-before shed told youI
mother and Peggy and Vic and every.
body. It's the most extraordinary
thing I've ever done in my life. I'm
sure I never lost my head with YOU
To-mentilla's cheeks famed. she
turned on her heel and walked Of
down the road.
NO" she said in q h~alf-choked
voice; that's just it,"
Sandy dear!" He followed her,
but his hands were still in his pockets
and he didn't attempt to touch her,
Sandy, you're a woman. You can't
possibly understand that a maj can
be so weak when he loves some one
else all the time"
Don't call yourself e. mani"
"You needn't insult me. I've
enough to bear as it is. If I've done
wrong, I've got to pay. There's
Dolly, you see"
To be Continued.
EiDIinr'S puI;ijEr