Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-10-02
Continued From Yesterdny.)


[. was very sure in my own mind that
I wanted the scuffiing solitude of a
hotel. My temper felt unsettled, and
the last people in the world I wanted
to meet were a lot of conversational
visitors. Bob had a hard future cut
: sal. for him, n indeed for three days
1 led him a life that must have
nearly killed him. Perhaps he
may have scented some trouble be-
hind my unusual energy, for he stuck
to me like a man losing to me at ten
mis-, beating me in long games of golf,
bathing with me in the morning, and
taking an oar as we rowed Mrs. Bob
about in the evening.
Miss Tabor had spoken of a coming
visit; but of course after the dis
turbances In her home she would have
abandoned all plans. And I certainly
did not care to start the bantering
flood of questions which I knew o
could not restrain should I show even
the mildest curiosity about her coming
And yet she came. / had come over
prepared to drag Boil to the altar OF
another strenuous day, and l found her
sitting alone ON the veranda as quietly
at ease as though nothing had hap
pened. l was not even sure that she
looked tired; certainly she looked
serene. She stood up and shook hands
with me smilingly. ! thought the blue
veins throbbed a triie in her throat,
but her manner was frankly free from
embarrassment.
you are getting a very seaside color,
Mr.. Crosby" she said. Your vaca-
ton must be agreeing with YOU"
1 could not answer for a moment;
then, as she drew her hand from mine,
What have I done?" 1 stammered.
What was it all about? Did you too
really believe"
I stopped, for she was looking coldly
psRIh7,f, her face blank and her eye
S.st2aised.
sbeg your pardon" / said, taken
- ksrly back. Her silence seemed to
2ess.ke across me like a blow. 1T beg
your pardon, Miss Tabor" and ] swung
upon my heel.
When I reached the steps, she called
after me.
"Mr. Crosby" turned. Bob wants
to know why we shouldn't all play
tennis together. He thinks that he and
Mary can beat U.S."
I stood amazed. She was looking at
me gaily, almost provokingly, every
trace of GOODNESS gone from the eyes
hat looked frankly into NINE. She
moved mentally too fast for me. l
could read nothing but the end of our
friendship in her look of a moment
ago, and now she spoke as il no
shadow of mystery or misunderstood
ing had ever fallen between us. OF
course the surface of it was that 1
had %blundered. and that she had taken
the only way of showing me that my
memories of her trouble must be
really forgotten. The last few days
were never to nave been.
1.-THE Ainslies came out of the door
together. "And you never told us that
you had met Miss Tabor last Christ
mas said Bob. AZ call hat rather
cool. | just mentioned you last night,
and she asked all sorts of questions
about how long you had been here
and how long you expected to stay.
For my part, l think you must have
made quite an impression
Indeed he has" laughed Miss Ia
Dor. do you know. Mary. Mr.. Crosby
is the only thoroughly frivolous instir
tuition of learning | ever saw. He
never spoke a word all Christmas that
added to the partyS fund of -1ntorma-
ton, except to tell up of a new and
a more ~indigestible way to make Welsh
rarebit.'
Evidently Christmas was to be the
last and only time that we had met.
| thanked fate and my own discomfi-
ture that | had let fall no word to the
Ainslies and we went off to our tennis.
We won our game rather easily. Miss
Tabor played a shade better han the
average woman, covering her cour
with a forethoughtful ease hat did the
work without wasting eXertion. She
seemed not athletic, but to do outdoor
things as some other woman might move
through a ballroom. When we had fin
ished playing Bob was a dripping ruin
and Mrs. Ainslie n vigorously hot;
but Miss Tabor, who had done no less