Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1911-01-17
CHAPTER XIII.
Touchc.

Left alone. Flora glanced rapidly
around her. Now for sally, now for
dash straight for Kerr The short
est way was what she wanted Open
| ing doors lately had led to too many
surprises. She pushed aside the long
| curtains and stepped out through the
| French window upon the veranda.
Rapidly her eyes swept the garden.
| Far down between the gray, slim
| branches of willows at last she made
out the 1utter of a skirt. She sighed
! relief to think Mrs. Herric1 still at
! her post, and began to hurry down
| the broad unshaded drive. Her steps
| sounded loud on the gravel, and pres
emily to her excited ears they sound
| ed double. Then she realized the
truth. Some one else was walking
behind her. She thought by not look
| ing over her shoulder she could avoid
stopping; but in moment Harry's
voice hailed her. It was still far
| enough behind for her to hope she
could ignore it. She swept on as if
| she had not heard. Once around the
| turn of the drive, she would be in
sight of succor. She could trust to
Mrs Herrick to manage Harry. She
made little rush around the loop
I and looked down the long vista of the
| willows.
A hundred yards distant she saw
the two standing. Kerr presented his
! back, and with his head little canted
forward seemed to listen, absorbed in
his companion. But that companion
was g smaller figure than Mrs. Her
| rick's, and her veil made an aura of
| fflmy white around her face. The
| sight of her was enough to stop Flora
| short, and in that instant Harry, max
| ing a cut across the fiower-beds,
caught up with her He stopped as
abruptly as she, and gazed with a
| dismay that surpassed her own. For
an instant she thought he was about
I to make a dash down the walk for
| them. Then he caught Flora's hand
! and pulled her back There was no
help for it, she thought. Her other
| hand crept downward stealthily and
| gathered up her swinging pouch of
| gold. Trembling she let him drag her
| back, but when they faced each other
behind the plumes and swords of a
| great pampas clump she was shocked
at the emotion in his face; and as If
what he had just seen had given the
last touch, his voice had risen a key,
and between every half-dozen words it
broke for breath
Look here, Flora" he began; 81
know you've been trying to give me
the slip ever since night before last
I frightened you then. | didn't mean
to- but you had no business to keep
the ring after what l told you. No,
! I'm not going to touch you," as she
| shrank back against the pampas
swords, "but / want you to give it to
me, yourself, right here and now"
She looked up into his face, burning
fiery in the sun beating down on his
bare head. mo, no, Harry; I shan't
give it to you. Last time said l
would give it to you for a good rea-
son, but now wouldn't give it to you
for anything"
You don't know what you're do
ing" he cried.
Il do; I know as well as you that
! this is part of the Crew Idol. I've
known it all along, and when the time
| comes I'm going to give 1t myself to
Mr.. Purdie, but not until that time"
Harry passed his hand over his face
with an inarticulate sound Then,
you will ruin u.s." he choked.
Il, III
comes" she exulted. To tell the truth
and keep on telling it-that, in her
passion of relief at speaking out at
last, was all she wanted! But Harry
fell back. He changed countenance
He recovered himself.
Look here, Flora; if you do I'm 60
ing to leave you. I'm going to leave
you to what you've chosen"
She met it steadily. I'm glad you
say so. I've been thinking for days
that it would be better So"
Have your" he said in low voice,
looking at her earnestly. "Of course,
I know the reason of that. I meant
it to be different, but now there's no
help. L"
With a motion too quick for her to
escape he stopped and kissed her
lightly To that moment she had
pitied him, but his touch she loathed.
She thrust him away with both hands
He turned. Without speaking, with
out looking at her again, he walked
away. She watched him with a des-
perate feeling of being abandoned, of
losing something powerful and valu-
able. The faint, thin screech of a 10
connective from a station far down the
line made him pause, and turn, and
gaze under his hand in the strong
sun. So for moment she saw him,
a lowering, peering figure moving
away from her over the lawn between
broad flower-beds. Then he disap-
| peared among the shrubbery.
This ems ounter, that had stopped
/ her in full open field, had not been
I the fatal thing she had feared. It
, had been a peril met that nerved her
TO a higher courage. Now she could
walk CALAMITY to the most uncertain
moment of her life. Between the glim-
mering willows down the long avenue
she passed, her flowing draperies
horne backwards as by triumI liant
airs. The wind of her approach
seemed TO reach the two still far in
front of her
They turned and watched her draw
ing nearer, and before she had quite
reached them Kerr stretched out his
hand as if TO help her over a last.
rough place. and drew her toward him
and held her beside him with his TN
. -,r .,,r.as .oo n,,, 7