The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-12-02

died back to the lacy breast, held her tight
with his dimped arms and let his soul
dissolving tears have way.
M The duchess dropped over him as swiftly
and instinctively as me covers a wound.
She gathered him to her as close and firmly
as could the most accustomed arms.
re-there-auntie's precious boy
There. darling" she crooned; and with the
immemorial cradling, "mothering" sway,
got to her feet and began to walk with him,
back and forth, hushing, murmuring, with
never glance at the stupefied witness Of the
miracle. The duke sat, weakly.
Bulging roots and twigs caught in those
draperies Penny Bond had deprecated
stained, ripped zigzags in the hlmy stuff
tore off little hens and ribbon bindings and
trailed them in forlorn wisps yards behind
the pacing figure that moved, oblivious,
eyes on the faxen head against her BOSOM
The murmur drifted into a wordless song,
as natural and as soothing as the drone Of
the bees among the flowers, the plash of the
fountain, the meditative whisper of the
warm, lazy wind. The sobs trailed off to
sighs-to long breaths. Desire and Du-
plicity were lost in the need OF hap
Caught in his own tolls, hanging lead-heavy,
flushed, kissable and angelic, the injurcd
one slept.
The humming faded to a mere whisper ai
sound, she paced more slowly. Her cheek.
were peony pink with heat, the piled coils oi
hair were askew, the tendrils clung in moist.
pale gold rings at her forehead and nape oi
neck. Very gradually and cautiously, still
swaying her burden, she got to her chair and
rested in it with a soft gasp of fatigue
And looked up to meet her husbands eyes.
How long that look lasted or when he get
across to her, neither knew. 1t seemed in
evitable and natural that he should be on
his knees before her. arms laid up about her,
his face with its odd look of hunger and
triumph, bent over her bare forearm, where
his lips burned adoTngly. She looked down
on him mildly, materially, from the remote
ness OF her awakened, brooding wonlan-self,
that center so vastly remote from woman
selhshness. The self she had been had acted
incredibly foolish and been incredibly mis-
cradle. But that was over for always, Of
course. Men were children. She freed her
left hand and laid it gently on the sun
burned brown head.
They went up to the house after a time
lllC uuhC Ndlly yllB tllS SlNNI'is ''N NiiN
charmingly disheveled giri-vhao.h
at all a duchess!-shieldiyr
from the sun. Penny and Sue, reconno,tL.
ing came stealthily out on the veranda-
and met them full.
THE minute l saw that her chin was
tucked in and her lip-corners turned up,
knew it was all right" Pen declared with
infinite complacence as he arranged his tic
before Sues smallest mirror. He had in
vaded her drcssing-room to- utilize the few
minutes before dinner in Dragging OF his
strategy and its success.
But it came in much nicer way than
yOH planned, argued Sue. "She says that
the sight OF our happiness nearly killed her,
Pen, but that she couldn't leave us,-she
saws she knew if she did take him back it
would be here, but she didn't see how she
ever could! And she says she worshiped
the Babe, all the time, but she knew if she
touched him she should just break down and
have Mysteries / know precisely how she
felt! She says she doesn't see why girls
aren't taught that their only happiness lies
in having a family to keep them from fads
and ioolishness."
She is a very wise young woman, said
Pen, winking abominably at his own rehec-
tion.
"Isn't she2" said Sue warmly. Whereat
he had the grace to be ashamed, and went
over and kissed her shoulder.
My, but you're swagger tonight" he
observed. She faced about and took him
by button.
"Do you like this gown2"
Altogether too we'll My admiration for
you is too ardent to be comfortable"
"Sillyl Is it2 But Pen, dear" J
"Yes' Why so long a pause,
Sweetness?"
"Well-you know what you said about
long skirts, to-day,-do you ever think that
you'd like me to wear long skirts, always,
and not play tennis, but TO be more dignihed
and-and matronly now that have Boy1
more, perhaps, like Camilla2"
He took the busy hand in both his own.
Sue" he said. She looked up. And
at what she saw was silenced and bit
awed. Slowly she flushed. Her eyes grew
purple as pansies, her exquisite mouth trem-
bled into a shamed smile, and she lifted her
free hand and shut out that dear truth and1
reproach.
"Dontw she begged, though ho nad
not spoken a word. "I-Pen, / doc sup
pose | mean half these silly thi.:gs ask
you. It's just because Pm woman, /
guess. But that's all any woman is--just
a Womanl -
THAT great truth is dawning on me, be
said, "by degrees"