The evening world., 1911-05-13

utterly aback. Her silence seemed to
strike across me like a blow. Il peg
our pardon. Miss Tabor" and ! swung
upon my heel.
When / reached the steps she called
after me.
MIR. Crosby" I turned. Bob wants TO
know why We shouldn't all play tennis
together. lie thinks that he n Mary
can bca u.s."
stood amazed, She was looking at
me gayly, almost provokingly. every
trace of GOODNESS gone from the eyes
that looked frankly into mine. She
moved mentally too fast for me. |
could read nothing but the end OF our
Friendship in her look OF a moment ago;
and now she spoke as II no shadow OF
mystery or misunderstanding had ever
fallen between us. or course. the sur
face OF II was that | had Numbered and
that she had taken the only way or
showing me that my memories OF her
trouble must be really forgotten. The
last few days were never to have been.
The Ainslies came out OF the door to-
gether. And you never told us h a
you had met Miss Tabor last Christ
mas" said Bob. II call that rather cool.
! Just mentioned you last night, and
Slp dShtu ! Butts III putStioiib aDOub
how long o had been here and how
long you expected to stay. For my
part. I think you must have made quite
an impression"
Indeed he has" laughed Miss Tabor.
d you know. Mary, Mr.. Crosby is the
only thoroughly. frivolous institution
Of learning ] ever saw. He never spoke
a word all Christmas that added to the
party's fund OF information. except TO
tell us OF n new and a more indiges-
tlble way to make Welsh rarebit."
Evidently Christmas was to be the
last and only time that we had met. I
thanked fate and NY own discontinue
that I had let fall no word TO the Aims
lies. and W. went of to our tennis. We
won our game rather easily. Miss Ia
Dor played a shade better than the
average woman. covering her court
with a forethoughtful ease that 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 finished playing Bob was a
dripping ruin. and Mrs. Ainslie and I
vigorously hot: but Miss Tabor. WHO
had done no less thar her share, laid
aside her racquet as coolly as she had
taken II up.
All the way down the beach she kept
the three OF us In such a shout OF laugh
ter that staider people glanced aside at
us. I made the change into a bathing
suit with abandoned haste. yet I found
her waiting. The sea was evidently u
passion with her as II was with me. Hes
eyes were shining with excitement, her
head thrown a little back, and all her
slim body. tender In every graceful line,
was vibrant with the thrill OF the salt
air. She gave me her hand as a child
might have done, n we turned up the
beach. running lightly until the voices
Of the bathers died behind US.
Suddenly she stopped. 'Do you feel
that way about 1t. too?" she asked.
What way? As II the FIRST plunge
OF the year were a sort of sacred rite %
YES" she answered. There IL
something about it-you feel as II 1t were
such a splendid thing that after al
YOUR waiting for it-now. when the
water Is there before you. you mus,
wait a little sscrifcisl moment I didn't
feel like going in just at tine FRS,
among all those people. DO you under
stand what I mean? I suppose it's be.
on the first day | have always
gone in alone early In the morning"
/ nodded. for hat had been my Gus
tom also. Without a word We turned
together and went slowly down into the
water. When 1t reached her waist. she
threw her hands above her head and
dived. swimming under water with Ions
easy strokes. I looked after her a
moment. then followed. We came IA
the surface together, drawing oui
breath deep and shaking the salt water
from our eyes. We swan slowly back
to the more crowded beach, mutua'y
glorying In our pagan rite OF oapti n,
We stretched u lazily In the hot
sand, leaning back against q battered
and upturned dory. Lady had shaken
down her hair. which her bathing car
had failed to keep altogether dry, and
spread It lustrously dark upon the clean
sun bleaohed %planking.
Il think | understand you now a lit
tie better. Mr.. Crosby she said.
"Why?" I asked.
81 suppose because OF the solemn rite
OF the first plunge. II somehow makes
you clearer. II that is what you NEAR
by romance, why | can agree with YOU
| had 10 be honest. NO. that's no,
all | m~ean-only part, l want things tC
happen to me, not merely sensations
I'm always foolishly expecting some til,
with fortune at the mex turn OF the
road.
II suppose YOU were right that moth
ing much has happened 20 me-. or
slOuiuu I uuut 10 lpE tHt pUNslttl upll1'
OF the unexpected. ! don't want to be
merely selfish-I want to help in the
world. not to harm. / know that ounds
Crudely sentimental, but it's hard Il
say. l mean. for instance, that don
want distress TO prove myself against
hut ! do want the shock OF battle where
distress exists
Then people must seem 70 you mere
Is means to an end
Il suppose 1t must look that way tc
you" ! said uncomfortably. I'm get.
ting tangled. but | want YOU to under,
stand"- I hesita ted. When I asked
questions in the hurry OF the othel
night 1t wasn't any desire to force m
way into things that didn't concern me,
to make an adventure OF what distressed
you-you mustn't think that. But II
seemed to me that YOU were In trouble
and I wanted"-
] stopped, for her face had clouded as
spoke until now | dared speak no more
blaming myself that the perplcxitie'
that possessed me had again Numbered
across her pain. Her eyes were upon
the ground where her fingers burrowed
absently In the sand. When she raised
them to mine there were tears IN
them; but they were tears unshed. and
eyes that looked at me kindly,
"plnaSe DON'T" she said, IT ir