The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-11-11
Scontinued1


 Rats
 Fact"
 He'd really have married you?"
 He would"
 -4Rubbish-I beg your pardon ''Certainly," went on the woman. You don't understand Brancaster. He's a pre- something or other That's where I come in I'm long and I'm lank. He calls 1t aesthetic I dye my hair puce. He calls it Titan and Burne-Jones- I can pant and whisper at the piano under a pink lamp shade, with the soft pedals down, while look unutterab1e yearnings into space I can babbIe second hand philosophy French philoSophy-in the moonlight. He draws and he paints and like most men, he is romantic; like real noble men. he is chivalrous; like most gen tIemen. he is generous. He thinks l have been misunderstood and harshly judged I'm certain that if some day I got him in the right mood, in tears and teagown. with my hair down and a laudanum bottle on the mantel- piece, you know-why, one day it was as near as fhfs''
 To the amazement of the captain she took from her handbag and gave to him a special license to marry, dated but month before
 Sartoris sat bolt upright on the bench they were jointly occupying
 'sWhy didn't you?'' he shot out
 Some rot about me in the papers err She made vague gesture.
 There's more in about you this morning. he said fsYou've made di- vorces rather hobby, haven't you?''
 But she didn't note his last words.
 err s7 1,s- <~fS she went on ssNow there'n never be another chance It's awfully rough luck I might be widow, Lady Bran caster. if anything happened tonight Funny situation if I'd married him last week. and he recovered, and then, as Sir Andrew said. couldn't remember anything he had done.''
 There was a periods cf silence be- tween them. while both stared straight ahead An idea seemed to be in the air Neither afterward knew just which of them had thought of it first. But after moment they turned with common impulse to stare understand ingfy at one another.
 .-Suppose''- he said in that sinister fashion he had at times.
 q wouldn't dare''- she countered
 Then their eyes met and chung to-
  derstanding.
 @.I'm devilishly hard up,'' he said
 'sSo am I.'' she returned. Sartoris swallowed hard, then when he began to speak the thought that was vaguely in both their minds his first words were tremulous. but as he went on his tones became cold, de rfsiveIy emotionIess.
 Suppose tonight you drive up in your motor-to a village church-and the date in the register and on the cer- tfficate were put back ten days and the names came out as yours and Bran easter's?'' he asked
 In her excitement, now that their hitherto unspoken mutual thought was put, she got to her feet.
 "Impossible!'' she. exclaimed. 'aThe riskT'
 What risk? 4 bare chance of re- eo7ery-and none of memory. You heard Sir Andrew. He'll never be able to deny that. he'd married you, since he wouldn't be able to remember any thfng that had happened during this period And when he'd forgotten the special license, the marriage certificate would remind him. Where's your pluckF'
 In her turn the woman clinched her Hsts and swallowed a lump in her throat
 -Where's your parson?" she asked.
 He smiled pleasantly at the prospect. a'How much?7 she asked in a hard voice, thinking of the only motive that eould impeI him she knew
 With a shrug of his shoulders Sar- koris returned:
 I've needn't bargain. I'll see to my phare."
 '.Where's your parson?" she asked again.
 As if in answer to her urgent re quest for q spiritual adviser the Rev. Werner HasIam passed along the ter race on his return to the vicarage.